Today was day 1 of my 7 year old daughters medication journey. She was diagnosed at age 5 with ADHD. This happened because she started having anxiety and panic attacks because she was afraid I was going to die. I took her to therapy for months which lead to her diagnosis. Her ADHD caused anxiety. Needless to say, she always gets in trouble at school for talking 🤦🏻♀️ but teachers love her because she is a sweetheart. Her grades are good, but my husband and I work with her a lot. All the research I have done shows that untreated ADHD can lead to depression and anxiety. I am living proof of this because I have always had ADHD but was never medicated... instead in high school I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression and have taken antidepressants for the past 16years. When I became a school counselor I was overwhelmed at all the multitasking involved and was given Concerta to treat my ADHD. This has significantly improved all areas of my life. I had no idea just how hard it was for me to focus. Long story short... I want to prevent this roller coaster for my daughter. So today she took her first dose of Concerta 18mg and it was an amazing day! I get home after 5:30pm and typically my daughter will greet me by saying “I haven’t done my homework because I was waiting for you.” Today she gave me a huge hug and said “Mom, guess what? You will never believe.... I did my choiceboard word search all by myself and I finished all my homework!” 😱 This has NEVER happened. It may seem like a small victory but word searches have always frustrated her to the point where she needs help finding all of the words. I usually have to sit with her from the moment I get home until close to 8:30 trying to get through her homework and most days there are tears involved. Her overall mode and behavior didn’t change and she ate like she normally does. Has anyone else had positive experiences with Concerta? I am very hopeful that this 1st day was a glimpse of normalcy for her 🙏🏼
Medication victory ❤️: Today was day... - CHADD's ADHD Pare...
Medication victory ❤️
Thanks so much for sharing this!!
We all need to learn about the victories for families.
I was recently following on Twitter some adults that have ADHD and one of them said "taking the right medication is like taking a leaf blower and clearly my mind with it". This was an amazing statement. Everyone deserves this who has ADHD. It really pains me to know that some children struggle because their family wants to wait ( then things just get worse) to give medication.
I am SO excited for you guys.
We tried many medications in the beginning and it was not until we saw a child psychiatrist who really dialed in what he needs. He at times has small issues, but he is doing so well in school and sports.
Thanks again for sharing, I had goose bumps to know about your victory. You are a role model for any parent on the fence about giving medication.
That is the best analogy... I had no idea how congested my mind was and medications definitely cleared it for me 🙏🏼 Thank you for your kind words. I can understand why some parents might hesitate or question using medications. My parents didn’t know any better, but because I have gone through it myself it was easier for me to make the choice for my daughter. Best wishes for you and your son ❤️
That’s awesome!
And yes, we had immediate positive results with my 7 year old son on a similar medication, Metadate CD (it’s also a long acting methylphenidate, like Concerta. It just releases a little more up front.)
My doctor recently prescribed me something for executive functioning issues, and yes - it’s like I finally clean my glasses! I didn’t realize they were dirty, but once they are cleaned - wow, what a difference!
So happy for you & your daughter!
My son started off with medatate Cd which worked for a while. But eventually it wasn’t enough, it wore off late afternoon so he was disruptive in class later in the day and forget about homework......that was a battle. I would get a email every day from teachers that he didn’t complete something. After winter break we switched him to Concerta and so far.....fingers crossed........ it’s awesome. I saw his inclusion teacher one morning and she said he is very focused and not “out of it”. Homework is now getting done......all of it. I don’t get the daily emails which would give me a knot in my stomach.
My daughter has been on concerta for 8 months now and it has made a drastic difference in everything, from anxiety, to her social interactions, to controlling her energy as well as my ability to homeschool her. Her dose is not quite as effective as it used to be but I am hesitant to raise the dose as we are struggling to keep weight on, she's a very picky eater, so it makes it difficult to get enough food into her. There have been a few days where we missed taking her meds and I'll admit to being curious...sometimes you wonder, "was it all in my head?" or "was I imagining how bad it was?" or "maybe she's better now" and wow...without her meds she was swinging from the rafters...it was so noticeable. So, for now, the meds have helped. She gets the occasional headache, tummy upset about 20 mins after taking the pill, and the odd bout of dizziness, but we manage those and she is so far feeling positive about taking meds
Thank you for sharing your experience. I was told by another mom that she gives her son chocolate ensure in the AM before meds to make sure he gets the vitamins and nutrients he misses out on throughout the day. Warm hugs for you and your daughter and thanks again for reminding me that I am not alone on my journey ❤️
That is music for my ears and happy to hear med is working ❤️ I know how exhausting ADHD could be, my son takes Concerta, he started with it at 8 and before that he was in several different therapies, they helped but med was the cherry on top of the ice cream and so happy of his little daily victories.
Very happy for you! My DS15 is on 36mg of Concerta and is doing extremely well in high school after being dx the summer before he started H.S. This is a miracle for him since he's got a heavy honors load. Continued good wishes to you and your family!
Wonderful news. We couldn't do Concerta because it caused such anger issues, on Straterra and Intuniv. But when you find something that works it is such a relief.
That's great to hear! My 8 year old son just got his first full dose of medatate CD this morning (yesterday he threw it up...). I'm hopefully for a great day at school but I won't know for a few more hours. Third grade has been such a challenge and I'm hoping we can turn things around for the second half of the year.
Keep us posted how it’s going! We haven’t had nausea issues with Metadate, but a previous medication we tried we discovered my son would throw up if he didn’t have enough food with it. Hopefully it won’t happen again for you!
So far so good! we're keeping up the meds through the long weekend to get him used to it. No side effects noticeable yet, and grandpa was able to have a conversation with him at dinner last night, which was a pleasant surprise.
Amazing progress. Many grandpa also know how important the medication is for him.
Thanks for sharing.
Just an update - my daughter has been on meds for over a week. Her teachers have said she is more focused, less fidgety and her handwriting has drastically improved. She has been getting 100’s on her assignments and quizzes when typically she would make careless mistakes. She has been sleeping peacefully at night when prior to treatment she was struggling with insomnia. 🙌🏼
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