Needing a bit of direction.

[Blue275]

My daughter is 9 and has been diagnosed with ADHD and is prescribed Vyvanse (not taking it yet). Her grades have been up and down from failing, to average, and above average. At first we thought it was because of her going to school on line so we were able to switch to in person. She continues to struggle with comprehending the material and the teacher says she is not staying focused, which is why it was suggested to have her tested. My daughter is not a behavior problem just unable to focus on the material given and complete in time. The medication prescribed has raise some concerns with lack of appetite to having suicidal thoughts. My wife wants to have her take the medication on a trial bases to see if it works due to her own past history of having ADHD. This has caused a bit of a rift between us because of my concerns with this medication. My child is the highly confident and a bright eye person and I ponder if she takes this medication what negative effects it could put her in. I might be over dramatic but I feel there might be an alternative to help her focus. Would anyone be willing to give me suggestions?

[MZYC]

Hi, my son is 7 and started medication this past summer. He was first on Biphentin and now on Vyvanse. The medication has definitely helped him focus in class. He is a bright kid but just couldn't pay attention and focus on the learning at school.

I've heard that adhd presents differently in girls and many of them are not disruptive but do have a hard time learning because of the lack of attention and focus. I think medication is a decision you need to make as a family, but I do believe that with the right one it make a world of a difference.

I think if vyvanse is giving your daughter suicidal thoughts you can speak to her doctor about it. There are many other medications that may work better for your child.

Good luck!

[MZYC in reply to MZYC]

I also want to add that with vyvanse, I have not noticed much side effects. My son is a super positive and happy kids and I still see the same kid on him even with the medication 🙂

[MaudQ]

Hi - my daughter is 12 and has inattentive ADHD and anxiety. I think most parents have concerns about medications - we certainly did when our daughter was first diagnosed. One thing to keep in mind is that a good doctor/psychiatrist will spend a lot of time finding the right meds and the right dose with you. They will be responsive to issues with side effects. Also, most of the ADHD drugs are quick acting. They go in and out of the system really fast - it’s not like SSRIs where it takes weeks to see a result and then weeks to tweak the dose. We tried one ADHD med that caused irritability. We were able to stop it immediately and then try another and see positive results within a few days. So you’re not locked into anything and can see the results for yourself right away. Our experience with medication has been that it brought our bright, sweet, funny, outgoing girl back to us. Everyone has different experiences but it’s worth seeing how it goes for yourself.

[MaudQ in reply to MaudQ]

Oh, also. Not having behavior problems is not necessarily a good thing. If your kid is the quiet type who doesn’t disrupt the class but is suffering on the inside, the teachers won’t always pick up on it. This is a really common problem for girls with ADHD because they can kind of fly under the radar and do well enough in school to get by. But on the inside, they’re hurting and their self esteem takes a big hit. I found this book to be really helpful: “Understanding Girls with ADHD: How They Feel and Why They Do What They Do.” Good luck!

[ADHD_DAD]

Hi. My son was like your daughter. Not disruptive, just focus issues. I, too, was hesitant at first to medicate him, but I trusted the experts and was gIad I did. A hallmark of ADHD is inconsistent results despite consistent effort which is what you are seeing in your daughter. I have never heard of vivanse causing suicidal ideation, but there are plenty of medication options out there. Vivanse was not a good fit for my son (it made him moody), but Concerta has worked extremely well for him. The loss of appetite is easy to overcome. We would give him ice-cream daily as a reward for finishing homework. Ice cream is great because it is not bad for you, just high calorie, but if you are worried about weight loss, it does the trick (and it's not a bad childhood to have ice-cream nearly every day!!). Now he is 15 and never stops eating despite taking Concert every day. It seems that no medication is a match for the appetite of a teenaged boy!!

We have been at this (ADHD management) for about 8 years now and here is what I have learned. ADHD management is a 3 legged stool with the "legs" being medication, lifestyle modification at home and accommodations at school (in my son's case, a 504 plan). Some would include counseling, but that was not necessary or helpful for my son. My son with ADHD is also near sighted and he describes his ADHD medications and his glasses the same way. He says he can live without either, but that he focuses much better with them. At this point, I would not withhold either from him (and even the thought seems cruel). You will go through the steps like all of us beginning with being wary of medication. However (unless you are anti-vax, anti- med in general as some here are), you'll try medications and regret (because that's what parents do) not starting them sooner. I will say that medications do need to be managed and adjusted over time. Nothing about ADHD is easy, but I have found that my son is accepting of the diagnosis, has learned (and accepts) that he has to work harder than other children for the results her wants, but is proud of his efforts. I have also learned (and tell him) that most people to do not their best every day and I tell my son that because he has learned to work so hard and to do his best every day, he will be not only successful, but extraordinary! Plus, I have come to admire my son's amazing, fast, ADHD brain. He knows he is in the company of Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Leonardo DaVinci, The Wright Brothers and Ben Franklin, all thought to have ADHD. Good luck to you. We are here to help. Just ask.

[Blue275 in reply to ADHD_DAD]

This was very helpful as are all of the replies. Thank you for telling me your son’s story.

[Onthemove1971]

Welcome, we are glad you have joined us on this journey. Everyone has such great advice already. We have a freshman in high school and we are thankful for medication. One thing to remember is, if the doctor's are recommending it, its becuase with the correct type, dose and proper timing it is a life changer for many. The good thing is if you try it and it doesn't work you can move on to something else. I also agree most medications are short acting and you/she will see a difference within 1 hour then it is out of her system.

As far as side effects are concerned, lack of appetite for us was a little bit of an issue in the begining, but now our son is eating us out of house and home! Not a concern. I also think that your daughter would tell you if she had such negative thoughts.

I think if you approach this as a team and see what happens it could really change things for her.

Some on the site say it's like glasses for a child who can't see. Once they are on and working the child can see better.

Good luck with this journey.. we are always here for you when you need us.

Take care,

[Hidden]

Vyvanse caused depression in my son, also age 9. We've stopped the medication for now, and haven't tried something else yet.

There was definitely an an increase of attention and focus on Vyvanse, but in addition to that, he would just cry constantly, about nothing in particular, was always sad, and asking things like, "What's wrong with me? Why can't I feel happy?" so I totally understand what's happening with your daughter.

[Laura3456]

hello we had a similar story. Bright child, inconsistent results, no behaviour problems but poor focus in class. I tried everything. In the end we went for meds and Ritalin. within 2 weeks the school were calling to tell me he was a different child (in a positive focused way). Two years on he has loads of confidence, is doing incredibly well at school (top set for everything) and despite the challenges of ADHD i also see the gifts it has given him in creativity, lateral thinking, hyperfocus on areas of academics and sport etc Not saying i am glad about ADHD but i would say my son views it as a bit of a superpower for him (he is 11). Any issues with the meds i would personally try a different one. We didn't find anything else that came close tbh.

[Laura3456]

ps i would note that my son only takes meds for school and i notice no difference in his personality between school days and school holidays and weekends. I know that concerns many.

[Blue275]

All of you have given some great advice. My wife gave me some more insight on what my daughter is going through without taking medication. My daughter told my wife she feels her mind is going 100 mph and the teacher is too when explaining things in class. She also does not pay attention to things around her when is focused. She would clean up her area and wouldn’t realize the rest of the class left the room for the bus when it was time to go home. She feels incompetent despite us reinforcing she is a bright child she just learns differently. Thank you all for sharing your stories and we are going to see how this medication does over the weekend with her.

[regardingtheboys]

Maybe also think about how you will proceed if the med results are only mediocre. Not everyone has the "aha moment" with meds. We are going on 3 years of med trials (which is not that unusual) and it is tough for my spouse and I to agree on what results are worth medicating a child. Deciding to medicate is only the first tough decision.