Advice needed

[CoffeePlease2]

Hey there! I am looking for information on what medication seemed to work the best for a child with ADHD as well as Defiance Disorder? I have a 5 year old who can be very difficult at times but I am afraid of side effects from medications and wanted some feedback from those who have started or are on medication to help manage ADHD

[JJMom16]

It is unfortunately very child specific. Each person's body reacts differently to the many different medications. There can be a long trial and error process, but once you find the magic formula for your child, it is totally worth it! Fortunately, it usually does not take very long to determine if a medication is successful or not.

A good book to check out: "Taking Charge of ADHD" by Russell Barkley. There's an entire section on medications, what they do, how they work, and where psychiatrists typically start when testing them out.

My advice: work with a psychiatrist who specializes in ADHD meds. For us, we found immediate success for my 5 year old with short acting Ritalin, but are still working to discover the right long acting formula. Best of luck on your journey! We have seen a remarkable difference from medication and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

[Elijah1]

Start with an ADHD medication such as Ritalin or Adderall and see how it affects the aDHD and defiance.

[Onthemove1971]

I love all the advice given already. Just wanted to add a few things. First medication ( that is correct) given for a child with ADHD does not change their personality. It helps them decreases all of the negative symptoms. The most common side effect is decrease appetite.

There are many factors that have to be taken into consideration: type of medication, the dose (usually per their weight) and the timing (how long the medication stays in their system.

Like others said it is very individualized.

Our son started out with his pediatrician giving him a single dose of an older medication. When we met his psychiatrist she gave him one medication for controlling his impulsivity and one to help with mood and focus. Together they are magic.

The good thing is when the medication "wears off", it is totally out of his system, no long term issues.

Hope this advice helps, for us it is part of his daily routine.

We are always here to support you in this journey.

[CoffeePlease2]

Thank you all so much for the responses. I am going to take all the feedback to heart when doing more research. This can all be very overwhelming and it’s glad to know my family and I am not alone with this.

[MustangGma]

Hi. I have a 6 yr old diagnosed with FASD and severe ADHD. We have found that intuniv (non stimulant) helps with her unwanted behaviors, aggressiveness, defiance, etc. But doesn't do much for the attention, hyperactivity or impulsivity. We added procentra (stimulant) but she seems to be very sensitive to it and can only take 1/2 the normal dosage for her age/size. Needless to say, that is not cutting it and we'll have to try another med so she can actually concentrate in school. I guess we all have to go thru the experiment stages. Ugh!