Recent Inattentive ADHD diagnosis

[LiquoriceJunkie]

Hi all, brand new to this group. My youngest son (14) has recently been diagnosed with inattentive ADHD, and I am so relieved!! We have suspected for a long time that it may be something like this, so knowing this now makes it so much easier to deal with, and understanding the daily struggles he goes through. He is not medicated yet (thats the next step). Just wondering if anyone else has their child on medication for this and how much it has helped.

[WYMom]

Well my 10 year old daughter is on 15mg of Adderall and she went from her teacher calling her stupid to top of her class. Went through a few meds and doses to find what worked so good luck!

[Momofmischief in reply to WYMom]

Hi WYMom,

I'm glad you are feeling some relief with getting a diagnosis for your son. If I understand your question correctly you are wanting to hear other parents' experience with medications to forecast what your son's experience might be. I can share my son's experience but I want to say first that my family has been aware of our kiddo's ADHD diagnosis for 7 years and so in that time I've collected a lot of stories from other families' experience and have come away realizing that each kid is unique and responds differently to medication. So what is true for my kid, or other people who reply to your inquiry, will not necessarily be true for your son.

My son is 10 years old and we first started trialing ADHD medication when he was 7 (2020, during the lockdown phase of the pandemic). We went through a few dosages and medications to get to the one we are currently using, and we increased that dosage in February 2023 and just increased the dosage again this past weekend because his impulsive behaviors at school were not improving. What I will tell you is that the medication helps with some but not all executive functioning deficits. Some kids respond well to medication while others do not. It can take a long time to get the right medication and the right dosage. It can take patience and perseverance to get the right combination.

Since your son is 14, you have the benefit of him being able to tell you how the medication makes him feel and if it is helping. I would say that it's important for him to be informed because at his age you will need his buy-in to use medication. You can help him go into this with a good attitude by learning as much as you can and sharing that with him. Things to learn are what the medication can and can't help with, to understand how it may make him feel and that he may have to try different dosages and medications before he finds one that feels like the right fit, and to understand the risks and rewards of ADHD medication . There are lots of studies on the long term outcome for kids who take medication versus those that do not and I recommend reading more to help you and your son be informed. For my family we treat ADHD medication like any medication for a chronic illness...(meaning, we view taking it is necessary and non-negotiable)...just like taking medication for diabetes or epilepsy.

Good luck to you on this journey. I wish you and him great success.

[LiquoriceJunkie in reply to Momofmischief]

Thank you so much for your reply. That is very helpful. ☺️

[Knitting20projects]

Our son has combined type ADHD & autism. He takes medication for ADHD & it helps him pay attention, calm his hyperactivity, and improves his impulsivity—-it’s been a lifeline for him & us. I definitely agree that teaching skills is also important because meds can’t do that (I sure wish they could!). We are working on planning, organizing, and having a better sense of how much time things actually take so he can budget that time. He’s definitely made improvements over time & for us & him, medication has been vital. He had very early onset & significant ADHD interfering with his ability to follow routines, sit still etc in preschool. Luckily most kids don’t need medication as early as our son did, & his combination of adhd with autism was probably a factor in why his ADHD presented so early & so significantly. I feel grateful that we have medication options to try & that there’s something that’s helped him be happier and more successful. It’s made a big improvement in his self esteem.

[Coconut12346]

I have a 14 year old son who also has ADHD. He is now more the inattentive type, I think because he has learned to slow down the hyperactivity. But he has a motor constantly going, it us just that now it is not as evident. He takes Concerta and it truly helps him. His grades are very good and he is able to function well at school and with his peers. The medicine to him has been a game changer. He was diagnosed at 8 and I believe his success at school and ability to make friends and keep them is in large part thanks to his medicine. He plays soccer in a year round league and takes a booster before he goes to practices and games. He is starting to try out not taking the booster for that, we are letting him make that decision.

He is still impulsive at times and gets frustrated when the medicine wears out, this mostly happens at home late and mostly is directed at me.