Do you regret starting child add meds or best decision ever

amother

Vermilion

Thu, Jan 28 2021, 10:15 am

We started my DD at 13 for focus issues. She was put on vyvanse and while it curbed her appetite for a while, it did come back. The meds made a huge difference for her - school became so much less of a struggle and she gained a lot of confidence in her abilities.

amother

Pearl

Thu, Jan 28 2021, 10:26 am

BEST DECISIONS EVER!
Grade 6
Grade 6
Grade 5
Helped them do better academically, behaviorally and socially
BH my oldest, now 11th grader, can skip days and still be fine and doesn’t take a second dose like he used to need. I see light at the end of the tunnel.
We have had excellent “luck” and results with generic Foculin ER.
Oh and my kids will never be confused as a “zombie.” Still plenty of spunk and personality. My guess is zombie kids either didn’t really need the medicine or it’s too high of a dose. If you are already nervous about giving meds as I was this won’t be an issue. I had a bunch of threads also debating if we should or shouldn’t do meds and wasted a lot of time trying natural things.

amother

Apricot

Thu, Jan 28 2021, 10:39 am

amother [ Linen ] wrote:

I’ll add, once I was on meds for a short while I was able to teach myself executive functioning and focus skills and no longer need them

My husband says the same thing. Now he only takes meds when he has a special project or other need.

amother

Mustard

Thu, Jan 28 2021, 10:44 am

amother [ Pearl ] wrote:

Thank you so much for this.
We just put our 6 grader on Adderall and I am so nervous about it.
MY other kids were never on anything although maybe they should of been but I was too afraid.
I am so afraid it will alter his personality. Your post gives me hope it will be ok.

amother

Black

Thu, Jan 28 2021, 11:31 am

My experience as a child:. I became a complete zombie, had no appetite, I finally stopped wandering around in class but still remember lots of daydreaming in boring classes. Huge tantrums every night as the meds wore off, only felt good on weekends when I didn't take the meds. I went through a period of paranoid psychosis from the meds and my mother finally pulled me off around puberty! I don't remember ever having the Ritalin dosage adjusted. In highschool I refused to be medicated and graduated with As, and a long list of leadership accomplishments.

My experience with my child:. He won't stop hitting siblings, extremely sensitive and overly stimulated by sensory system. Asks questions but does not listen to the whole answer. Does well in school because of amazing resource room program with lots of one on one instruction. I debate every single day of he will be happier socially and behaviorally medicated, but because of my experience with stimulant meds, I am too afraid to experiment with his developing brain...

amother

Denim

Thu, Jan 28 2021, 11:33 am

amother [ Black ] wrote:

Please consider it! It's a big mistake to start meds and never follow up. Hitting that sweet spot takes effort but it's so worth it. It sounds like you were put on meds and then never evaluated to make sure it was the right medication and the right dose. That's not the way it should be.

LovesHashem

Thu, Jan 28 2021, 11:43 am

All I'm saying is if you give your child meds please listen to your child and take your child's concerns seriously. Make sure your child is happy and feels good.

Don't just do it to make bedtime easier and to make their teacher's lives easier

newyorkmom

Thu, Jan 28 2021, 11:56 am

Not every child tolerates medication well. I tried so many types with my daughter and she kept having same negative reactions. We finally just gave up. I wish it would have helped but we were out of options. I even tried a few years later. It didn’t make a difference

amother

Pewter

Thu, Jan 28 2021, 11:56 am

Not at all but only w a psychiatrist, net reg pediatrician.
My son started at age 5.
He was completely dysfunctional wo meds both in school and at home, no kids his age wanted to play w him bc he was so wild.
He is now doing great in all different environments and has friends his age.

His Med story:
Pediatrician put him on adderall until we got into psychiatrist. He literally went psychotic on the adderal within 1-2 weeks so we took him off. Psychiatrist said that was a terrible choice for such a young kid.
It took a couple months of dose adjustments but he does very well w focalin er 10mg in an and Ritalin 5mg around 2pm. We use melatonin 30-60min before bedtime.
He also did some play therapy for a couple months once we got him on meds to help him learn some social skills that he was missing.
We recently got a different company generic for the focalin that he also went nuts on (this is uncommon) but now get brand only focalin.
He takes his meds all the time but occasionally misses afternoon dose depending on our schedule.

He is a different person on his meds- but definitely still an active, imaginative little boy. He asks to take the meds because he wants to be able to control himself to act normal.

I don't see him coming of meds ever or at least not until he is much older.

amother

Burgundy

Thu, Jan 28 2021, 12:06 pm

amother [ Emerald ] wrote:

Im on ADD meds as an adult and I wish my parents would have put me on them as a child. I was ok in school but I would have had a much easier time, not have procrastinated everything and maybe I would have studied for tests/did my HW. I would have possibly went to a different seminary and college and pursued a different career. Obviously I know that what has happened in my life was what was supposed to but I still think about it every once in a while.

ADD meds can be a gamechanger in many ways, but they don't automatically eliminate the habit of procrastination. DH was medicated for several years and my sister is currently and has been for years. While they both benefited from the medication in terms of their ability to focus and in other ways, they remained big procrastinators.

amother

Denim

Thu, Jan 28 2021, 12:14 pm

newyorkmom wrote:

You get a lot of credit for putting in so much effort

amother

Cyan

Thu, Jan 28 2021, 5:10 pm

I thank Hashem every day for guiding us to the correct medication for my son. This was the best day decision ever and I really did owe it to my child.
Started at age 7.5. First tried ritalin but it made him a zombie... We were in contact with his psychiatrist every couple of days at the start and also started on a lower dose to see how he tolerates it. Ultimately it was not for him.
We then went on to Vyvanse.
And it has been absolutely amazing. It has not altered his fun personality in any way, and aside from somewhat decreased appetite there have been no other side effects or rebound effects since it wears of slowly.
He is successful and happy in class, popular with his friends and all have practically forgotten that he was once a child with so much difficulty and problems...
I am so so happy we were able to help my child. Years of therapy and altered classrooms would not have accomplished what this little pill did.
My only regret is not starting it earlier and the blow to his self-esteem those younger years which could have been avoided. B. H it was not too late and he is now 9 and feeling and doing great in every way.
I wish this topic would not be taboo in real life and that I could tell more people this success story. I know how much it would have helped me to hear it and see such a child two years ago when we were embarking on this journey and so worried and uncertain...
Good luck

amother

Cyan

Thu, Jan 28 2021, 5:18 pm