ADHD meds for your kids???

[atvmxr]

I know waaaay off topic, but I'm really struggling with this.  As a kid I was wild, impulsive, out of control, pretty smart, etc and by all accounts thus far my 7 year old son is like his old man.  But in this day and age that rebel spirit and curiosity are unacceptable in school, plus my wife is a teacher.  So on all fronts I'm getting pressed to put my son on adhd meds, and in my mind - aka meth, meth amphetamines, coke, etc

I'm super extremely concerned about putting such a young and smart boy on mind altering and highly addictive drugs just for the sake of essentially sitting still and being quiet.

I have lots of examples of friends from high school and even my wife's own brother being fd up on these drugs, but I might as well be talking to a wall.  "Better living through chemistry ".

Any advice???

[DnB_Racing]

don't do it .it seams that the first choice with the schools now...make the teachers put the time in to do there job!!!

but that also means you have to put more time into your child also..
it will take more work on your part also, don't take short cuts with you kids,

they told me my son needed them also, no he didn't!!!! he just needed more help then other kids, so I gave him the help, and he turned out just fine without taking the shortcut.

if you cant tell Im very against it in most cases ...only a select few absolutely need these drugs... and from the sound of your son is one that just needs guidance and help and support not drugs

[Pumashine]

Do realize that whats an upper for anyone else is a downer for hyperactive children like your son. He won't be getting high off of them. It will just settle him down to an acceptable level. When my son was thought to have ADHD. I my self knew he was just using selective listening. He could play video games for hours straight. But when it came to something he did not want to learn about/pay attention to the tables all turned. I did not let them use anything on him. My daughter takes amphetamine everyday to keep her from being out of control. When she is acting up I know she did not take her pill that day. The good news is that it may just pass in time.

[rk88r]

That's a tough decision. I have a friend that says the meds helped him. I also have a nephew who was hyper-active. His parents worked the shit out of him and he has grown up to be very successful. I believe that many successful people were hyper kids.

[atvmxr]

Do realize that whats an upper for anyone else is a downer for hyperactive children like your son. He won't be getting high off of them. It will just settle him down to an acceptable level. When my son was thought to have ADHD. I my self knew he was just using selective listening. He could play video games for hours straight. But when it came to something he did not want to learn about/pay attention to the tables all turned. I did not let them use anything on him. My daughter takes amphetamine everyday to keep her from being out of control. When she is acting up I know she did not take her pill that day. The good news is that it may just pass in time.

Puma, that's the most insane part of the diagnosis.  One minute it's that he can't focus, then when they do focus for awhile its called adhd hyper focus and they need meds to stop being so in focus....  


I'm probably going to get divorced over this.  No bs

[JesseA420]

what do you mean in your mind they are? that is exactly molecularly what they are, amphetmines, period. I am lucky, and feel very grateful that my mother refused to put me on said pharmaceuticals, however I didnt feel that way when I was younger. I was always very self aware and self analytical when I was younger, and I always theorized why I couldnt, and didnt want to do any of my school work, I always brought this to my moms attention and that there was friends who had these, and she refused to get them for me. I had resentment until I got older and realized the reason I didnt want to do the work was the majority of it I could careless about, but could spend endless hours on my kv75 and atc90, spends endless hours building models, and endless hours with woodworking.   and just because a kid isnt interested in a certain subject does not mean that child needs medicated. children should not have highly addictive and damaging pharmaceuticals forced upon their developing minds. do whats best for your childs development,  not whats best for the pharmaceutical companies.  Everyone is who they are, it just takes caring responsible parents to lead the way, not just throw a "fda approved' chemical that is NOT safe, no matter how much they say it is, at them.

[broken1]

Personally I dislike pharmaceutical drugs of any kind. I don't even like taking aspirin. The companies that make prescription drugs know that they have various & many side affects which allows them to make even more drugs to counteract those side affects which creates even more side affects. It turns into a huge snowball & lines their pockets with billions of dollars. In reality though I know that some pharmaceutical drugs are necessary, but most medical doctors follow the pill for every ill mentality & it's so much easier for them to just throw drugs at every problem instead of figuring out what the root cause is. Besides, a lot of medical doctors get kick backs from drug companies to push their products. Hopefully you can find an alternative to amphetamines for your son. Heres a link for herbal remedies to ADHD that I found if your interested in going that route instead. At the very least if you try an herbal remedy there won't be major side affects like there is from drugs which is better health wise for your young boys growing body & mind.http://www.naturalnews.com/026081_adhd_herbal_remedies.html#

[FerrinMotorsports]

Mu son was thought to have ADHD and the school wanted to put him on meds....My dad, a teacher for 44 years, thank God stepped in and said No...My kid was way out of control....A lot of it turned out to be abandonment issues as I raised him by myself from 6 months old on.......By 5th grade he started to calm down.....I am no scientist but I started him riding at age 4 and also started him racing.....IMO it helped him to take his aggression out on the track and it also became a tool in which to calm him down by threatening to not let him race..I also got him interested in football so when he wasn't racing he was playing football..Some kids are more hyperactive than others and need a way to let off steam..This day and age electronics don't let them do that.....I'm not saying racing will work....I am not an expert...I just know this is what worked for me and my son...

[The_Steve_Man]

My son has ADHD. We tried everything to not put him on medication. He kept being taken out of class to a different class because of his hyperactivity. He wasn't punished because they recognized the problem but he couldn't be distracting the other kids. He honestley could not focus and it was not fair to him at school or at home to continually get in trouble over something he could not control. we tried herbs and different medication. Most of the meds he wouldn't eat and when it wore off he would have mood swings and couldnt sleep.  We finally went to a doctor that had us try a patch. This thing is absolutely perfect. Now he eats, sleeps,  and acts like a normal kid.

He is 10 and I can tell he will grow out of it. We don't give him any medication during summer, and for the most part when is not around too many kids like a classroom,  he does really well.
 
  I am with you guys about not putting him meds,  but I thought it is unfair to him to consistently get in trouble.

[Brian]

Whichever way you decide to go, do realize how much a divorce can effect him. Instead of you guys compromising and coming up with a reasonable plan that you both at least partially agree with, he'll be treated 2 different ways depending on who he's with. Good luck man!

[The_Steve_Man]

I can tell you that food MAJORLY effects behavior in hyperactive kids. Mcdonald's chicken nuggets will keep my son bouncing off the walls the next day after he eats them. So no nuggets. Real chicken from sonic does not affect him at all. Food coloring,  especially red,  will have him going crazy so we have completely got him away from any kind of colored drinks and candy.

[pinned250r]

i was and AM alot like you and your son. Growing up i was the one who talked non-stop through class, never listened, yet still pulled A's and B's all day, with the occasional C. I had teachers tell my mom "he's just a bad kid with no respect!" and others say "he could be the smartest kid in the class, but he is bored and doesnt listen. A "repeat" button would serve him very well!" We battled this until i was half way through sixth grade when a teacher made the recommendation to my Mom. Unlike most parents, she wasn't offended, but thankful. I started taking the meds, trying so many different kinds, some made me not eat all(like literally half a pb&j per day), some made me crap my brains out daily, some gave me headaches, but we eventually found the one that worked great for me, Concerta. I took it then all through high school and did great. By no means was i "perfect" i still acted up and talked alot, but i retained info and was able to sit through class while pulling A's.

Fast forward to college, i tried stopping the meds. I could notice and instant drop in my attention span. I could listen to a teach for maybe 3 minutes before i tuned out. At this point in my life, talking in class wasnt a problem, but focusing was still an issue as it always had been. So i took it for a couple years in college until my pride got the best of me and i decided i didnt want it anymore. now ive been out of school 2 years, and still notice myself not being focused often, i know hands down the meds would help.

So all in all, i'd say this. Dont be afraid of the meds. The side effects are minimal and very short term. Nothing your kid wont realize and tell you instantly. The "addiction" part we hear about in the news is flawed. You cant get "addicted" to a med that you NEED. Do not let pride or rumors get the best of you. For every 1 bad story you hear about these meds, theres 20 good ones you dont know about. There are many professionals in the business world who take these meds. They arent a bad drug, they have the same mental effects of an energy drink on a tired worker, without the sugar and crap for your body. I believe in these drugs and the good they can bring.

[xTHUNDERCATx]

Working in a hospital this is a hot subject even for the doctors. Some say its needed some say its way over diagnosed. If you end up getting to the point, talk to a doc, then another, and a 3rd one after that before making your decision. Get several opinions because not all doctors think the same. I tend to agree with DNB, when I have kids if it can be avoided they wont be on medications. (I'm not a Dr. I just work with them)

[The_Steve_Man]

I think some can be controlled through activity and discipline some not. I also believe that some parents take the easy way out and just give their kids meds to avoid dealing with it.

You will have to find your own way. I have heard of people taking their kids out first thing in the morning for run to burn off some energy.

[Pumashine]

I have heard of people taking their kids out first thing in the morning for run to burn off some energy.

Good point but its a lot of work. When my daughter does not have her meth we substitute coffee in the morning. Calms her down to an acceptable level. Problems these kids have in school is their mind gets bored quickly. They can do the work easily but would just rather do something interesting. The daughter is a wizard with #'s but gets the answer wrong because her numbers start traveling into the other columns. When shes not on the meth she acts like 10 second Tom. Not saying it is for all kids but some are so smart they bore quickly and cannot focus. She is not addicted to meth and really does not care if she takes her pill or not. When I catch her acting up I ask if she took her pill that day. The answer always the same, no! She has 2 a day, one morning and one evening. They have different strengths. When she started taking them they did not seem to effect her focus. The doctor had to double the strength which works well now. Without the meth she would get C's-F's for grades. Now she is getting all A's and B's

P.S. The meth the doctor gives is no where close to what is available potency wise on the black market!