Does anyone here use ADHD drugs?

[Harper1]

This is a quick question that we will be asking our neurologist at our 6 year old son's next appointment: are ADHD drugs ever used for patients (particularly children) recovering from encephalitis?

Our son's been in recovery since November of last year. His progress is in fits and starts. Lately we've noticed that his extreme distractibility is making it almost impossible for him to learn anything. It's quite severe. For example, if he hears the faint sound of the air conditioning coming on, he is so distracted that he can no longer even look at our ABC puzzle.

Does anyone on here use ADHD drugs? If so, has it helped?

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

[AliBBeerDrinkerSing]

Hello, I understand where you are coming from. It is still very early days in terms on recovery. Being distracted in very common in those in recovery from ABI. I attended a workshop with a few others that were suffering similar issues (e.g. strokes) and we all felt that our memories had been impacted, when in fact we were just distracted and therefore hadn't taken the info onboard in the first place.

I haven't heard of anybody taking ADHD drugs in order to combat this- I think more commonly strategies to stay focused are encouraged. However, it's probably still worth exploring with your son's neurologist.

[Harper1 in reply to AliBBeerDrinkerSing]

Thanks for the reply. It's tricky explaining anything to my son (re: focus strategies). It is very difficult to gauge how much of our verbal instructions he comprehends. His SLP has tested him as currently having the verbal comprehension of a 1.5 year old, and the spoken language skills of a 2 year old--he lost a lot of his language and comprehension during his acute phase, and it's returning very slowly.

It's good to be reminded we're still at a very early stage in terms of recovery, and probably just need to be more patient.

[Achenhead]

Hi there- ironically, I’m an adult status post HSVE three years ago, and JUST started Adderall last month and feel better than I have since my illness. So much more energy, willingness to focus and I’m sleeping great on it too. I’m getting so much more accomplished and my mood is very much improved as a result- (I’m also on a few antidepressants but the adderall is kicking stuff into gear) Best wishes for your son!! 🙏🏻 Keep us posted?

[Harper1 in reply to Achenhead]

I am glad to hear that the Adderall has significantly improved your quality of life!

We're probably going to adopt the "wait and see" approach with our son, and not attempt adding ADHD drugs to the mix, as we're at an early stage still. Your situation is clearly different because you're much further out, post-recovery. (And you're an adult who's better able to make these decisions! Our little guy is still somewhat confused and his language skills are too poor to express how he feels very well.)

I will keep you posted. All the best as you continue in your recovery!

[Paula-38]

Hi Harper1,

I feel so sorry for your poor son.💔

No I have never had anything as severe as that, but every case of Encephalitis is different.

I had it the day after my first birthday .

I took a bit longer finishing my schoolwork because of my slow processing information speed more than anything, my memory has been ok (except for following a plot on television).

I was also off school a lot because I often had to be hospitalised with repeated convulsive seizures every time I picked something up. I would require a bit of quiet so I could concentrate and my parents just had to keep quiet or I would do my homework in a quiet room. I hope your son gets all the help he needs and deserves.

Please feel free to ask me any questions anytime and I'm more than happy to help. 🤗

[Harper1 in reply to Paula-38]

Thank you, Paula. I've read your posts on the board before, and always appreciate your insights, as someone who has gone through childhood and young adulthood dealing with the longterm fall-out of encephalitis. All best wishes to you, from California.

[Paula-38 in reply to Harper1]

Thank you so much Harper1! ❤