ADHD and medication

[Jenn]

Are you for or against medicating your child if they have ADD or ADHD?

My son has some delays and may have a learning disability, and the child study team has been evaluating him. They had a neurologist come in because of his history of petit mal seizures, and him being hypotonic in his hands, well I got the report back yesterday and she put down:

Impressions:

ADHD (combined type)
R/O learning weakness
Articulation disorder(his speech problem due to being partially deaf)
Central Hypotonia


And she suggested I take him to a doctor to get diagnosed to see if he has ADHD since she only seen him for 15 minutes. And she wrote down that he can benefit from medication.

Im very much against medicating my child. But I believe she is wrong. His IQ test came back good, he has a speech problem and because of that, has delays. I taught him to write his name within an hour, spell cat and dog within a half hour, you draw something or write it, and he can do it. He can sit for a LONG time and read with me, or color.. I thought children with ADHD cant do that?

Anyway, I guess I have to do more research on ADHD because Im still confused about it.

[mcsmc]

There is a lot of debate about Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.

My personal beliefs?

Sure, it's a chemical imbalance... however, which comes first, the chicken or the egg, or in this case, the chemical imbalance causing the "disorder", or the lack of discipline (I'm not talking about punishment, I'm talking about discipline... as in, the child is taught to sit and pay attention, etc.) which leads to the brain adjusting to its "freedom"?


I think society today is geared toward short attention spans, period. Want to watch TV? You don't have the handful of channels that TV originated with... no, you have HUNDREDS of channels. So, if you want to entertain yourself, you can channel flip for hours and hardly see the same thing twice.

Want to eat out? You don't have to go to a restaurant, wait to be seated, order your food, wait 20 minutes for your food, etc. And if you do, you can get appetizers and snack foods while you wait for your "real" food. Or, you can go to a fast food restaurant. Hell, drive up, place your order, and minutes later get your food.

Want to call someone? You no longer have to go to the wall, pick up the phone, remember (or look up) a number, dial, etc. Nope, you can pull your phone out of your pocket, find the name of the person you want to call, and a few button presses later, voila. Or, you can leave your phone in your pocket, tap a button on your Bluetooth headset, TELL your fucking phone who you want to call, and it does it FOR you. In SECONDS.

Want to cook food at home? You no longer have to go buy a shitload of ingredients, find a recipe, try and fail, try and succeed, etc. You can go buy about ANYTHING "instant" now. Buy it, put it in its microwavable (or bake-able) package INTO whatever you're cooking it in, and it's done.

Hell, even more recently now, you don't even need to take the time and have the patience to go to a store to find what you're looking for, wait in line, buy it, drive home, etc. You can go to www.whateverstore.com and a few clicks later, it's being overnighted to you.

I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was a kid. I didn't get medication for it, and I was able to overcome it by disciplining myself (no, I didn't have the benefit of my parents helping in that department). I really think that its that simple. However, medication for it is just another "instant" "quick" "fix". It will definitely take more time, dedication, patience, etc. to give teach your child discipline, patience, and concentration. But in the long run, it will be worth it, and definitely without the side affects medications ALWAYS have.

Of course, it's your kid, and your choice. But as you asked an opinion, that's mine. Hope it helps.

[Bunnee]

What does 'hypotonic' mean'?

I could look it up, but I'm too lazy.

As for the medication, I would say no, simply due to his age. My doctors tried to get me to medicate Jess, when she was 3. I refused, and changed her diet instead. not that she was eating shit, because shes always had a strong liking for lots of veggies and fruits, but the type of bread she ate. Limiting the amount of sugars and flavour enhancers in the food we ate. It didnt take too long to see a difference in her behaviour.

bread is a particularly bad contributor to hyperactivity, theres a chemical in the preservative that has been linked to hyperactivity in children. Steer clear of it.

Instead try freshly baked, bakery bread. Its a little more expensive, but its so much better for you. Bakeries tend not to use this preservative in their breads, plus they taste so much better than mass produced breads.

[Jenn]

There is a lot of debate about Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.

My personal beliefs?

Sure, it's a chemical imbalance... however, which comes first, the chicken or the egg, or in this case, the chemical imbalance causing the \"disorder\", or the lack of discipline (I'm not talking about punishment, I'm talking about discipline... as in, the child is taught to sit and pay attention, etc.) which leads to the brain adjusting to its \"freedom\"?


I think society today is geared toward short attention spans, period. Want to watch TV? You don't have the handful of channels that TV originated with... no, you have HUNDREDS of channels. So, if you want to entertain yourself, you can channel flip for hours and hardly see the same thing twice.

Want to eat out? You don't have to go to a restaurant, wait to be seated, order your food, wait 20 minutes for your food, etc. And if you do, you can get appetizers and snack foods while you wait for your \"real\" food. Or, you can go to a fast food restaurant. Hell, drive up, place your order, and minutes later get your food.

Want to call someone? You no longer have to go to the wall, pick up the phone, remember (or look up) a number, dial, etc. Nope, you can pull your phone out of your pocket, find the name of the person you want to call, and a few button presses later, voila. Or, you can leave your phone in your pocket, tap a button on your Bluetooth headset, TELL your fucking phone who you want to call, and it does it FOR you. In SECONDS.

Want to cook food at home? You no longer have to go buy a shitload of ingredients, find a recipe, try and fail, try and succeed, etc. You can go buy about ANYTHING \"instant\" now. Buy it, put it in its microwavable (or bake-able) package INTO whatever you're cooking it in, and it's done.

Hell, even more recently now, you don't even need to take the time and have the patience to go to a store to find what you're looking for, wait in line, buy it, drive home, etc. You can go to www.whateverstore.com and a few clicks later, it's being overnighted to you.

I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was a kid. I didn't get medication for it, and I was able to overcome it by disciplining myself (no, I didn't have the benefit of my parents helping in that department). I really think that its that simple. However, medication for it is just another \"instant\" \"quick\" \"fix\". It will definitely take more time, dedication, patience, etc. to give teach your child discipline, patience, and concentration. But in the long run, it will be worth it, and definitely without the side affects medications ALWAYS have.

Of course, it's your kid, and your choice. But as you asked an opinion, that's mine. Hope it helps.

I agree with everything you said.

I don't believe in giving medication for his behavior. It will take a lot of patience and time and as his mother, for him, I have all of the time and patience in the world.

It's good to know that people can overcome it. I always thought once you have it, you're doomed with it for the rest of your life.

Your opinion helped.. thanks =)

[Jenn]

What does 'hypotonic' mean'?

I could look it up, but I'm too lazy.

As for the medication, I would say no, simply due to his age. My doctors tried to get me to medicate Jess, when she was 3. I refused, and changed her diet instead. not that she was eating shit, because shes always had a strong liking for lots of veggies and fruits, but the type of bread she ate. Limiting the amount of sugars and flavour enhancers in the food we ate. It didnt take too long to see a difference in her behaviour.

bread is a particularly bad contributor to hyperactivity, theres a chemical in the preservative that has been linked to hyperactivity in children. Steer clear of it.

Instead try freshly baked, bakery bread. Its a little more expensive, but its so much better for you. Bakeries tend not to use this preservative in their breads, plus they taste so much better than mass produced breads.

Him being hypotonic means that he has low muscle tone. He's recieving OT for his hand grip and because he can't skip (what a load of bullshit) it apparently means he has ow muscle tone in his legs as well(he doesnt). He just has a poor grip and needs help learning to hold a pencil correctly. According to them, this is important, even though hes just fine gripping it the way he does.

I never knew about the bread.. thanks for bringing that up.

[Bunnee]

Oooh okay.

I hope everything works out for you Jenn. I, of all people can sympathise with your situation. It's a rough road ahead, but just try and stay focused on what's important for your child in the long run. Don't let the doctors pressure you into something you feel uncomfortable with. He is YOUR child, the decisions you make while he is young can and will affect his whole life.

Keep your chin up, sweetie.

[Jenn]

Oooh okay.

I hope everything works out for you Jenn. I, of all people can sympathise with your situation. It's a rough road ahead, but just try and stay focused on what's important for your child in the long run. Don't let the doctors pressure you into something you feel uncomfortable with. He is YOUR child, the decisions you make while he is young can and will affect his whole life.

Keep your chin up, sweetie.

Thanks. =)

I never let doctors pressure me into anything. They see my son maybe twice a year, for like 5 minutes at most, they dont know sheeet..lol

[Fishypancake]

My answer- Yes

I am down with medicating the children who need it, but more research, and studies have to be done on both the medications, and the process of diagnosing that you need these drugs. In my opion medication should only be used if both parent, and child agree to it, the child is dramaticly learning impaired, and can not, has not,and will not improve their grades, and the child is healthy.

Everyone is over medicated, at least where I am from. We need a pill to solve a problem, something feels off we take a pill, because we are so reliant on pills to work. Around here we seem to thing that medication can fix any imperfection, any flaw, and any other little thing wrong with us. The problem with that is that it is so little imperfections that makes life so random, and spontanius. If everyone was everyone else, life would be a lot less fun. Life is about the ride, and the need to find happiness. If being overly medicated, and being a carbon copy of everyone else makes you truly happy, by all means.

[Shade]

Medicine should never be used as a crutch. Kids will become dependent on it to be normal. I am a fan of using it to help get them to a state where they can work on the behaviors that are causing the problems. some things you cant avoid taking medications for, liver disease, heart problems, but nervious disorders are things where if you teach the child how to cope at an early age, they learn the stratagies and can eventually ditch the meds. In the old days, and im not saying its right, the spazes got beaten. They chilled the fuck out and where forced to find stratagies to deal with it. Pills like these are like band aids, they fix a problem for a bit, but the problem doesnt go away.

[Bunnee]

You may want to consider herbal remedies instead.

If you feel that there may be a chance it could positively affect his behaviour.

There is a wonderful fish oil complex, i forget what its called though. There has been tons of research done on it, and its really good. I would have given it to Jess but it tastes like shit, so she refused to take it. But if you can coerce your little one to take it, it may improve his behaviour.

[KommieKat]

You may want to consider herbal remedies instead.

If you feel that there may be a chance it could positively affect his behaviour.

There is a wonderful fish oil complex, i forget what its called though. There has been tons of research done on it, and its really good. I would have given it to Jess but it tastes like shit, so she refused to take it. But if you can coerce your little one to take it, it may improve his behaviour.

Cod liver oil?

Yes, it's awful but you can disguise the taste with lemon and honey.

[Bunnee]

No, not cod-liver oil.

It has other things in it as well.

[Josie]

No, not cod-liver oil.

It has other things in it as well.

Omega 3 fatty acids? You know, they make gummy bears with the stuff in it and you can also add it to meats and whatnot, almost indistinguishable. I'm not sure if this is what you're talking about... but my mom's always been big on the fish oil thing, so it sort of crept over into my life as well.

I wouldn't imagine Jess is too great with taking pills, though. Too weird?

Eagan is super picky about anything with an odd flavor and he LOVES the gummies. :D

On topic:

It really upsets me when they medicate kids. It should be the absolute LAST resort in my opinion. Diet change, natural remedies, consistent parenting, SET schedules, etc. should all be exhaustively tried first.

If there isn't even an ounce of improvement, THEN I think the doc and parents should look into drug intervention.

That, and half the time, they're medicating the kids for being frickin' kids. "He doesn't like to sit still" - Um yeah. Kids are active.


Ha, they even tried to say that *I* had either ADD or ADHD when I was in school because I constantly move my legs. I participated in class, worked "diligently" and had good grades. Stupid people are so... stupid.

:khi2d:

[Bunnee]

I remember what the fish oil is called :D

Efalex.

[Fishypancake]

[Insert Fish Oil Joke Here]

That just dose not sound right.

[Pinkslit]

Whatever works for a bit of peace is ok with me.

[InterStella]

I remember what the fish oil is called :D

Efalex.

Josie had it on the nail.... it's Omega 3 supplements. Efalex is a brand name.


Now, I'm not sure how this will help Jenn, but.....

I gave my eldest these supplements (different brand, but basically the same stuff) from the age of 18 months. She was always bright and chatty (not alot of it made sense, but she didn't shut up). After a month or two on the Omega 3, she became withdrawn. Not in the 'shy' kind of way, but in the 'let me think about that before I answer' way. She started to zone out from conversations, having a good think about what you said, and would eventually answer with a nod of the head.

Now, I can't be 100% sure, but it occurred to me that the supplements could be to blame, and promptly removed them from her daily routine. Within a week she was outgoing and talkative again. ???

From this experience, I haven't given them to the youngest.