to med or not to med

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I am so frustrated right now.

We've done the various meds -- ritalin, metadate, strattera, adderall. Only ritalin and especially metadate helped, but only for about six months, then the effectiveness wore off after a while. Our son (11) is currently on adderall, but we don't see any obvious benefits. He's doing well in school -- mostly because he's bright enough to make up for not paying attention AT ALL during class by working harder than ever after school. He is old enough now to tell us whether he feels different or not with the meds. He is lucky in that he doesn't have any adverse responses, but he maintains that the adderall doesn't help him pay attention in class. It MAY be helpful with homework after school to a small degree, but that's the only advantage that we see.

I'm almost to the point where I'm thinking why bother with meds at all. The only reason that I even try is that, with the metadate, it really made an obvious difference -- both teachers, parents, and our son all could see it. If it makes him happier, and feel like he is handling life well, then meds are worth it. Otherwise, I have a very real fear that this is just going to make him SHORT (and he's already got short genes in our family!). I've heard so many other people speak highly of adderall, but I'm just not seeing it with my son. So frustrating! And then, on this forum, I read about the dangers of adderall, and I think why in the heck am I doing this?

I guess I'm just holding out hope that we can experience the benefits that my son once did with Metadate.

Kris

Like I said in another thread about attention-spans, it may not be your son's "problem". It may be chronic "boring moment" where the school is really losing kids. NTs can pretend to pay attention, that doesn't mean they are though. How many normal kids fall asleep in class, talk, joke, get kicked out? Even 20-30 years ago, it happened every day.
I remember an English teacher that would open the door (to the green grass and oak trees) during warm weather. He said if anyone looked out the door, he'd close it. Well, the door was shut more than open. And we all really, really wanted that door to stay open.

Some of my son's homework is just the dullest stuff on Earth. It's just to prep them for test taking and "busy work". Your son may need breaks or different seating arrangement or something that improves his environment.

I agree with Kim, sometimes not paying attention in class is the teacher's fault because they don't engage the kids with the topic. I found for myself it helped me to focus if I could sit in the very front row close to the teacher and away from the class clowns who would joke and distract me because they were more interesting than the teacher.

I would also be more cautious about what your son eats, drinks (as in eliminate a lot of caffiene and definitely no energy drinks.) Heck they are even spiking Snickers bars and some chewing gums to be like energy drinks. I notice for myself its like being on speed to drink even half a can of energy drink. Actually drinking Monster on the advice of some of my young coworkers landed me in the cardiologist's office several times last year. Besides heart issues it just doesn't mix well with ADD which I also have. I also noticed the red cherry and fruit punch instant Kool Aid drinks I recently tried made me so hyper I had to pace the hallway at work to calm down so I could go back to my desk and focus.

So I think dietary restrictions can help a lot. I never found that meds worked. I also think my OT helps with the ADD because she teaches me how to focus. And my psychotherapist helps because she makes me more aware of myself. So maybe some kind of therapy might help him.

The stunted growth really turned me off from trying ritalin with my son (plus, the increase in anxiety...anxiety is a huge for him).

The 6 month benefit that your son got from metadate might not have been the drug itself. I say that because we perceived a similar benefit from DMG supplements. Teachers and family reported that my son was so much better. They marvelled at the improvement. It lasted almost half a school year and then things fell apart. I tried DMG again at another point in time, but didn't get the same improvement. Then, I decided the improvement was part of a normal cycle for him. It's up and down and I think he's gotten so much better, then we hit a rough patch. If I tried drugs on him, I might attribute the high points to the drugs...when the period of improvement is a normal pattern for him.

our son's inability to pay attention was due to anxiety.....not boredom......i guess it depends on what symptoms your son is having and what the purported causes of it are..............

My son is currently on Focalin and Tenex. (tenex for the stims)
This has combination has been very positive for my son.

After reading some of the recent articles that have come out, I would suggest strong caution on any medication. One talked about dangerous side effects, and another notes that the major benefit from anti-depressants seems to result from the placebo effect - basically, you feel better because you believe you will.

My son (10) and I have decided to try eliminating preservatives, food coloring, and other chemicals from his diet. I've heard some parents of AHDD kids say that it really helped, and even though my son is not AHDD it seems intuitive to me that getting rid of the artificial stuff our kids eat would be a good thing.

My son claims he doesn't pay attention during the school day either, because of sensory issues, but somehow he is absorbing the material. Go figure. He tests very well on the standardized tests, but is basically flunking spelling, and will get a poor grade in any subject requiring written work. Still, it's just who he is. He is learning to work around his weaknesses and is still finding a lot of success. His teachers are proud of him, and think he will do big things someday. Our biggest issue is the stress from homework, and we know that his ability to produce work outside of school will become more important in middle school. Still, when it comes right down to it, he is moving ahead in all the most critical ways. Someday he will go to college. OK, maybe not his first choice, since grades are likely to be an issue, but if he can get where he wants to go in life anyway, it won't matter. Point being, while every year the idea of medication comes up, it is always tossed, because medication should be reserved for the most stringent needs, not just a "maybe it will make it a little easier." I have a child who is learning to get ahead in life being who he is, attention issues and everything.

Obviously, my child is not your child, and I cannot apply my experience to your situation. But, I guess, what I would like you to think about, is what is so horrible about things as they are, without any clear benefit from medication? Are you absolutely desperate for solutions, or is it more that improvement would be helpful?

All very good points -- thanks, everyone.

I am certainly with you, Tortuga, about the fact that the "good" episode with the Metadate could have been just a fluke time when my son was just doing well on his own WHILE he was taking Metadate. We sure feel that way with the Adderall -- except with the Metadate we "thought" we noticed improvements in social ability, paying attention at home, etc.

And I definitely agree with KimJ, that school is just flat out boring. I don't know what to do about that. Maybe all we can do is what we're already doing -- reteaching him once he gets home, and basically using school for social skills practice. Ugh.

Kris

If medication is having no effect, then there's no reason to take it.

Most medication dosages are based on body weight. If your child has a growth spurt or puts on weight, the medication may need to be increased.

If you don't see results within the first 2 weeks of changing a medication - discontinue use.

Does your son actually need to concentrate? I did a lot of drawing during class but listened while I drew. It all sank in.

Once the teachers realized that this was the way I learned, they stopped nagging me about it. After all, they're only concerned with your marks really.

My son's meds have changed so many times over the years it is hard to remember what he has taken. He and I both take seroquel now and that really helps me to sleep. He takes a large dose at night as well as smaller dose in the Am along with his ADHD med.

I have to say all this medication scares me to death.

I don't understand the need for sleep medicines.

If anything, I'd think that was much worse than medicating a child to assist with schooling.

What happens if you don't medicate for sleep?

I actually have been trying to convince my son to draw during class, or take notes with both text and pictures, as a way to keep his mind on the subject and still enjoy note-taking by drawing pictures. So far, not working much.

It's always hard to really verify if a med is working within two weeks or not. Mostly, you're trying to see if it works at school, which is a very different situation than at home -- many more people, much more noise and confusion, etc. Home is never as good a test-area for medications, because it's much more quiet and has lots fewer distractions.

I've read posts from college-aged aspies or adults who talk about how frustrated they are that they cannot concentrate in a school setting. One would think that college is a little more interesting than elementary, middle, or high school, and therefore ability to concentrate would improve slightly -- but apparently not.

Kris

Odin, that's exactly it! My son has executive function problems, NOT hyperactivity. So it's a quandry, using these ADD drugs which may help with hyperactivity but not necessarily executive function problems. I've been saying over and over again, we don't want to CALM DOWN my son so much as WAKE HIM UP! Help him to be more observant and basically "get with the program" (as he says himself).

Kris