Any mommies of ADHD kiddos??

[louisechippy]

My son is on a medication called concerta which is a 12 hour med which i give hime first thing in the morning and last him all day before this he was on equasym to which for the first month or so he was zombied out till his body became used to the drug itself since this we have not really suffered any other out of the ordinary side effects to the medicaztion other than the norm really !
the only medication i have heard ALOT of bad press about is ritalin i have told my sons doctor under NO circumstances will my son ever be going on this i would rather home school him and have him in a bad mood bieng naughty than give him ritalin xx

 

[louisechippy]

A small number of research papers appeared the in the late 1980’s suggesting that the antihypertensive medications such as clonidine (Catapres) may be beneficial to the management of ADHD symptoms, particularly in relation to reducing hyperactivity and over-arousal symptoms. It is believed that the drug acts as an alpha-2-adrenergic agonist that ultimately inhibits the release of norepinephrine, increases dopamine turnover, and reduces blood levels of serotonin. It is possible however, that the behavioral changes may be the result of general sedation. A large study in the Netherlands reports significant improvements in behavior in hyperkinetic children placed on this medication. Limited research today indicates however that clonidine is much less effective than the stimulants at improving symptoms of inattention and school productivity, but may be equally effective in the reduction of hyperactivity and moodiness. The drug may also be useful in managing the sleep disturbance that some ADHD children experience.
Some experts have recommended that clonidine be utilized in the treatment of ADHD only when stimulants have proven ineffective or are contraindicated.

some things i just found when looking it up hun xx

 

[Schraderswife]

A small number of research papers appeared the in the late 1980’s suggesting that the antihypertensive medications such as clonidine (Catapres) may be beneficial to the management of ADHD symptoms, particularly in relation to reducing hyperactivity and over-arousal symptoms. It is believed that the drug acts as an alpha-2-adrenergic agonist that ultimately inhibits the release of norepinephrine, increases dopamine turnover, and reduces blood levels of serotonin. It is possible however, that the behavioral changes may be the result of general sedation. A large study in the Netherlands reports significant improvements in behavior in hyperkinetic children placed on this medication. Limited research today indicates however that clonidine is much less effective than the stimulants at improving symptoms of inattention and school productivity, but may be equally effective in the reduction of hyperactivity and moodiness. The drug may also be useful in managing the sleep disturbance that some ADHD children experience.
Some experts have recommended that clonidine be utilized in the treatment of ADHD only when stimulants have proven ineffective or are contraindicated.

some things i just found when looking it up hun xx

That's exactly what I was trying to explain to the doctor when they finally called me back yesterday!! I don't necessarily feel like the medicine is "helping" as much as I had hoped as I feel he is just too tired to be as hyper. But being so tired all the time makes him extremely irritable and cranky. He doesn't smile nearly as much, which breaks my heart because he is usually so smiley!! I miss his smiles!! They told me to give him a quarter of a pill instead of a half in the morning and see if that helps the sedation, which I find frustrating because breaking a tiny pill into fourths just crumbles it. But they don't want to try any kind of stimulant with him as young as he is, (he will be four later this month) which I don't necessarily disagree with. They told us to try the adjusted dose in the morning for a week and call back with an update to see how it is working. We are crossing out fingers!!!

 

[andella95]

Just wanted to give a quick update...

We had an appointment with a child psychologist who works with our pediatrician and he could see right away that our boy was not quite the "average" four year old. He is going to be tested for ADHD on June 14th! We will also be having weekly therapy sessions (aka parent training) with a counselor every week for until the end of July. It was a bit discouraging to hear him say that the therapy isn't nearly as effective as medication, but it's okay for now.

 

[Schraderswife]

I am so glad they took you seriously!!! I know exactly what you mean about the therapy. We start a new counselor next week but I'm seriously skeptical that it will do much for Jonah. I know that is probably the wrong attitude to have but I can't help it. We had such high hopes for the medicine and it seemed like it was doing fabulous at first and now it seems like the side effects outweigh any benefits but they won't try anything else because he is so young. I am a mommy on the verge of desperate over here. I really hope your docs can work some magic for you guys!!!!