A.D.D. real or fiction

Out of my four children, 2 have ADD and one has ADHD. They are grown now but my daughter with ADHD had a very difficult time both in school and out until I gave medication a try. She could not concentrate in school...everything distracted her and there was no stop gap between what popped into her head and what came out of her mouth. She had no friends because she was unble to take turns or even give someone the chance to get a word in edgewise. After she was on the correct dose of Ritalin she was not a zombie, she was the lovely young girl I knew her to be. She did better in school and made friends. She was so much happier because she knew that there was something different (I refused to use the word "wrong") about her but was unable to help herself. If your son isn't already being followed by a specialist, please try to find him one. There are many treatment options available to help him. You and your wife have to be his advocate, in school and in life, because you are his best chance at having a happy life. On a side note, one funny characteristic she's always had due to the ADHD is her ability to retain phone numbers. It used to drive her older brother and sister crazy because if she saw a friend's phone number or even watched them dial it, she remembered it and would call them herself. But, I took advantage of that talent and let her look at all of the family phone numbers. If someone moved or changed their number I told her the new one. It didn't happen too often but there have been times when I've had to ask her what so and so's number is and she always knows.

My son was ADHD, he was on medication and it was the best thing that I could do. My only regret is that I did not get it for him sooner and give it to him more then when he was just in school. It helped him in sports and in other activities. The sports were good for him, he got out his energy and learned to follow rules and stay in line and wait and interact in a environment that was fun and not school. Consider soccer or hockey or basketball...lots of running and TELL the coach about the problem.

My daughter has adhd and we were in a test group for a new medication. The study really helped us however we found that she had issues on the meds. They used different medications on her however she became very constipated and the results of that were awful. She would get so sick from it that I finally just said forget it and stopped all meds. So she is not on meds and yes there are days that I just shake my head but have found that if we keep do certain things it really helps. When in school she takes all tests in a quiet room. This helps a lot. School can be hard but the teachers are aware and they know if they class is out of control then our daughter will get hyper so they watch for that. When she gets hyper at home we tell her and redirect the activity that is going on in the house. I am not saying this will work for every child but it sure helps us. I wish you the best of luck and know whatever you do it is the right thing.

I don't know if it's just me or not, but I'm not one for taking pills unless it's absolutely necessary. If you feel it may help him though, you may want to give it a try. I don't believe there are any serious side affects to it, but I wouldn't see you as a bad parent for trying to do the right thing for your child. Who knows, it may help him out. I took some medicine for ADD for a period of time, and it really helped me stay calm and focus. Talk to his doctor and ask the doctor's opinion.

I think it is fact cause i had adhd when i was a child and now that i'm a adult i still have it.. When i got into high school i got off meds cause i wanted to do it all on my own well that didn' work i ended up dropping out of high school and now that i am an adult i'm back on meds and i see how i am more focus and less hyper.. i don't bug my husband as much as i use to... I'm also on ability and celexa for Bi polar and depression granted the adderall does its job too... I see that i'm more focused and like i wanna get a job i wanna go back school i wanna be successful in everything i do.

I thought the same thing before I met my husband! And wouldnt you know I got blessed with a son that has it also. They are both on adderal. I only give my son his meds if he has to go to school or if its some where that he ABSOLUTELY, NOT MATTER WHAT, has to behave. I dont like the way he acts when hes on the meds, but when it came to him failing kindergarten because he wasnt paying attention, or getting out of his seat, or turning the lights off in the girls restroom and howling like a wolf (yes, he really did that), I knew something had to be done. Ever since the Dr has gotten the levels right, he has made straight A's and made the principals list every year. He sometimes tries to blame his misbehaving (when he isn't medicated) on not getting his meds, but I make sure that he knows that its not an excuse and he has to learn to control himself. He gets punished when he misbehaves and takes it well. He never had any angry, violent outburts (thank god) but when my husband doesnt take his meds, he is a very angry person. He cant get anything acomplished and jumps from task to task and is very forgetful. The Dr's will always start the child out on the lowest dosage possible and gradually increase till it starts to work. They will also increase the mgs as the child gains weight. Depending on what type of medication the dr prescribes, it can cause the child to not be able to fall asleep. ( Adderal is also prescribed for narcolepsy) It is also an appetite suppressant, which is another reason I only give it to him for school. (He was a preemie and has always been an underweigth child) You can ask your dr for some resources to help you deal with his outbursts if you dont want to medicate. Also don't hesitate to get a second opinion to put your mind at ease about medicating. Good Luck and hope all goes well.