Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
this is a diagnosis which used to be two seperated diagnoses, when I was
growing up.
Attention deficit was where a person had honest medical problems with
their capability of paying attention.
Hyperactvity was for those who were not hyper (as is commonly stated whe
a child is wound up), but forthose who literally could NOT calm down.
now the two are combined (as specialists believe they are linked).
I am brining this up, because my youngest son has adhd. He is what
would have been classified primarily as hyeractive but he does have
issues with attention as well.
What I am hoping to find out, is advise and comments (useful comments,
not pigheadedness) from other parent(s) who deal with this also.
What are your suggestions? his doctor wants him to take adarol, but we
can not get medicare to ok it. He is only four, and the family doctor
keeps suggesting ridlin which I refuse to use unless it is the absolute
ONLY choice. I would rather he waited til he was older and get
something else. Are there any other meds for a four year old? What
have you noticed differance wise between medicated and non-medicated?
What are the side affects?

HELP!!!!!!!

Firstly, I would get a second opinion on the diagnosis and rule out
allergies, hearing and vision loss, etc. Secondly, I would talk to your
dr about finding alternative meds, especially any generics, that are
approved by your state's medcaid program and are a viable, safe
treatment option for your child. A good dr should work with you on this
anyway. Once your dr has given you a list of all the accpetable meds,
research each one thoroughly.

Diet, exercise, herbals, etc. have worked for some children, I would
research that as well. Routine also goes a long way to help with
attention and hyperactivity issues.

I hope that helps some...Good luck!

ADHD is very commonly misdiagnosed so a second opinion is a must (agree
with Lady_A). My son was diagnosed when he was in the first grade when
it began to effect his academics. My choice after much debate and
research was ritalin. It has been being prescribed for over 40 yrs so
the long term effects are known.
Now as a teacher, I have seen kids all all the different kinds of meds
and there is no one size fits all. I would just keep researching and if
you do decide to go with meds...just remember that if one doesnt work
another might.
Also, the condition is caused by a lack of nuerons firing in the brain
(so the meds are stimulants). I have had some parents try mountain dew
(for the caffine) and that sometimes helps.
Just dont give up! It is a struggle at times, but once your boy grows
older and learns to focus all that energy...the sky will be the limit
for him.

Hi,

I actually have ADD. It is technically a learning disability.
Hyperactivity is usually something that wears off as you get older. ADHD
is commonly diagnosted when you're young because kids have so much
energy to begin with. But it will get better as your child gets older.

What I suggest is to go to a child psychologist who can perfom
behavioral strategies to help your child work on how to settle down, how
to behave in social situations, etc. At only 4 years old, it is
definately too soon to be taking medications. I've taken every kind of
medication, ridlin, adarol, concerta. I kept on getting that "Zombie"
side affect where you just have no personality at all. Mood swings is
also another nasty side effect. It's mostly irratibility; you can be
easily frustrated by small things and can get quite emmotional when the
pill wears off. What my psychologist said is when the medication wears
off, your blood pressure drops slightly or something like that and your
body has to rebalance itself.

I'm 20 years old and have had much success with a medication called
Focalin. It's a medication that lasts for 3 hours. This is very
convenient for me as a college student who only needs it when it's
necessary. But this medication works very well for me because the
chemicals used only target to one side of the brain so it doesn't have
as harsh side effects as the ones I described above. However, since it
only lasts 3 hours that may not be for your child. I'm not sure if they
have another focalin perscription that lasts longer, I would ask your
child's psychologist if he has one.

Here's my last bit of wisdome...Get him involved in sports. A child,
particularly boys will want an outlet to release all that energy. Sports
were my savior as a child and I can not be more grateful of my parents
to get me involved with sports. Sports teach a child so many valuable
life lessons such as PATIENCE (which is very difficult for a child with
ADD), Discipline, team work, sharing, time management.

Sports I think is the best cure for a child with ADHD. If your child has
a good attitude about it in addition to 100% support of the parents, the
child will grow up with a much better lifestyle, academically and
socially.

I have so much experience with this topic so if you ever need any help
dealing with your child's ADHD, please feel free to seek my help. I
hope this was helpful to you.

A pshcologist diagnoist my girl a year ago with adhd she was 5 then and
she can get very wound up and out of control i started puting her in
sports after school she did martial arts for 5 days a week then also had
girl scouts and we let her have lots of caffine and she also had
gymnastics and something else she did on the weekend i cant remember
right now but when i kept her busy she was fine. i suggest first a
second opinion and geting him involved in a m-f activity and do things
on the weekend in is very time consuming but it is better then going
crazy in the house.

oh and by the way my girl is going on 7 now she has not been in any
sports now for a few months cause we moved and she is doing great and
has never been on any meds. I plan on geting her back into something
cause she loves it and it is the best thing for a kid and the only thing
that she still does is she never stops talking and is always doing
something but she has learned more how to do things on her own as she
gets older she is already learning to focus those energys in a postive
manner now and that is from all the sports she was in for a while
her martial arts was 1 1/2 hours after school m-f and she always had
energy after class so i know it was great for her

i hope you have some luck with your son best of wishes to you and your
family

I appreciate the advice and help... Let me start with reassuring you
that no this is not based on one persons opinion or anything. I have it
from two therapists, a pyschiatrist, the family doctor, my sister (who's
son is severely adhd AND mentally challanged), and also the fact that I
have worked with kids and teenagers with adhd in the past (volunteer, I
am not licensed). It is pretty much a given thatt his is the issue. As
far as stimulants, no I do not want to even THHINK about that he is too
active as it is, lol. he is definitely more Hyper that atention
deficient (I know what you mean about the differance. i do not
neccesdarily agree withthem having combined the two into one diagnosis).
That aside, I AM looking for something that will help[ calm him down AS
NEEDED. when he starts to cycle through his emotions and issues, (one
cycle lasts anywhere from two days through four on average) he can get
very destructive, and will not listen or anything. At his peak, he
literally can not sit still longer than one or two minutes and that is
torture for him (Time outs work wonders when he is not peaked and can
rationalize what I mean when I tell him he will be in a time out).
Right now he is taking clonodine to help him sleep. Originally he was
taking it at night before bed (so it would not hamper preschool in the
morning), but he is not going to preschool any more (issues with the
teacher) and so I tried giving it to him prior to his nap instead. That
helps for most of the afternoon and evening and he still sleeps through
the night with it. So that switch helped there. But for those first
five hours of the day, he is like a miniature tazmanian devil.
I have thought about sports, and plan to look into them. However, at
four there is not much out there for him.
I appreciate the advise and look forward to hearing more. Especially
from those of you that have experience in it either personal or from a
sideline.

i have ADHD and its not that bad...gosh...

check out the gymanstic gyms some have it for his age and there are ones
that are seasonal that shuold be starting soon for sign ups boy scouts
is out they dont start for a few years for him

Hi,

I was diagnosed when i was about 7. However, my parents were already
aware of the symptoms when I was about 3. At that age, here's the list
of activities my parents got me into that may be helpful for your young
child. When i was about 3 or 4 my mom was the director of the YMCA so
she took me for swimming classes. Also any youth programs around your
neighborhood would be great, youth soccer, t-ball....I play fastpitch
softball for my college so that was my sport that I fell in love with.

Be patient, it will get better in time. As long as you keep with him and
help him along with his behavior, it will improve. I must say that it
tends to be worse with boys. I would try behavior modification
strategies if you are hesitant about medications at this time.
Also...Mother and child meditation classes may help your child practice
the discipline of inner peace and relaxation.

I might be able to get him into cub scouts though, and am lookin
gstrongly at that. As far as gymnastics or anything like that, I would
prefer martial arts (not cause he is a boy, but I agree with the
emotional and mind sets of it as well); the main problem is I only make
700 a month GROSS. Needless to say I have very little money to use on
anything. If any one knows of schjolarships or grant information they
can pass on I would dearly appreciate it.

Daniel,

My son was diagnosed with adhd at the age of 4 as well. he has had this
diagnosis from a couple of pediatricians as well as a counselor and a
psychologist. He is now 10 years old. He has never been medicated.
It's definitely a struggle and I am on the verge of trying meds, but it
is not something that I wanted to jump into. I felt that I was a bad
mom if I gave my son drugs in order to make it through each day. But
now am thinking that maybe he could get through the day a lot easier if
he in fact was medicated. He is sometimes labeled "the bad kid"... and
he is really the most wonderful child. But he is getting old enough now
and actually tells me that he wants to try meds. So I am pretty sure
that will be our next move. Currently am researching the meds...

Thats where I am at right now as well tameka. Joshua (my son) has some
behavior problems that are triggered by his adhd (like taking stuff he
is not supposed to < way more than the normal child does trust me>
hoarding food, eating from garbage) Some of this is abandonment issues,
but it is also linked in with not being able to slow down enough to stop
and think before he does something. He KNOWS what is right and wrong,
and he cares. but he can not stop and think first. And like I said, it
is not the normal stages kids go through. His is severely worse to the
point I cna not keep a trash can in the house, as an example.
Like i said with the clonodine It seems to help with all but the first
five hours of the day, so I ma hoping to help him find something for the
morning, cause he starts kindergarten in a few months, and I do NOT want
him trying to juggle all this if we can avoid it.

I have a good friend in her 50s that I discribe herr as scattered, she's
not flakey or anything her thoughts are just scattered. she has found
Aderal keeps her focused.

Now My nephew had been bad since about 3yr. when something upsets him,
He takes off breaks into cars & what not. He's done alot of time already
& he's only 24yr. he is the sweetest guy gets out gets a job right away
hangs out with the family then over a few months time we are chasin
around lookin for cars he seems to leave places.
I baby sat a boy that was totally out of control. his Mom conpletely
changed his diet. Nothing artifical. no food coloring, cut out sugars,
he was a differnt child. easy to work with, could focus on his work
everything. if he even drank some soda he was boncing off the walls
again.
It was work because the family has to change! but he turned out to be
a good kid, he could do his school work.
he didnt have to be on all the meds the Dr's so easily perscribe.

I have a paper on concerta they have online videos

visit concerta.net

good luck to you! I begged for 4 yrs for the school to test my daughter
for special ed. he 3rd grade teacher said if Lindsay could live in a
world where she didn't have to read & write she would do fine..

I thought for a teacher that is about the most retarded thing you could
say.... later I realized what she meant. she is very smart, she just
ahh! day dreams! can't focus! could care less!

my oldest has ADHD and as he gets older the hyperactivity grows less but
even still there is always some part of him that is moving. tapping a
foot, or finger or bouncing his knee... It does get better. He drinks
coffee in the morning and at night before he goes to bed. And it works
well to calm him down.
We went the ritalin route with him. What a nightmare! Started out once a
day five days a week, then twice a day seven days a week, then they
wanted to give him medicine to help him sleep and then to help increase
his appetite because he was losing weight. 8 years old and he weighed 45
pounds. Then came the day that my som picked up a chair and threw it
across the room at me. I tossed the pills away, fired the therapist
(metaphorically speaking ), and put him on a schedule. Everything was
scheduled.... Reinforcement.

thats one of the side affects of ridlin for ya is the increased
temper/rage. Also having to keep increasing the dosage.

Daniel, there is a new patch out .You just stick it on your kids before
School, They can even swim with it.It is recommended they keep it on for
only 9 hours, so that they don't have the loss of appetite, or the,
binge eating.

I stared my son on adderall when he was 2. He was diagnosed with
autism/severe ADHD at 3. I praise the company that makes adderall as
this is the one main key that has helped my boy overcome the obsticles
of his autism and his severe adhd. He was able to sit STILL AND FOCUS
which enabled him to begin to LEARN. It was the hardest decision i have
had to make so far with my child by placing him on ADHD medications but
i am so glad i did. This takes time daniel and it can be hit or miss
getting the correct medication and dose for your son. In our situation
my boy could disassemble an entire classroom in a matter of moments. He
became a danger to himself, others and even me because his adhd is that
severe. The doctors will check your child weekly to make sure he is
doing alright with his blood pressure, weight gain/loss, etc. I have had
a HUGE BATTLE with my boys dad with wild allegations of my
OVERmedicating my child. ROTFLMAO!! In order to OVERmedicate you need
what? The RX from the doctors?? No pharmacist would allow you to
OVERmedicate anyone. The battle is about to begin AGAIN as this is the
only "issue" daddy wants to keep bringing up and lets just say he hasnt
been a real BIG part of his own childs LIFE. Its just another
way for an abuser to keep the abuse going. Thru custody court. Ass.
Daniel remember these medications are
there to help your child and since i have had to deal with ADHD myself
my entire life and parents who did NOT want me on the medication i
struggled with everything. Now i take wellbutrin which also helps with
my ADHD. It can be inherited and i believe this is true with my son.
Seeing a mini me I reflect on what my mama used to say....
"I hope when YOU grow up...you have one that acts just like YOU ARE
right now".....what a HOOT!! If you have any more
questions feel free to contact me shugar. I am one parent who believes
these medications works and i can testify that my son gets straight A;s
in school and doctors now have trouble seeing the severe autism. Its
been an amazing journey for sure and thanks to the adderall i strongly
believe this medication was a KEY FACTOR in helping my child.

i know i'm only 19 an i don't kn ow that much but what i do know is that
the aderol is supposed to make the person who is takin it use all their
addreiline an they should calm down... BUT while i was on aderol i did
take it for a while it kinda helped for a little bit but after a while i
just quite takin it i don't see it as the greatest thing an even their
when i quite taking it i had druggies that i knew said that all addy, or
aderol was jus speed anyway

I have a friend that has two boys with ADHD, one is on the patch and it
seems to be working, one thing they told her was to make sure they are
kept busy. Coloring or outside, sports are a good thing. Good luck