ADD/ADHD

Hi, there are different behavior plans you could try, and some do work well. The key is consistency. There are also alternatives to meds, some work, some don't, and some, like Omega's take a long time to see anything.

Meds are a personal choice, and one that alot of us have made, but don't feel pressured.

HI, I AM A MOTHER OF TRIPLETS. I HAVE 2 BOYS 1GIRL. MY BOYS BOTH HAVE ADD/ADHD WITH PDD WHICH IS PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER ITS ON THE AUTISTIC SPECTRUM. I HAVE HAD MY KIDS WHO ARE ONLY 6 ON MEDS FOR ABOUT 1 1/2 YEARS. I TRIED IT AND YES IT WORKED FOR AWHILE HOWEVER THE PROBLEM WITH MEDS IS THAT AS KIDS GROW THE MEDS SOMETIMES DONT WORK ANYMORE. EITHER THE MED ITSELF OR THE DOSAGE OF THE MED. I RECENTLY WAS TOLD THAT MULTI VITAMINS, COMPLEX B AND FISH OIL COMBINED WORKED WELL. YOU WOULD GIVE THE MULTI VITA FOR 3 WKS THEM ADD COMPLEX B TO IT AND THEM 2 WKS LATER THE FISH OIL. I HAVENT TRIED IT YET SINCE I JUST FOUND OUT AND MUST CHECK WITH MY SONS DR. FIRST. PATIENCE AND CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY ALSO. I KNOW IT IS ROUGH BUT EACH DAY EITHER GIVES YOU HAPPINESS OR SADNESS. JUST KEEP HOLD OF THE HAPPY ONES AND THE SAID(BAD) ONES WONT BE THAT BAD. JUST RELAX AND REMEMBER TO ALWAYS TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF ALSO.

The side effects they list are scary; that's partially why my ds didn't get dxed till age 14. We homeschooled and put up with a lot and felt like parental failures. :-( I read a lot of books about how ADHD is a myth and that the meds are bad, bad bad. i wish I had read other books, too, such as Delivered from Distraction by Ned Hallowell.

The best thing you can do is educated yourself about ADHD and meds, also the alternatives. One magazine I LOVE is Additude. The website is http://www.additudemag.com. They have all kinds of info on diagnosis, meds, fish oil, school issues, parenting issues...I can't recommend it enough!

The meds are out of their system within the day. The supposed long term effects haven't been proven. All meds have potential side effects, not just ADD meds. Your dr. should work with you and make sure your dc are healthy and doing well on the meds if they do wind up taking them. If you try a d med and the side effects are really bad, then you can stop just like that. Not like with antidepressants where you have to wean off under a dr.'s supervision.

I have tried alternatives but nothing has been as effective for my ds as meds. That said, I wish I had considered them when he was younger and so does he. It seems to be a complex psychological thing. He has endured bullying, feeling stupid, etc., especially in the years that he has been in public school. When he was homeschooled he was more free to learn in his own way but sometimes got frustrated that he was the least popular homeschooled boy in our group activities, and the PS kids wouldn't even give him a chance. He has had to deal with many teachers saying that attention is a willpower thing and that he and others like him just "dont care", "will never do well", etc. That is why I recommend really researching and being open to meds and a good therapist if you can find one. It seems hard to find good ADD professionals.

I also recoomend trying to get what they call a complete evaluation thru the school and even better from a neuropsych. They can rule otu other things as well, such as LDs and bipolar. I think a lot of parents just give in and let th eped dx the kid, but for me that didn't feel thorough enough.