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Forum -> Parenting our children -> Our Challenging Children (gifted, ADHD, sensitive, defiant)
Stopped DS's Meds



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Ima2NYM_LTR




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 26 2012, 9:06 am
DS is 7 (almost 8) and very active. Last year he was tested by the public school district where his school is located and they told us he has a "tendency toward hyperactivity" and recommended behavior modification as the way to go.

I gave a copy of the report to DS's dr, who in turn told me to bring my son in to start him on meds! When I disagreed he said (paraphrased, but very close): he "knows of families where the child started meds and it was all the sudden like another kid and everyone was happier" and also that "refusing to give him meds for ADHD is like refusing to give glasses to a kid who has trouble seeing the board". I insisted on trying behavior mod.

This past November, we were having a lot of trouble with listening, so we decided to start him on meds. We have tried stimulants as well as blood-pressure meds that were supposed to help-probably 6 different meds total. Most did nothing to help him. One caused him to have heart palp., a few made him drowsy. Nothing was helping in terms of behavior. He even developed a tic (which the Dr said has nothing to do with the meds)

Last week we decided to take him off all meds. So far he says he isnt as tired during the day at school, and we have had the same type of behavior we have had all along.

Im really beginning to think he may not need the meds, as we were told by the school district at first. We still cant find a behavior mod that works for more than a few weeks.

And I am thinking of switching to a new pediatrician.
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MaBelleVie




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 26 2012, 9:11 am
Pediatricians are not child psychiatrists, and it sounds like your current one was incredibly irresponsible for taking on that role. He clearly was not respectful of your choices. Psych meds are very, very tricky, especially in young children. Unless he is very experienced, he should not be dispensing meds.

I would absolutely find a new ped. I would also find a highly recommended child psychologist who can evaluate and determine the best plan of action.
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Ima2NYM_LTR




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 26 2012, 9:21 am
we did start DS with a social worker about a month ago and that seems to be going well.

The thing is, DS can concentrate in school (except he seems to have more trouble in school WITH some of the meds) and when we are 1 on 1.

The 2 big issues are his ability to focus when his sister is around (he tunes everything else out and they both get wild. she is 2) and his constant fighting with his father.

I think it may not be ADHD
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Mimisinger




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 26 2012, 10:20 am
Welcome to having a wild child - that's not Adhd. You need behavior modification and a child psychologist. Not drugs, ESP if he can handle school.
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Ima2NYM_LTR




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 26 2012, 10:24 am
he does great in school. Yes, he can be wild but in Nov, right before we stated the meds, we told the teachers we had a dr appt set up for meds, and they were surprised, saying they didnt see him as needing it.

He gets great grades, loves learning and retains what he learns...doesnt always focus and follow directions in class though.

I guess the problem is that I dont know whats 'normal wild 7 year old boy behavior' and whats 'adhd'
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goforit




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 26 2012, 10:30 am
op maybe have a blood test taken does he get strep often? it might be pandas. The tics that come when ever, wild behavior that no drugs work on and the hard time concetrating. good luck
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Mimisinger




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 26 2012, 10:35 am
OK - firstly get a new ped - so unprofessional and also there was no basis for that. He is NOT adhd if he can turn the attention on and off. The problem is how he is relates with his sister and his father.

We have the same thing going on here. You and dh need to learn how to relate to him better (it's not necc. you, it can be him, but all kids need different things). As for the sibling stuff, welcome to my world. They're much better separate than together. It's a daily problem but not adhd. I still cannot believe that he was put on meds for no problem.
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Ima2NYM_LTR




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 26 2012, 10:45 am
goforit wrote:
op maybe have a blood test taken does he get strep often? it might be pandas. The tics that come when ever, wild behavior that no drugs work on and the hard time concetrating. good luck


he has had strep maybe once or twice in his life ...maybe
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amother


 

Post Thu, Apr 26 2012, 10:54 am
As far as the tic it can be agrivated by the meds, that's what I was told. I also decided not to medicate my child as I have seen what happens when children are medicated and didn't want my son to be like that, they lose all their personality and they kind of act like robots. I think it's a matter of chanoch lenar al pi darco and that not every child even if they have adhd needs medication. It's more like you said behavior modification. I think that medication should be a last result and not a first result which unfortunately is usually the case.

Good for you for taking the time to work with your child! Keep it up there are many different things to try from behavior charts to rewards, to time outs to pacing the floor while learning.
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chani8




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 26 2012, 11:44 am
To tell you that tics aren't caused by meds is pure sheker. Change doctors asap.

You haven't said whether or not your son has learning issues. Is he reading? Because dyslexia can look a lot like hyperactivity and it is so not, and medicating for it can be dangerous.

Otherwise, you really should read Dr Amen's book on the 6 types of ADD. You must understand your child, what kind of meds are better for his brain type, think about trying natural solutions, and get knowledgeable on this subject!
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Ima2NYM_LTR




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 26 2012, 12:08 pm
chani8 wrote:


You haven't said whether or not your son has learning issues. Is he reading? Because dyslexia can look a lot like hyperactivity and it is so not, and medicating for it can be dangerous.


The only reading issue I have with him is trying to get him to put his book down each night and go to sleep. He devours books! No dyslexia at all. No learning problems. Does well in math, science, english, hebrew (reading and comprehension), Chumash, tefillah, etc. he just sometimes forgets to pay attention to the rules.
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chani8




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 26 2012, 12:45 pm
Ima2NYM_LTR wrote:
chani8 wrote:


You haven't said whether or not your son has learning issues. Is he reading? Because dyslexia can look a lot like hyperactivity and it is so not, and medicating for it can be dangerous.


The only reading issue I have with him is trying to get him to put his book down each night and go to sleep. He devours books! No dyslexia at all. No learning problems. Does well in math, science, english, hebrew (reading and comprehension), Chumash, tefillah, etc. he just sometimes forgets to pay attention to the rules.


He sounds delightful!! So let him break the rules and give him a big hug when he gets in trouble. No learning problems equals no drugs if you ask me!! Don't mess with a great brain that is working fine. It's school that has a problem, not him! He just sounds bored, imo. He learns it quickly, but the teacher teaches to the middle, and he gets fidgety. If this is the case, then find a different school system perhaps. Is this a modern school or a cheder? If it's a cheder, that is your problem, for a boy like this. Chaos and boredom. I'm making a gross generalization, but just think about the school before you medicate him. And he is so young, he may learn to behave eventually.

I would think about this option. Some kids with ADHD are given permission to leave the class to walk around a little to burn off some fidgets. I don't particularly like that, because then the child is unsupervised. But my DS was given permission to draw quietly and unobtrusely in his special notebook (so long as he doesn't disrupt the boys nearby). That saved him from boredom.

Think outside the box for him. And enjoy your gem.
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Ima2NYM_LTR




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 26 2012, 1:15 pm
chani8 wrote:
Ima2NYM_LTR wrote:
chani8 wrote:


You haven't said whether or not your son has learning issues. Is he reading? Because dyslexia can look a lot like hyperactivity and it is so not, and medicating for it can be dangerous.


The only reading issue I have with him is trying to get him to put his book down each night and go to sleep. He devours books! No dyslexia at all. No learning problems. Does well in math, science, english, hebrew (reading and comprehension), Chumash, tefillah, etc. he just sometimes forgets to pay attention to the rules.


.... It's school that has a problem, not him! He just sounds bored, imo. He learns it quickly, but the teacher teaches to the middle, and he gets fidgety. If this is the case, then find a different school system perhaps...


you must have missed where I said that the teachers were surprised we planned on medicating, and it was the pediatrician who encouraged the medication. The school is fine, knows how to handle a variety of children and keeps the kids very interested. He just sometimes doesnt follow the rules...and thats something he (we) have to work on
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chani8




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 26 2012, 1:32 pm
Great, trust the teachers, dump the doc, and give him special treatment for his genius brain.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Apr 26 2012, 2:53 pm
I definitely agree with above posters. As a school psychologist - generally speaking, medications and even behavior modification programs should only be given if there is some sort of difficulty or lacking. With your son doing well in school (and socially I assume), and his school even being surprised that you put him on meds - I would definitely recommend against it. The issue is that if he does have these tendencies you have to be extra vigilant to ANY signs of there being an issue - even social problems might indicate some sort of underlying issue.

Also, maybe he could benefit from some extra sports or extra curricular activities? That's one of the underlying ideas in the occupational therapy domain: that some kids need extra sensory input and by giving them outlets (someone else mentioned - letting him walk around between classes, doing jumping jacks, running for 5 minutes, or even just chewing gum etc.) their attention span improves - meaning, the extraneous stimuli are no longer "bothering" them. Often ADHD has a sensory component - might be worth it to consider a consultation with someone experienced in the field.

Best of luck!!
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amother


 

Post Thu, Apr 26 2012, 3:10 pm
I have a son on ADD meds. We actually just took him off to see if he's ready but that's not why I'm posting. Some kids absolutely need meds - my son is much happier now but I'm not sure your son sounds like he needs it. I would definitely get a 2nd opinion - my sons ADD symptoms do not sound at all like what your son has - your son sounds like a typical kid.

Also I read up on my sons ADD meds when he started taking them and I DEFINITELY read that it can cause or bring on tics so I'm not sure why your Dr. told you what he did.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Apr 26 2012, 3:17 pm
I'm the school psychologist imamother from above -
I just wanted to agree with the other recent imamother (getting confusing here Wink ) Some kids definitely need meds, no question. It affects their quality of life, their ability to function optimally and their overall development. For these children, as your dr. said - withholding meds is like withholding glasses from someone visually impaired (this is obviously assuming other non-pharmacological tactics have not been successful).

However, here.... seems like you pediatrician got meds-happy. (And I also really second the need for a child-psychiatrist consultation if you feel the situation warrants - primary care physicians cannot and should not prescribe psychiatric meds.... for children or adults, while we're at it)
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sbs




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 26 2012, 3:35 pm
don't know if this is available where you live,
but it sounds like you may benefit from someone coming in and setting up behavior mod system in your home
this will teach him and encourage positive interactions with his sister and can also give tips to his parents how to react or not react when certain behaviors occur,
he may just know which of his father's buttons to push to get the reactions he wants, and educating his father about these things..
interesting point to remember, some kids struggle in school cuz they can't stay focused and comply with teacher commands... and some do better in school than at home cuz they crave a strict structure and are very successful when they know exactly what's expected from them and the rewards and consequences that come along with it.
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