Need positive messages please help!

[JoyousExpectation]

We are going to try medication again. We have tried twice before and my anxiety about it caused us to stop prematurely. Now i have found a good doctor and counselor for daughter. We have the 504 in place and i have done a ton of research on natural supplements which we are using some of. Now we are planning on trialing medication again for my inattentive 10 year old. I am willing to try again because I think she suffers from not being aware of what is happening around her and this puts her in a lonely isolated place. I would love to hear some of the success stories that people have after trying medication. I have read plenty of the bad stories! Who has seen their child thrive after using medication?

[Onthemove1971]

JoyousExpectation- Thank you for sharing what you are going through. We are on this journey together and it is great that you are willing to give medication a try again. Please know that each child reacts differently and it may take a few (even a combination of drugs) to really get your child dialed in. But the outcome is really amazing. Just know that this might be a little stressful time so try to maintain normal routines and we tried to just go about our day and didn't "over think" about it.

I hope you find the right medication and things start improving quickly.

Big hugs and we are here for you.

[Hidden]

Medication is what works best for my daughter. We saw a positive improvement from the very beginning. As she has grown we have adjusted her meds but with her it has been consistently successful for three years.

She even prefers to be on meds. If you offer her a med break she refuses.

Having less success finding right mix for son but I think we are start to see right combo coming together

[SylvieS]

We held of on medication in favor of behavior therapy and then tried a non-stimulant first. That experience was not great so we held off another 6 months before trying a stimulant. I have to say that I wish we’d gone to the stimulant way sooner. For my son he is able to focus, listen and follow through. He is less moody I think because he is in trouble less.

Although I was hesitant to start medication, it has been a good choice for our son and he thinks so too! And the research supports this. Good luck! I hope you are able to find something that helps your daughter!

[Hidden]

We are still in the process of figuring out the dosage of concerta for my daughter, but I can tell you that we increased the dosage a week ago and her teachers said they noticed a marked increase in her classroom focus. I also notice a difference in her on a daily basis, her emotions are more leveled out. It is not a cure-all. We go to family therapy and she has her own counselor. The funny thing is that it's when the medication wears off that I go OOOOH, right, this is what it was like....

Good luck!!

[Grnmtnmama]

Good for you. I would advise to take it slow. We started with a low dose and our pediatrician saw us every two weeks until the dose was right. We had some ups and downs along the way (adderall caused aggression, pros and cons of extended release vs short acting, etc.) but we eventually found the right, effective dose. Keep a journal and note behavior changes and ask that the school do the same thing, and provide you with their feed back before each follow up with the doctor! Good luck!

[MunchkinMommy537]

The decision to medicate is more difficult for some than others, so don’t feel bad about being hesitant. My advice is to think of it like medicating for any other issue. Would you hesitate to give your daughter an inhaler if she were diagnosed with asthma, or insulin for diabetes? ADHD can be managed just like any other disorder, but because it’s a mental illness instead of a problem with another organ it’s gotten a stigma associated with it. Like others have said, it might take several attempts to find what works for her, so don’t give up if the first doesn’t work. Good luck.

[Elijah1]

Remember that people re more likely to complain than to tell the positive stories. There are many more success stories about stimulants helping ADHD than negative reports. When I talk with other parents, this is the feedback I get. The only downside for trying a medication is a side effect that will fade over time or will definitely stop if the medication is stopped. The benefit is improved school performance and home behaviors. Go for it.

[Applecrisp]

I can’t leave a great before and after story for you yet, but we are in the early stages of an Adderall trial for our son and have good hopes. He hasn’t experienced side effects and we are seeing hints that it’s starting to help his impulsiveness. I will say I don’t feel guilty at all about giving him medication because at the age of 8 he had begun to ask for it. They ways he asked were very age-appropriate and obviously from his own mind, not an idea someone gave him. Like when we were talking about allergy shots he asked if there were “calm shots”. He hates shots but he was willing to volunteer for them if his mind would feel less chaotic. He would come home and talk about his twitchy legs in class and how he just wanted to get up and run. He has told us he is anxiously awaiting for his new medicine to help him focus better.

So all those reports in the press about terrible parents medicating kids just to please themselves, that’s not often the case. Our kids can feel restless, out of control of their thoughts, and kind of miserable with the results. Just because they’re young doesn’t mean they enjoy just bouncing around hyper. They want to have friends and be good at things. So I hope this encourages you to be less anxious and feel positive about how you can help your daughter. Medicine is a scientific treatment, not failure.

[Been_there2018]

We recently recently switched to Welbuterin which was recommended for ADHD and possible slight depression by a psychologist. Prior to that Focalin (didn't seem to do much, but was a low dose), one before that caused eye ticks...one dr said it wasn't the meds..funny we stopped the meds and so did the crazy eye twitching. I was made aware that ADHD can only be diagnosed by a test not just by a doctor. It's definitely a trial-and-error process but Wellbutrin is working great for us now even-keel attitude and focus is better. Blessings.