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Adhd meds turning my child into a depressed zombie
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amother
OP


 

Post Mon, Oct 25 2021, 10:37 am
We have tried 3 meds so far. Each one has significantly affected my daughters mood to the point of her crying, Being extremely irritable all day, having violent tantrums which she never had before medicine. School has seen small improvement as far as less disruptiveness and hyperactivity, but she is completely different, not participating, not being involved socially with her friends, and is just sitting in her own world since we started meds.
Would you give up? Keep trying? Her behavior wasn’t so extreme before meds, she is hyperactive and struggles with sitting still all day but I feel like she was doing better prior to the meds and I just want my happy daughter back.
Any recommendations?
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amother
Cyclamen


 

Post Mon, Oct 25 2021, 10:44 am
Personally I would stop the medication, even if it meant her to do therapy 3 times a week. Look for alternatives and quality therapy for ADHD, with a Psychologist.
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amother
Chicory


 

Post Mon, Oct 25 2021, 10:48 am
That is what the meds do. Can you try another method for a few weeks- supplements instead? Give her something to keep busy with in class that does not distrurb the classroom. Some Adhd kids can pay attention much better while multitasking.
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amother
Lilac


 

Post Mon, Oct 25 2021, 10:48 am
How long has she been on these meds?
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amother
OP


 

Post Mon, Oct 25 2021, 10:52 am
amother [ Lilac ] wrote:
How long has she been on these meds?


We tried each one for 4-6 weeks before we gave up and changed .
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amother
OP


 

Post Mon, Oct 25 2021, 10:53 am
amother [ Chicory ] wrote:
That is what the meds do. Can you try another method for a few weeks- supplements instead? Give her something to keep busy with in class that does not distrurb the classroom. Some Adhd kids can pay attention much better while multitasking.


She is very bright and very bored in class. She gets all a’s with minimal effort. She does behave better when she is challenged but her teachers don’t like her going ahead or doing her own thing so we are kind of limited.
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amother
OP


 

Post Mon, Oct 25 2021, 10:55 am
amother [ Cyclamen ] wrote:
Personally I would stop the medication, even if it meant her to do therapy 3 times a week. Look for alternatives and quality therapy for ADHD, with a Psychologist.

Problem is finding something affordable. In theory I would take her more often ( we have tried therapy but it wasn’t a good fit and after a while she refused to continue. The better more engaging therapists don’t take medicaid.
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oneofakind




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Oct 25 2021, 11:01 am
If she is bored in class, no meds will help. I would advise you to keep trying although if you are using a prescriber who takes Medicaid, they may not be as successful as an expert. At the same time, work with the school and teacher.
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amother
Brown


 

Post Mon, Oct 25 2021, 11:05 am
amother [ Chicory ] wrote:
That is what the meds do. Can you try another method for a few weeks- supplements instead? Give her something to keep busy with in class that does not distrurb the classroom. Some Adhd kids can pay attention much better while multitasking.


Not all meds do this. My excellent psychiatrist will not settle on a med+dose unless the child is functioning normally and seeing the results, not a zombie.

OP, are you referring to a stimulant? Some kids react negatively to some. My dd got more irritable on the long acting, but did great on the short acting. Some kids need a really tiny dose to tolerate it. Even 5 mg of ritalin can be right for some kids.
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amother
Snowflake


 

Post Mon, Oct 25 2021, 11:10 am
amother [ Brown ] wrote:
OP, are you referring to a stimulant? Some kids react negatively to some. My dd got more irritable on the long acting, but did great on the short acting. Some kids need a really tiny dose to tolerate it. Even 5 mg of ritalin can be right for some kids.


This. Some kids need just a tiny bit to start, and then you can go up super slowly.

OP, what are your child's symptoms in school? Meaning, how does her ADHD affect school?
Knowing which symptoms are most troublesome can help guide you as to what to do for them.

For example, is it fidgeting? Calling out? Is it only affecting her socially and not in class? Etc.
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Zehava




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Oct 25 2021, 11:11 am
amother [ OP ] wrote:
She is very bright and very bored in class. She gets all a’s with minimal effort. She does behave better when she is challenged but her teachers don’t like her going ahead or doing her own thing so we are kind of limited.

I was told by a nueropshycologist that since my daughter was doing great academically, her teachers problem with her behavior wasn’t a good enough reason to jump to meds. If this is what meds we’re doing I’d stop yesterday. Seems to me they’re doing way more harm than good.
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amother
OP


 

Post Mon, Oct 25 2021, 11:23 am
amother [ Brown ] wrote:
Not all meds do this. My excellent psychiatrist will not settle on a med+dose unless the child is functioning normally and seeing the results, not a zombie.

OP, are you referring to a stimulant? Some kids react negatively to some. My dd got more irritable on the long acting, but did great on the short acting. Some kids need a really tiny dose to tolerate it. Even 5 mg of ritalin can be right for some kids.


We have tried concerta, ritalin, and vyanase and all had similar side effects.
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amother
OP


 

Post Mon, Oct 25 2021, 11:26 am
amother [ Snowflake ] wrote:
This. Some kids need just a tiny bit to start, and then you can go up super slowly.

OP, what are your child's symptoms in school? Meaning, how does her ADHD affect school?
Knowing which symptoms are most troublesome can help guide you as to what to do for them.

For example, is it fidgeting? Calling out? Is it only affecting her socially and not in class? Etc.


Fidgeting, sometimes noisily when she gets restless; moving around the classroom at times when it’s not allowed; calling out, taking too long of breaks in the hallways , especially on days when their is no outdoor recess.
In a perfect world, if she had a 5 minute movement break every hour or two I think she would be much better. Socially she is fine, overall. A leader is her class, super creative and talented. Occasionally gets into fights, but nothing major.
She is only 8 and at home we are fine with her behavior. At school they keep telling me she stands out and requires a lot of reminders to stay seated.
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oneofakind




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Oct 25 2021, 11:33 am
So tell teacher to stick her in back of the class and send her on errands.
Often combining meds can be effective. It's an art and needs patience.
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amother
Peru


 

Post Mon, Oct 25 2021, 11:35 am
amother [ Chicory ] wrote:
That is what the meds do. Can you try another method for a few weeks- supplements instead? Give her something to keep busy with in class that does not distrurb the classroom. Some Adhd kids can pay attention much better while multitasking.

That is not what the proper meds do. That is what the WRONG meds do. Meds are trial and error, and definitely not one size fits all.
OP find out what exactly is improving, and what is still an issue. How long has it been since you started trying different meds? It took us 4 tries to get the right meds for our son, and then we still had to tweak and change a few times. Now he’s been on one med since January, and BH it’s working very well. Hopefully we won’t have to change it again soon.
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imasinger




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Oct 25 2021, 11:37 am
Concerts and Ritalin are the same thing, and Vyvanse is very similar.

I'd suggest going to the school and saying that medication trials weren't good (get a prescriber who will back you to either come to a meeting, or write something), and the school needs to make accommodations for her learning style.

Letting a kid who struggles to sit have frequent breaks, allow them some movement times in the classroom, allow them to use a fidget as long as it isn't too distracting for other students -- these are common and not too difficult to arrange.

You can also look into shadowing, perhaps.
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Ema of 5




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Oct 25 2021, 11:40 am
amother [ OP ] wrote:
She is very bright and very bored in class. She gets all a’s with minimal effort. She does behave better when she is challenged but her teachers don’t like her going ahead or doing her own thing so we are kind of limited.

This is unacceptable. Teachers need to teach to ALL students. They can’t not teach and ignore a student and then get upset when that student calls out for attention. The teachers need to give her more advanced work, or at least something else to do during that time. I understand they don’t want her to go ahead, but then they should give her something else to do.
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amother
Quince


 

Post Mon, Oct 25 2021, 11:46 am
Look into extracurricular activities for her. Have her tested for Gifted. See if the school can provide some advanced work tutoring a couple times a week. And ultimately, if the school doesn't want to acknowledge her brightness and creativity in any other way than insisting on her being medicated, look for another school.
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amother
Brickred


 

Post Mon, Oct 25 2021, 11:51 am
I'm a teacher, and it does not have to be this way. I've had many students over the years with ADHD, some medicated, some not. However, when the issue is simply antsyness, and moving around a bit too much, but she's doing well otherwise, I would do as follows:
-place the child in a seat that is as far out of the sight line of the other kids as possible (for me this was often the back seat in the rightmost row)
-try to make sure that there is some space around her desk. If she gets up, let it go as long as she is engaged and being productive. I don't have a problem with a student who does his/her work standing up!
-send her out with any messages you need sent, or to pick up copies when necessary, so she can shake the sillies out in the hall, and tell her that this is why you choose her -- so she has an extra change to wiggle the waggles away.
-make a secret sign, and encourage her to use it if she needs a break from the room,
Students like this have been my most valuable and rewarding students! I wouldn't mandate medication for a student like your child (assuming it was legal in my state to mandate it, WHICH IT ISN'T, because she is functioning well in other respects.
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amother
Camellia


 

Post Mon, Oct 25 2021, 12:05 pm
Look into guanfacine/intunive
It’s been amazing for my son
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