Fun at Disneyland

Fun at Disneyland

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

ADHD Meds & Treatment - My opinion

My opinion is, first and foremost, that when you are talking about meds for ADHD, it's a matter of choosing the most effective with the *least* (or more tolerable) side effects. Giving your children these drugs is not something anyone goes into lightly

Both my boys are in Intuniv for their ADHD and I have liked that much better than the stimulants.
From what I am observing, Intuniv doesn't seem to change personality, though sometimes I think it might deprive the kids of some sleep (they wake 5:30am many days) and thus make them whiney/grumpy.

My 7 yo is on 2 mg and 9 yo is on 3 mg. I am going to do a trial off of it with them this summer, just to check, but overall I have been happy with how mild the side effects are (after the first 2-3 weeks of use). The only thing I notice is they fall asleep earlier and more easily.

On stimulents, they both had horrible, manic-like energy rebound in the am and late evening. DS1 used to just run back and fourth, back and fourth 100's of times throwing up a football and catching it. He would do this when the meds wore off every night. Both boys were also stick thin and still losing weight. When we took them off stims., they shot up in height, both put on weight and looked so much healthier.

BUT, for my kids, the stimulants helped their fine motor control, organization, and focus and they aren't doing as well in those areas right now on the Intuniv. The Intuniv seems to mellow them a bit, and they are doing fine overall in school on it. They are still forgetful, super hyper and silly several times a day, occasionally aggressive and they still complain about schoolwork.

So, overall for my own kids ADHD meds, stimulents *worked* better, but with pretty nasty side effects, Intuniv, works OK and the side effects are mild.

We are in the process of getting in-home therapy started for Blake. The therapy were doing is going to be ABA based...like kids on the autism spectrum often do.....most (if not all) of DS1's struggles are very much in common with what Autism spectrum kids have issues with.

For example:
*  Bike riding, shoe tying
* Talking on the phone
* losing in competition/stacking the odds in his favor
* School - Not trying hard
* Social - Being bossy and controlling
* arguing to get his way/not accepting No as a final answer
* Being aggressive at times
* Fine motor (cutting, penmanship, printing, word spacing)
 
I think therapy can greatly help with all of the above. We'll see!

1 comment:

  1. Dear Cassie,

    My name is Erica Merson and I am doctoral student from University of Maryland, College Park. I am conducting a research study to learn more about the experiences of mothers of children with ADHD to eventually use this knowledge to improve the understanding and treatment of families of children with ADHD. I am contacting you because you work with and have contact with mothers of children with ADHD and I am hoping that you could pass this information on to those who may qualify to participate in my study. I am looking to recruit mothers of 5-13 year old children who have received a diagnosis of ADHD. Participants would complete an online, confidential questionnaire that asks questions about psychological health, relationships, employment characteristics, and parenting behaviors. As compensation, participants will be offered the chance to enter into a lottery to win one of three $25 Amazon gift cards. Those who are interested can follow the link below to the study.

    https://cbssmaryland.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0wUticLHrxuufqI

    I would be happy to discuss details of the study with you further. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free email me at emerson@psyc.umd.edu. Also please forward the above message to others who may be eligible and interested in also participating. Thank you so much for your interest and participation.

    ReplyDelete