My son is faltering through Life again!!
By RhodaK
@RhodaK (177)
United States
May 23, 2007 7:41am CST
My 15 year old son has ADD. No hyperactivity. I saw signs of it in Kindergarten. He finally was formally diagnosed in 4th grade. We have tried Strattera, didn't work at all, Adderall, made him not hungry at all, and finally about 2 years ago we did the fated Ritalin and that seemed to really do the trick. Now, as of about 7 months ago, he is getting in more trouble than ever. Does not understand the weight, or consequences of his actions. He will do something to get in trouble in school, get punished for it, and within the same day as the incident ask to have a special priviledge. My husband and I are ready to pull our hair out. Military school has been talked about, but honestly, I don't think it is affordable. Any other new meds or different meds that I should be asking the Dr. about????
1 person likes this
6 responses
@Betani (34)
• United States
21 Jun 07
Meds alone will not help. It has to go hand in hand with councelling. I have the same type of ADD. It was diagnosed in 3rd grade. There is a really good book I can recommend, though. It's called "You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy?!" by Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo. It really helped me.
@thorgar (6)
•
1 Feb 08
That is a really good book. I'm 22 with ADD, and have found that the only medication that works long term is concentration meditation. Hard to get a hyperactive kid to do though. Vinpocitine is effect, without the side effects of amphetamines or ritalin. Ritalin made me into a zombie, dopamine system goes all loopy. It doesn't seem to have a real positive effect, long term.
Ask you doctor about provigil, it's the best prescription medication for ADD in my opinion. Get some vinpocitine it's OTC. Stay away from stimulants, manage his diet. Prevent excessive intake of sugars, and starches. From experience this is my advice.
@kelly60 (4547)
• United States
30 May 07
Do you have him in counseling? If not you should consider it. My boys have similar problems and are both in counseling because the medications alone just do not do it. My younger son (13) is on Concerta, which is similar to a time-released Ritalin. Both of them are taking Abilify, which is a mood stabilizer. The older one (14) is also on Zoloft, which is an antidepressant.
They both tend to get into trouble, although it is mostly the younger one. Things were settled down for a while, but have recently gotten worse again though. I am also thinking about switching medications again. I wish you luck with your son.
@doglover2 (2)
• United States
25 Aug 07
My son and daughter is in Concerta. Both are ADHD. My son is ADHD with bi-polar disorder. He is also on trileptal and resperidal. He is usually always in trouble and it is everyone elses fault. So he says. I feel what you are going through. He is 11 and starting puberty. The horomone changes interact with the medication.
@thegoodkitty (77)
• United States
1 Jun 07
I definitely agree that you should look into counseling if you haven't already. I was diagnosed with ADD (also no hyperactivity) about a year ago, and more than anything else, the counseling has been a huge help.
I highly recommend counseling before you try military school. I'm personally on Adderall, but if it affects his diet that severely, it's probably not a good idea. I have yet to notice any side effects, but maybe it's just me.
@HighReed1 (1126)
• United States
21 Jun 07
I have to agree that maybe you should think about seeing a counsellor or psychiatrist. Some family doctors can diagnose ADD but can't follow through with problems like you are having. There are some places that only psychiatrists can prescribe or treat ADD.
My country doctor had us give the kids things to do that worked the large muscle groups more. It was suggested to get them puzzles and games that would keep their minds busier as well. I also had to do the 'Structured Day' layout.
I realized our middle son was ADD/ADHD when he was seen under the desk playing in a nest of papers. He is scary smart, but had the attention span of a ferret on a double expresso.
@jbnmom (12)
• United States
25 Jul 07
My soon-to-be 4th grader has ADD. Ritalin works well for him, but he also needs constant reminders to help him focus. I am also very up-front with him about his diagnosis and explain what that means for him, that it's harder for him to do certain things than it is for others. But I also point out the things that he is good at. I agree with the suggestions of counseling. But I also suggest you consider his current medication dosage. If it hasn't been changed lately, it will probably need to be increased. As he gets bigger, he'll need more to get the same results. That's what I'm looking at right now with my son. He has an appointment tomorrow and I'm going to talk to the doctor about increasing his dosage because it's not as effective as it was 6 months ago. Another thing to consider is if your son is going through puberty right now. That could be playing havoc as well. Hopefully you have a good doctor who can help you determine what is going on.
Depending on where you live, there may be other options besides military school too. I know around here, there are several school options for "difficult" kids. None of them are cheap, but most are less expensive than military school.
