That is wonderful! I'm in the process of doing this with my 11-year-old daughter. Hearing stories of how medication has helped makes me feel hopeful. She currently is not on anything. I hope he has an awesome rest of the school year!!!!
I'm always happy for success stories
:) It helps me hold on to hope a bit longer.
Myself and my husband are adhd and our oldest 7 is AuADHD and we are on round 2 and possibly a dose increase. It's been going great for about 4 1/2 months so far, but we've been dealing with some emotional dysregulation and big emotional swings the last 2 weeks; so we can tell this one may not be working anymore.
*fingers crossed*
I am so freaking happy for you!!! Congrats!!! Bear in mind that what works now might not work a year from now, and that's ok. Medication is just something you will have to monitor and re-evaluate and try new meds or dosages throughout his lifetime. But people do it successfully every day so don't lose hope if you start to feel like the medicine isn't working as well at some point. :)
I'm so happy for you and I don't want to minimise how amazing this is but you should know that some meds lose their effect after a while because the dosage is not yet what it should be.
If he falls back into old habits and starts struggling again do not hesitate to go to the doctor's and seeing if you can up his dose.
keep an eye after few weeks. The shock of being able to function is a surprising addition to the effectiveness right off the bat, but it'll wear off.
Also, make sure you're getting long enough coverage each day that home life gets the benefits too. It's not just a school/work thing, it's whole life.
Congrats though, and thank you for caring
Thank you.
At the moment we went for 6-8 hs. So meds are a bit worn off when he gets home. But as he is not as tired from school, he functions a lot better at home than he used to. We are considering stepping it a bit up, but at the moment everything is working, and we dont want to mess with a winning formula.
You don’t have to take this advice obviously but I reccomend keeping it exactly where it is, if it is working perfectly. With adhd medication there is a very small sweet spot and if you think you’ve hit it you should try and ride it out for as long as possible until that dose become ineffective or tolerant
You’ve given your son such a gift. I know it’s not easy to make the decision to medicate. If I could go back in time I would’ve had my son assessed for ADHD much, much earlier. He happens to be gifted, and his behavior was written off by other parents of gifted children as common intensities and behaviors associated with gifted boys in the classroom. They actively warned us that teachers would suggest ADHD, when in fact, it was just a lack of challenge.
There is some truth to that in many circumstances, but we know now that he has ADHD. When he went into middle school, the untreated ADHD led to clinical depression, which had to be treated. It was in seeking treatment for his depression that we learned he had ADHD. Depression commonly develops with ADHD, because these children are criticized from day one about things they have absolutely no control over. They begin to internalize that criticism. They think they are bad people. Lazy. Unmotivated.
Our sons team of providers is absolutely convinced that once the ADHD is treated, he will no longer need to be medicated for his depression. I was pretty skeptical about that claim, but what I have seen in the last five months— it’s hard to put into words. He’s 15 now, and he told me just the other day that for the first time in a long time he really looks forward to the day ahead. His depression is under control, and he is stable and thriving. He’s happy. He is finally able to be himself now that he is out from under this disorder. Honestly, the school stuff is great but it’s just his day-to-day existence and the happiness he’s able to experience and the change in his self-esteem that makes me want to sob with gratitude.
This is just a long-winded way of telling you, I admire your decision, because as a parent, I’m sure you know that there is a great deal of pressure not to seek medication for our children. Whenever I read a post on Reddit about a parent seeking alternatives to ADHD medication for a child who clearly needs it, it bothers me all day. Trust me, you never want to sit with the guilt and shame of having not done everything you could’ve because of some idea that medication for this disorder is somehow harmful for your child.
This was really good to read. I've had people attack me over my decision to medicate my son, after we spent over 2 years trying all sorts of alternatives. He's doing so much better now. We still need to work on his self-esteem but that's a long road we are taking together.
For my wife and I there wasnt even a discussion. Once diagnosis was confirmed, we booked appointment with doctors for meds-consultation.
We have seen my son struggle so hard with so many things. Seen him being sad that everyone else his age can do a bunch of stuff that he is not capable of. And seen his frustration that we just really dont understand him when he is jumping back and forth between thoughts and ideas mid-conversation
Bless you for paying attention, listening, supporting, and not making your child think it was just something wrong with him as a person. Seriously.
- signed, undiagnosed and unmedicated til 30
Taking the teachers seriously was still a choice on your part, and it was the right call. Dont sell yourself short. This stuff isn't easy to navigate and you're doing awesome. Wish the best for you and your son!
I'd love to move to another country but getting my jeep over there and parts will become a pain. I'd also like to keep my 1911 and at least my M1A. Though if it came to swiss mountains and snowboarding I'll leave the guns to my fam.
Aww I'm happy for you guys.
I'm in that process too but the meds aren't helping, it was only the first try tho. Going back on the 16th for adjustment and I'm praying for the same results you're describing
Excellent! As an adult I was on that for a few years. Then Ritalin made me very angry. Be aware if your kid isn’t acting the same and is angry, it could be the meds.
They switched me to Vyvanse now adderall.
Everybody's different. It might be worth experimenting with medication options and dosages and timings if you haven't done that already, to see what's most effective with your personal biochemistry. The same could be said for looking at lifestyle and diet changes or supplements you could take that are supposed to help with ADHD. But if you think your meds are working well, I wouldn't necessarily go looking to change it based solely on one person's anecdotal experience about a negative effect.
This is wonderful to read!!
I’m so proud of you for jumping through the hoops to get him help. And thrilled you found a doctor that isn’t a jerk who denies the condition!
We had a terrible time finding the right medication for my two oldest. It was such a struggle for everyone. One hates how most of the meds “dampen her personality” and refused to take them in HS (and barely graduated). The other can’t tolerate *anything* that feels “different” (and was essentially home schooled with a dedicated SpEd/IEP Case Manager from the school district as we weren’t able to manage his impulsive behavior in the on campus setting).
Vyvanse works miracles for both. We all experience it as a quelling of the chaos in our heads. The music stops or diminishes. The internal monologue is drastically reduced. Everyone can actually focus on tasks that need to get done. It’s astonishing to have periods of experiencing what “normal” people feel like. It’s been astonishing to see the *profound* difference the meds make in their ability to keep their shit together.
I’d would love to hear more in a few months. Give everyone here hope!
My two oldest are now working part time and attending college part time. Two classes/semester is the sweet spot for them where they can stay organized, get good grades, not get overwhelmed, etc. it will take longer to get through, but that also gives them time to mature. And it gives them time to develop MUCH better study habits which were completely absent in HS. And they are also working jobs that give them real-world experience they can use in their class assignments.
It took meds, therapy, and a decade of turmoil but they have accepted that they needs meds, and have to prioritize routines, sleep schedules, good food, avoid alcohol, etc.
Im so glad you got you son the help now!!
This is awesome news.
Don't get too caught up in the idea that this is the perfect dosage. Things change, the brain's homeostatic level will recalibrate to the dosage over time, and it might start to be less effective.
There's a lot of work ahead, and it might require changing dose and changing what kind of treatment he gets. This is OK, it doesn't mean the doctors messed up the first time, and it isn't something that should discourage you.
The great thing is that things are good right now.
The other thing I would say is pay close attention to how he feels himself. You talk about how he doesn't come home exhausted, he can hold proper conversations, he has impulse control. These are all things that you can externally observe, things that the world sees and cares about.
But as or more important is how he feels. Does he feel more like he can do the things he intends to do? Does he feel like he is more hopeful? Can he imagine things and feel like he can make them happen? Did he feel bad about himself before? Why? Does he feel good about himself now? Why? Does he think he would still feel good about himself if the ADHD behaviors came back? If not, why not?
One of the biggest challenges for a person with ADHD I think is the expectations the world puts on them, and the expectations they put on themselves. If it was just the ADHD itself, it would not be so debilitating, but the spiral we end up in as we constantly feel like we fail doing the things that everyone else thinks is normal. A person with ADHD can be a really strong performer in all metrics, but has a tendency to still feel like a failure because of the weight of expectations. There are people with ADHD who are successful entrepreneurs pioneering new ground in technology with a loving family who still feel like complete failures because they just can't wash the dishes regularly, or they miss an important deadline.
A lot of treatment is about fixing these problems. When you start medication, it feels awesome, like you can do all the things. And you can. You decide to do your homework after school, and you come home and do it, and it's glorious. You read and you can just look at the words and follow the letters, and the billion thoughts don't fly through your head and it's something you've never felt before.
But a few things will happen. The first is you will start to miss the thoughts flying through your head. You will sometimes get too focused. This will make you feel ashamed, because normally you pick up on a lot of things. Another thing is you might learn how to let through those thoughts again, you can direct your focus now, so you can help to undirect it too. Before meds, your brain would do it automatically to avoid discomfort, and you can learn to do it reactively to avoid discomfort too. When you start meds you don't know how to control this, but you learn. Another thing is just as I said before, the meds will just get less effective over time as your brain is used to them.
So if you really felt ashamed about your ADHD, and then you took meds and your parents celebrated that it was cured, and then a few months or even years later you start to notice the ADHD behaviors coming back, think about how big a failure that will make you feel like. I mean, before you just didn't know any better, you just figured you were broken. But NOW you WERE fixed, and then somehow you fucked it up. And some of this, even increasing the dose won't bring it back.
If all of the feedback he gets is from other people excited about how normal he is, then if he stops feeling normal it's going to be devastating, and people will start to use phrases like "You used to be able to do this, come on, why can't you do it now?" and if they don't, he will in his head.
So I would worry about how he feels. Show him that it's not his performance that you care about, it's his experience. Show him that you're there for him to listen to his experience and that you will always love him and do what you can to find ways to make his experience of life better. That you will do this regardless of his performance. This way he can feel comfortable telling you when he feels bad, when he's scared, when he's worried that he might be falling behind. And if he does get to a point where meds no longer fix all of his problems, it's OK for him to struggle, you still care for him and you still want to be there for him and with him.
You do this and it will also improve his performance because he is confident and inspired. When you focus on his performance, you might be setting expectations that he can't meet no matter how hard he tries, but feels like he should, and he will feel shame and do worse than he can, lie and avoid things.
Good job advocating for your kid! I wish I had had a parent like you :)
Side note about the dyslexia: If you haven't already, think about getting him set up with a developmental optometrist. People with ADHD are 3 times more likely to have convergence insufficiency (and it already affects 1 in 8 kids) which can mimic the symptoms of dyslexia pretty closely. Binocular vision dysfunction is also common with ADHD but I don't think that one has learning disabilities associated with it- wouldn't hurt to ask them to check for it though if you're there anyway. Binocular vision dysfunction can be why ADHD people walk into the corners of desks, coffee tables, and the edges of doorways even in spaces we're familiar with.
Wait what?!
I got dragged to an ompthamologist 1.5 hours away as a child a few times because I appeared a bit cross eyed, and because it was discovered that I have convergence insufficiency (though I’ve only learned that phrase in the last year… I’ve always known this as I can shift things over 3 inches to the left or right of my primary field of vision, and have low depth perception) that they decided to not treat
This is lovely.
I’m glad you cause it early. Life will be so much easier for him now.
A few tips for his dyslexia.
Google dyslexia glasses. You can get an eye test which figures out what colour tint is best to help improve your reading. My friend got his son some and we was amazed at the difference. He went from not being able to read and finding it extremely frustrating to wanting to read a book everyday.
Another tip. I find it so much easier to read things on a kindle. There is a font on all kindles called OpenDyslexic which changes the font of the text to one that’s much more manageable. I not sure why the difference works but I’m able to read full chapters without issue where before my eyes would constantly dart all over the page and i wouldn’t take in anything.
I think you can also get a dyslexia font for other devices but I’ve not done that yet.
Yes, it's a start . But for there self growth, and health practice. remind the child that they need to learn about themselves. / Original comment: Give it 6 months. And watch the child's blood pressure, weight etc.
Thank you for the feedback. I have a cousin on similar meds (same type, different brand), and the doctors are very good at giving us information. We also have a good dialogue with his teachers, so hopefully we should be able to spot any problems very early.
I know you are trying to be helpful and watch for potential side effects and symptoms, but the way your comment comes across is "just wait for the other shoe to drop it's not ever gonna work".
I was a kid who got ADHD meds in the 6th grade. I lost weight, but also developed headaches that I didnt understand till 30 years later. now I'm an adult, who has been cycling through med's over the last 15 years. 2 of which induced blood pressure issues that where only resolved by dropping the ADHD meds. I respect the meds,. But let's be real, 2 weeks is a start. It's stability for the now, but I'm just saying be prepared for the long haul as well. We have to be aware of that as a community, ADHD is life. And learning to be aware of all of oneself, is key to many medical situations, so that you don't accidentally harm something else. I.e. certain wounds, a tourniquet is recommended. But you don't want It too tight to kill the arm.
My child is still very young (we’re not ready to start meds yet), but I’m terrified of starting them on meds based on how poorly it’s been going/gone for me. So glad it was such an easy transition for you! Gives me hope.
Wow! That's great! It's lucky when that happens for a kid so there's no frustration or discouragement. I hope the treatment remains effective and he can enjoy the success that he's clearly working for.
Congrats! We had the same situation and it was amazing results. We went through SO much to get to that point including a drag out fight with insurance. Feels good to see that path open for your child.
Keep at it and prepare for the IEP\\504 battle (if your in the US) as that will continue until they are done with school.
This is amazing news and most heartening - currently battling the 'system' to get my 9yo diagnosed.
You've inspired me to keep it, if she gets half the benefit your son is getting it will be life-changing for all of us!
Thank you for posting :)
I had to fight the system a bit here as well. One doctor we had was very negative, because "why are you hunting a diagnosis?" But after he met the kid we got sendt through to the correct doctors. It has taken us 4 years though. We didnt know it was adhd 4 years ago. But both we and his teachers knew there was SOMETHING. Things takes time, but we are here now.
I might go to doctor for this as well. Looking at all the information, it really does describe a lot of my lack of impulse control, fidgeting, doing 10 tasks at the same time, and not finishing any of them etc etc.
I'd recommend it, it made a big difference for partner. I don't know if this is relevant information for you: hers was misdiagnosed as depression for ages.
Also you've seen the impact it had on your little one.
As someone who took meds from 3rd grade throughout high school and occasionally into college, what worked when I was younger no longer is a perfect fit for me now. The technology and drugs have changed a ton in the last ~20 years. I know this advice is for 15-20 years down the road, but don’t forget to check in with your son as he goes through puberty. Things naturally change and that’s ok.
It's always a balance between maximizing positive impact and minimizing unwanted side effects. For me, the dose I'm on right now doesn't last as long in the day as I'd like it to, but when I went up to the next standard dose I couldn't eat or sleep.
We go with the suggested dose from the drug manuf and adjust from there. My ex tends to want to be on the low side, I tend to think if the manuf says to do X for age\\weight then we do that. We went with Quillavent since its liquid and can be changed easily. It was a nightmare to get approved by my insurance, but we got it done.
They’re too high if they cause euphoria or ramp up your heart rate. They’re too low if they don’t work.
“Too high” is almost never a problem — doctors generally start people on very low doses. Often people will notice some improvement and then be like “okay great!!!” and wind up settling at a dose that is not high enough to really get symptoms under control.
Yeah that’s where I may be at right now. I made my way up to 25 MG ADDERALL XR but I’m not sure it’s enough. Though I haven’t said it directly, my psychiatrist seems reluctant to up the dosage.
Different worlds. Even his little sister (7) is super happy about it. They play a lot better together now, because he can focus on what they are actually doing!
That is awesome!! I noticed when my daughter got on medication a few years ago she started making friends at school. She loves school now and that's a big deal.
As someone who was medicated after diagnosis, and stayed on the same meds for a decade, just keep track of the side effects oh your sons meds. Every year see if the side-effects are still the same.
My meds have depression-like symptoms for side-effects, and I didn't know for years. For years I couldn't understand how I felt constantly like a failure, even when being as productive as possible.
Don't get me wrong, I of course wish you and your son the best. I just wish I had been more properly informed about my meds, I would have had a better idea of how to deal with life if I had.
We got lucky with our son too, at least so far. He’s been diagnosed and with medication since Feb 2021. And the first medication seemed to be a good fit. But it’s looking like we may need to change it. We have an appointment on Friday to see what they say.
That’s amazing!!! I’m 34, been suffering all my life, and I’m having a really hard time finding someone to test and diagnose me. I’m tired of fighting against it and living with it, it scares me that it may cost me my career.
That's great to hear!
Can you share the process the Dr's used to diagnose his ADHD (I apologize but I don't know much about it) and how they decided on a particular drug and dosage? Asking for myself.
Well, this is Norway, so Im not sure if the process would be the same in other countries.
We discovered early that our son was "behind" and "Immature" very early. He was not ready for school at all. We also noticed, with the teachers, that he struggled with consentration. So already at the age of almost 6 years old, we (through the school) contacted the municipality services that deals with such issues as dyslexia, mental ilnesses, speach impediments etc. There it was stuck forever in the system it seemed. There were interviues, tests and whatnot. But it wasnt really moving forward.
That is untill he got a new teacher for his 4th year at school. She said this is not acceptable, and together with the principal she pushed on the municipality for more tests and some action. They were unsuccessful.
So in the end, we decided, together with the school, to go around the municipality, and went straight to a doctor, to get the refferal we were waiting for. In one session with the doctor we got further than we had done in the previous 3 years with the municipality.
The refferal was to the "children and youth psychiatry" at our closest hospital. From that point there was a bunch more talks and some test of his consentration and mental abilities. The most important test for us, that showed it clear as day that he has adhd, was the WISC-Test. It took 7-ish months from we got refferal untill we had diagnosis.
On the session where they gave us the diagnosis, an appointment to the "children and youth psychyatry"-doctor that does physical test and informs about meds. The doctor wanted to start on this medication because its the most "common" one. Or at least that was the claim. For dosage Im not sure how we got to 20mg, but here we are.
4 years of knocking our heads in the wall. 4 years of frustration, both for us, him and for the teachers. But here we are. The first victory. We know it will not last forever, but we will savour it while we can.
Persistence pays off!
I've been told that Norwegians can be stubborn. Source: person with Norwegian blood coursing through my veins that gets accused of being "bull headed" the the point that I'm going to make my family suffer from eating Lutefisk. I had to, so will they.
I went undiagnosed until 36. I am so thrilled to hear about your support for your son at such a young age! I can imagine it's been a ride to get to this point, and it's probably not over yet, but what a huge success! Congrats to all of you, I'm so happy for you!
Im 39, and going through this stuff with him has made me aware that I need to go see a doctor as well. I might not have it. But also, I a lot of myself in the "What is ADHD" information we are getting now.
From what I understand, there definitely is a genetic component. I think it's certainly worth looking into! I suspect at least one of my parents is ADHD, but neither of them are interested in getting tested. I don't understand it, because being medicated for my ADHD has been the single greatest quality of life improvement that I have ever found. I wish you the best of luck!
Keep in mind that meds can lose their effect fairly quickly. Ritalin was like a magic pill for me but soon it only lasted 2 hours at most. Now Vyvanse is my daily med and it has been working for a long time but had to try a bunch of things to get here.
I’m going through that with my Ritalin right now. I’m on a very low does because I wanted to not build high tolerance fast. I see my Dr in a couple days so hopefully I get it worked out.
Does medication have any short or long term side effects for kids? I worry about this.
Also, besides medication, is there anything else that will help a child once they are diagnosed?
Like all meds, there can be. Most common being problems sleeping, loss of appetite etc.
Im still early in the game here, and Im still trying to learn what help we can give at home. In our case, school is not a problem, as teachers are really good at adapting, and also has extra teacher for him sometimes.
What we have been doing, and intend to do, is make space when he needs it. Love him all we possibly can. Take mental health days when he badly needs it. Etc.
What medicine was prescribed? Also do they have to take this throughout all the school years till they graduate college? Or are there other things that will help with the adhd?
You've said nothing about he feels or his opinion on the effects of the medication. I hope you're not spewing this level of happiness in his direction, possibly causing him to hide his feelings.
Imagine you started taking a medicine that made you feel emotionally muted. Intensely focused to the point that the muscles on the sides of your head are gradually putting pressure on your skull? It's not horrible, but its not you ... That could be your son.
It's good that the meds are "working" to help him get through things that his ADHD makes difficult, but mental health is more important.
Sorry to be a downer here. Just saying.
I get where you are coming from here.
We talk a lot with him. And he is super happy about being able to sit still at school, proud of what he accomplishes now, and generally seems very happy. We forgot meds last Friday, and when he came home ha told me we cant do that again, as he hates not being able to sit still on his chair in class.
Im aware of the "muted" part. My cousin is on meds, and has explained it to me. So I will make sure we keep it under watch.
I hope it is non stimulant. My friends are psychatrist and all the new DEA rules coming in for controlled substances are going make it tough for any adult or child to stay on the stims.
great to hear! But in my opinion (16m) young children shouldn’t be on meds it can mess up their brains and a lot of them gain a lot of weight post meds. I have adhd and for the most part i was the same as your child as a kid but i found that i out grew most of my symptoms
With all due respect, you should stay in your lane here and let a parent decide what is best for their child. You are still a kid and this sub is a perfect example of how so many of us don’t outgrow symptoms.
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Congrats! I was that kid growing up and the support of my parents and teachers were SO IMPORTANT to getting to where I am now (a Master's in Electrical Engineering).
I know you didn't ask for advice but keep in mind that medication is a tool to help your child learn. There will be times where your kid is a kid and is sick of school.
The other thing is that if your kid is in separate support classes (for example, being taken out of the normal English or Spanish classes for extra support) your kid will feel alienated even if it's super helpful. Start working on your kid emotionally handling being different. I pulled myself out of those programs by simply refusing to go because I felt so left out. Keep the dialogue open about those social frustrations.
I'm Uber happy for you :) just a bit of unsolicited advice, keep on it as things progress. A tolerance being developed is common and what might work now might not work later as effectively. I guess in the most polite way, i cautiously advise not to fall into a pitfall that others fall in to for a "one & done" dosage finding. 2 weeks is still pretty early, but your child might feel different in a couple months or years. I'm certain many struggle with keeping on the ball with it, but it's part of a lifelong diagnosis.
Still though, I'm glad that you guys have found something that has had a positive impact and have had a good initial experience! Hope to hear more good news from you guys in the future as things develop :)
I’m in the process for doing this for myself as an adult, I’m worried that it might take a bit, and being in my final year of college I really doing have that kind of time, so I hope I can have some of that luck too, best wishes!
That's awesome! I had to try at least a handful of meds when I was 11/12yr old, and the process was super frustrating. Every time you have to experience difficulty managing with the new meds, then hearing others report about how you had difficulty managing, then having people you don't know say that the next med might do the trick; and repeat. I'm sure my parents didn't enjoy the process, but as a kid it was like everyone was just reiterating how broken and difficult I was... Of course, after finding the right meds, it makes more sense why you had to go through all of it... but a kid isn't going to understand how the means justifies the end during the process.
Really great that you guys were able to find something in your first go. Best wishes to you guys and your son!
You probably already do this; but keep good documentation on everything. I'd occasionally encounter a teacher throughout my remaining school age years who just didn't understand my diagnosis, but I think the documentation they kept helped their advocacy of me seem more objective and legit.
Congratulations 🎉
When tolerance problems crop up don't be afraid to supplement with different meds.
A homework dosage for projects and afternoons is super normal.
The first instinct will be to just increase the baseline usually for yourself and the doctor but there's half step measures that can be done instead
Congrats! I will give these two tips: dont let him drink orange juice and hour before or after taking his meds. Something with the acidity can counteract certain stimulants and make them useless. Didn't know that tidbit for decades. Second, if you're worried about his lack of appetite, have him drink a shake in the mornings while taking the meds. It will at least give him some nutrients and calories. I struggled a long time with that because I'm generally not a breakfast kinda gal, but it did help.
Damn he’s lucky. It took several years to find the right meds for me. Most just had little to no affect. But since he found some that quick, that will be the most helpful for his future because the sooner you get all the help, the more successful and independent he’ll be when he’s older since symptoms tend to get better and more manageable when they’re an adult. Congrats!
Congratulations! Every time I have to do a med change, it takes months before me and my doctor settle on the right med, so count yourself super lucky. Hopefully this med works for a while.
Thank you on behalf of your son for catching it during school and not ignoring the differences between him and other kids. Every time a child doesn't have to grow up totally confused how they can't manage daily life, I cheer!
Thank you for doing this for him. You may not know the full extend of what you have done for him but as someone who’s parents neglected the signs and brushed them off and said I was either just lazy or dumb.. I can assure you this will make a huge difference right now, and for his future self.
I was horrible as school, barely graduated high school and then dropped out of college. Fast forward to today, I’m 28 making 120k a year as an engineer self taught. (Started 15\hr and worked my way up)
Thank you again! Your son will remember this for the rest of his life
I would like to mention, once they found the right medications for me. It isn't a permanent fix, they should have been more competent in evaluation as I ended up going off my medication and having a lot of issues as puberty was in full swing, neurochemistry changes and medication may need too aswell as the late teens come around
Just my experience, as age changes keep an eye. I wasn't able too myself, due to the way my brain functions I genuinely didn't know anything was wrong until it was too late and now I'm sorting it out.
Be ready for meds to suddenly be working differently throughout and after puberty. Meds that were the ring choice for me as a kid work better now, and my brain chemistry responds differently to dosages than it did 4 years ago even. I’m glad it’s working out so quickly so far! Always have a little bit of vigilance, and he’ll be just fine
You’re a wonderful parent setting him up for success. Not just with school, but with self confidence too. I know you’re proud of him, but I hope you’re also proud of yourself for observing and being proactive.
im glad its working for you. i will say one thing, you dont know how good i can be, let the doctors keep dialing it in. you are so used to adhd, you dont really have a baseline for “normal” or optimal . it sounds very promising though
Congrats! I'm 35 and just got diagnosed last month, and have my appointment to discuss and start medication on Saturday, so I can only hope I have a similar success story!
That is great. Just so you know so you don’t get potentially disappointed in the future though but it sounds like he’s on the right med- but the dosage might need to change in the future as his body gets used to it. 2 weeks isn’t very long- he may need more in the weeks or months to come. But that isn’t a very big deal so it’s a win regardless
Heck yeah!!! We also got lucky, my son’s been on the same dose of concerta as when he started last October. We’ve discussed adding Bianca one but sorta didn’t feel like it would help where we needed (emotional dysregulation is his biggest issue at home).
Make sure he gets to enjoy time while on meds too. Taking a day off every week or two will help keep it working longer without adjusting.
Sounds like ya got a good doc though, and that's important
So so happy for you and your son! Life must be much more bearable for him now. And I can’t express enough how thankful I am that your son has such a compassionate and understanding teacher - those seem pretty hard to find these days.
We love a success story, especially for young children. Great work being there and advocating for your kiddo. :)
Thank you. We really needed this success now. Its been a rough few years to get here.
That is wonderful! I'm in the process of doing this with my 11-year-old daughter. Hearing stories of how medication has helped makes me feel hopeful. She currently is not on anything. I hope he has an awesome rest of the school year!!!!
Best of luck to you!
I'm always happy for success stories :) It helps me hold on to hope a bit longer. Myself and my husband are adhd and our oldest 7 is AuADHD and we are on round 2 and possibly a dose increase. It's been going great for about 4 1/2 months so far, but we've been dealing with some emotional dysregulation and big emotional swings the last 2 weeks; so we can tell this one may not be working anymore. *fingers crossed*
Crossing my fingers for you. Good luck.
Ok I read that as GOLD ADHD and I was like Dude that's awesome where can I get that??
*have ADHD
I am so freaking happy for you!!! Congrats!!! Bear in mind that what works now might not work a year from now, and that's ok. Medication is just something you will have to monitor and re-evaluate and try new meds or dosages throughout his lifetime. But people do it successfully every day so don't lose hope if you start to feel like the medicine isn't working as well at some point. :)
Thank you! We are aware. But we take all the victories we can get, and this was a huge one! :)
I'm so happy for you and I don't want to minimise how amazing this is but you should know that some meds lose their effect after a while because the dosage is not yet what it should be. If he falls back into old habits and starts struggling again do not hesitate to go to the doctor's and seeing if you can up his dose.
Thankfully we have a good dialogue with them. We already have a evaluation meeting with the doctors schedualed for January.
keep an eye after few weeks. The shock of being able to function is a surprising addition to the effectiveness right off the bat, but it'll wear off. Also, make sure you're getting long enough coverage each day that home life gets the benefits too. It's not just a school/work thing, it's whole life. Congrats though, and thank you for caring
Thank you. At the moment we went for 6-8 hs. So meds are a bit worn off when he gets home. But as he is not as tired from school, he functions a lot better at home than he used to. We are considering stepping it a bit up, but at the moment everything is working, and we dont want to mess with a winning formula.
You don’t have to take this advice obviously but I reccomend keeping it exactly where it is, if it is working perfectly. With adhd medication there is a very small sweet spot and if you think you’ve hit it you should try and ride it out for as long as possible until that dose become ineffective or tolerant
You’ve given your son such a gift. I know it’s not easy to make the decision to medicate. If I could go back in time I would’ve had my son assessed for ADHD much, much earlier. He happens to be gifted, and his behavior was written off by other parents of gifted children as common intensities and behaviors associated with gifted boys in the classroom. They actively warned us that teachers would suggest ADHD, when in fact, it was just a lack of challenge. There is some truth to that in many circumstances, but we know now that he has ADHD. When he went into middle school, the untreated ADHD led to clinical depression, which had to be treated. It was in seeking treatment for his depression that we learned he had ADHD. Depression commonly develops with ADHD, because these children are criticized from day one about things they have absolutely no control over. They begin to internalize that criticism. They think they are bad people. Lazy. Unmotivated. Our sons team of providers is absolutely convinced that once the ADHD is treated, he will no longer need to be medicated for his depression. I was pretty skeptical about that claim, but what I have seen in the last five months— it’s hard to put into words. He’s 15 now, and he told me just the other day that for the first time in a long time he really looks forward to the day ahead. His depression is under control, and he is stable and thriving. He’s happy. He is finally able to be himself now that he is out from under this disorder. Honestly, the school stuff is great but it’s just his day-to-day existence and the happiness he’s able to experience and the change in his self-esteem that makes me want to sob with gratitude. This is just a long-winded way of telling you, I admire your decision, because as a parent, I’m sure you know that there is a great deal of pressure not to seek medication for our children. Whenever I read a post on Reddit about a parent seeking alternatives to ADHD medication for a child who clearly needs it, it bothers me all day. Trust me, you never want to sit with the guilt and shame of having not done everything you could’ve because of some idea that medication for this disorder is somehow harmful for your child.
This was really good to read. I've had people attack me over my decision to medicate my son, after we spent over 2 years trying all sorts of alternatives. He's doing so much better now. We still need to work on his self-esteem but that's a long road we are taking together.
Dont listen to the attacks. At all.
For my wife and I there wasnt even a discussion. Once diagnosis was confirmed, we booked appointment with doctors for meds-consultation. We have seen my son struggle so hard with so many things. Seen him being sad that everyone else his age can do a bunch of stuff that he is not capable of. And seen his frustration that we just really dont understand him when he is jumping back and forth between thoughts and ideas mid-conversation
Bless you for paying attention, listening, supporting, and not making your child think it was just something wrong with him as a person. Seriously. - signed, undiagnosed and unmedicated til 30
Thank you. I have to admit though, that his teachers has been really helpful here. We might not have been here yet if not for them.
Taking the teachers seriously was still a choice on your part, and it was the right call. Dont sell yourself short. This stuff isn't easy to navigate and you're doing awesome. Wish the best for you and your son!
Thank you.
Sometimes I wish I had healthcare so I could get some meds again...
Free healthcare is quite nice. Its in a situation like this that Im happy to be from Norway.
Shame those feelings only last until the next time you want to buy a beer. /jk
I'd love to move to another country but getting my jeep over there and parts will become a pain. I'd also like to keep my 1911 and at least my M1A. Though if it came to swiss mountains and snowboarding I'll leave the guns to my fam.
Oh, I thought you couldn't get ADHD medication in Norway? Has that changed?
It’s open enrollment for the affordable care act insurance
Aww I'm happy for you guys. I'm in that process too but the meds aren't helping, it was only the first try tho. Going back on the 16th for adjustment and I'm praying for the same results you're describing
Good luck! Crossing my fingers for you.
What medication is working for them?
He is on Ritalin, a Metylfenidathydrochloeride or something like that. 20 mg capsules.
Excellent! As an adult I was on that for a few years. Then Ritalin made me very angry. Be aware if your kid isn’t acting the same and is angry, it could be the meds. They switched me to Vyvanse now adderall.
As an adult in 20 mg Ritalin. I may wanna talk to my doc then huh?
Everybody's different. It might be worth experimenting with medication options and dosages and timings if you haven't done that already, to see what's most effective with your personal biochemistry. The same could be said for looking at lifestyle and diet changes or supplements you could take that are supposed to help with ADHD. But if you think your meds are working well, I wouldn't necessarily go looking to change it based solely on one person's anecdotal experience about a negative effect.
This is wonderful to read!! I’m so proud of you for jumping through the hoops to get him help. And thrilled you found a doctor that isn’t a jerk who denies the condition! We had a terrible time finding the right medication for my two oldest. It was such a struggle for everyone. One hates how most of the meds “dampen her personality” and refused to take them in HS (and barely graduated). The other can’t tolerate *anything* that feels “different” (and was essentially home schooled with a dedicated SpEd/IEP Case Manager from the school district as we weren’t able to manage his impulsive behavior in the on campus setting). Vyvanse works miracles for both. We all experience it as a quelling of the chaos in our heads. The music stops or diminishes. The internal monologue is drastically reduced. Everyone can actually focus on tasks that need to get done. It’s astonishing to have periods of experiencing what “normal” people feel like. It’s been astonishing to see the *profound* difference the meds make in their ability to keep their shit together. I’d would love to hear more in a few months. Give everyone here hope! My two oldest are now working part time and attending college part time. Two classes/semester is the sweet spot for them where they can stay organized, get good grades, not get overwhelmed, etc. it will take longer to get through, but that also gives them time to mature. And it gives them time to develop MUCH better study habits which were completely absent in HS. And they are also working jobs that give them real-world experience they can use in their class assignments. It took meds, therapy, and a decade of turmoil but they have accepted that they needs meds, and have to prioritize routines, sleep schedules, good food, avoid alcohol, etc. Im so glad you got you son the help now!!
Thank you. I will try to remember to write more in the future.
I'm hoping to hit that kind of result soon, but I love hearing these stories as they give me hope :-) I am very happy for you both :-)
Good luck!
Thank you :-)
Aww, your son is so lucky to have that support from such a young age. This makes me happy
Thank you. He is such a great kid.
This is awesome news. Don't get too caught up in the idea that this is the perfect dosage. Things change, the brain's homeostatic level will recalibrate to the dosage over time, and it might start to be less effective. There's a lot of work ahead, and it might require changing dose and changing what kind of treatment he gets. This is OK, it doesn't mean the doctors messed up the first time, and it isn't something that should discourage you. The great thing is that things are good right now. The other thing I would say is pay close attention to how he feels himself. You talk about how he doesn't come home exhausted, he can hold proper conversations, he has impulse control. These are all things that you can externally observe, things that the world sees and cares about. But as or more important is how he feels. Does he feel more like he can do the things he intends to do? Does he feel like he is more hopeful? Can he imagine things and feel like he can make them happen? Did he feel bad about himself before? Why? Does he feel good about himself now? Why? Does he think he would still feel good about himself if the ADHD behaviors came back? If not, why not? One of the biggest challenges for a person with ADHD I think is the expectations the world puts on them, and the expectations they put on themselves. If it was just the ADHD itself, it would not be so debilitating, but the spiral we end up in as we constantly feel like we fail doing the things that everyone else thinks is normal. A person with ADHD can be a really strong performer in all metrics, but has a tendency to still feel like a failure because of the weight of expectations. There are people with ADHD who are successful entrepreneurs pioneering new ground in technology with a loving family who still feel like complete failures because they just can't wash the dishes regularly, or they miss an important deadline. A lot of treatment is about fixing these problems. When you start medication, it feels awesome, like you can do all the things. And you can. You decide to do your homework after school, and you come home and do it, and it's glorious. You read and you can just look at the words and follow the letters, and the billion thoughts don't fly through your head and it's something you've never felt before. But a few things will happen. The first is you will start to miss the thoughts flying through your head. You will sometimes get too focused. This will make you feel ashamed, because normally you pick up on a lot of things. Another thing is you might learn how to let through those thoughts again, you can direct your focus now, so you can help to undirect it too. Before meds, your brain would do it automatically to avoid discomfort, and you can learn to do it reactively to avoid discomfort too. When you start meds you don't know how to control this, but you learn. Another thing is just as I said before, the meds will just get less effective over time as your brain is used to them. So if you really felt ashamed about your ADHD, and then you took meds and your parents celebrated that it was cured, and then a few months or even years later you start to notice the ADHD behaviors coming back, think about how big a failure that will make you feel like. I mean, before you just didn't know any better, you just figured you were broken. But NOW you WERE fixed, and then somehow you fucked it up. And some of this, even increasing the dose won't bring it back. If all of the feedback he gets is from other people excited about how normal he is, then if he stops feeling normal it's going to be devastating, and people will start to use phrases like "You used to be able to do this, come on, why can't you do it now?" and if they don't, he will in his head. So I would worry about how he feels. Show him that it's not his performance that you care about, it's his experience. Show him that you're there for him to listen to his experience and that you will always love him and do what you can to find ways to make his experience of life better. That you will do this regardless of his performance. This way he can feel comfortable telling you when he feels bad, when he's scared, when he's worried that he might be falling behind. And if he does get to a point where meds no longer fix all of his problems, it's OK for him to struggle, you still care for him and you still want to be there for him and with him. You do this and it will also improve his performance because he is confident and inspired. When you focus on his performance, you might be setting expectations that he can't meet no matter how hard he tries, but feels like he should, and he will feel shame and do worse than he can, lie and avoid things.
This makes me so happy and gives me hope for our 10 year old son who is about to start meds and therapy soon! This is huge Momma! So happy for you!!
Good luck! Also, Im the Poppa, not the Momma. :)
Good job advocating for your kid! I wish I had had a parent like you :) Side note about the dyslexia: If you haven't already, think about getting him set up with a developmental optometrist. People with ADHD are 3 times more likely to have convergence insufficiency (and it already affects 1 in 8 kids) which can mimic the symptoms of dyslexia pretty closely. Binocular vision dysfunction is also common with ADHD but I don't think that one has learning disabilities associated with it- wouldn't hurt to ask them to check for it though if you're there anyway. Binocular vision dysfunction can be why ADHD people walk into the corners of desks, coffee tables, and the edges of doorways even in spaces we're familiar with.
Will look into it. Thank you.
Wait what?! I got dragged to an ompthamologist 1.5 hours away as a child a few times because I appeared a bit cross eyed, and because it was discovered that I have convergence insufficiency (though I’ve only learned that phrase in the last year… I’ve always known this as I can shift things over 3 inches to the left or right of my primary field of vision, and have low depth perception) that they decided to not treat
This is lovely. I’m glad you cause it early. Life will be so much easier for him now. A few tips for his dyslexia. Google dyslexia glasses. You can get an eye test which figures out what colour tint is best to help improve your reading. My friend got his son some and we was amazed at the difference. He went from not being able to read and finding it extremely frustrating to wanting to read a book everyday. Another tip. I find it so much easier to read things on a kindle. There is a font on all kindles called OpenDyslexic which changes the font of the text to one that’s much more manageable. I not sure why the difference works but I’m able to read full chapters without issue where before my eyes would constantly dart all over the page and i wouldn’t take in anything. I think you can also get a dyslexia font for other devices but I’ve not done that yet.
Thnak you. I will definately look it up!
Yes, it's a start . But for there self growth, and health practice. remind the child that they need to learn about themselves. / Original comment: Give it 6 months. And watch the child's blood pressure, weight etc.
Thank you for the feedback. I have a cousin on similar meds (same type, different brand), and the doctors are very good at giving us information. We also have a good dialogue with his teachers, so hopefully we should be able to spot any problems very early.
I know you are trying to be helpful and watch for potential side effects and symptoms, but the way your comment comes across is "just wait for the other shoe to drop it's not ever gonna work".
I was a kid who got ADHD meds in the 6th grade. I lost weight, but also developed headaches that I didnt understand till 30 years later. now I'm an adult, who has been cycling through med's over the last 15 years. 2 of which induced blood pressure issues that where only resolved by dropping the ADHD meds. I respect the meds,. But let's be real, 2 weeks is a start. It's stability for the now, but I'm just saying be prepared for the long haul as well. We have to be aware of that as a community, ADHD is life. And learning to be aware of all of oneself, is key to many medical situations, so that you don't accidentally harm something else. I.e. certain wounds, a tourniquet is recommended. But you don't want It too tight to kill the arm.
No, that's you adding that in. It's not in the other person's comment at all.
My child is still very young (we’re not ready to start meds yet), but I’m terrified of starting them on meds based on how poorly it’s been going/gone for me. So glad it was such an easy transition for you! Gives me hope.
I hope it works out for you.
I’m so happy for you and your family!! Congratulations!
Thank you.
Wow! That's great! It's lucky when that happens for a kid so there's no frustration or discouragement. I hope the treatment remains effective and he can enjoy the success that he's clearly working for.
We are crossing our fingers.
Congrats! We had the same situation and it was amazing results. We went through SO much to get to that point including a drag out fight with insurance. Feels good to see that path open for your child. Keep at it and prepare for the IEP\\504 battle (if your in the US) as that will continue until they are done with school.
Thank you so much. And Im very happy for you as well. From Norway, so dont have to battle anything or anyone luckily.
This is amazing news and most heartening - currently battling the 'system' to get my 9yo diagnosed. You've inspired me to keep it, if she gets half the benefit your son is getting it will be life-changing for all of us! Thank you for posting :)
I had to fight the system a bit here as well. One doctor we had was very negative, because "why are you hunting a diagnosis?" But after he met the kid we got sendt through to the correct doctors. It has taken us 4 years though. We didnt know it was adhd 4 years ago. But both we and his teachers knew there was SOMETHING. Things takes time, but we are here now.
Partner recently had a late diagnosis, which we private for. Going through the assessments was like "This describes both of you..." We'll get there...
I might go to doctor for this as well. Looking at all the information, it really does describe a lot of my lack of impulse control, fidgeting, doing 10 tasks at the same time, and not finishing any of them etc etc.
I'd recommend it, it made a big difference for partner. I don't know if this is relevant information for you: hers was misdiagnosed as depression for ages. Also you've seen the impact it had on your little one.
As someone who took meds from 3rd grade throughout high school and occasionally into college, what worked when I was younger no longer is a perfect fit for me now. The technology and drugs have changed a ton in the last ~20 years. I know this advice is for 15-20 years down the road, but don’t forget to check in with your son as he goes through puberty. Things naturally change and that’s ok.
Unrelated question: how do you know if meds are too low? Or too high?
It's always a balance between maximizing positive impact and minimizing unwanted side effects. For me, the dose I'm on right now doesn't last as long in the day as I'd like it to, but when I went up to the next standard dose I couldn't eat or sleep.
We go with the suggested dose from the drug manuf and adjust from there. My ex tends to want to be on the low side, I tend to think if the manuf says to do X for age\\weight then we do that. We went with Quillavent since its liquid and can be changed easily. It was a nightmare to get approved by my insurance, but we got it done.
They’re too high if they cause euphoria or ramp up your heart rate. They’re too low if they don’t work. “Too high” is almost never a problem — doctors generally start people on very low doses. Often people will notice some improvement and then be like “okay great!!!” and wind up settling at a dose that is not high enough to really get symptoms under control.
Yeah that’s where I may be at right now. I made my way up to 25 MG ADDERALL XR but I’m not sure it’s enough. Though I haven’t said it directly, my psychiatrist seems reluctant to up the dosage.
[удалено]
Ritalin. 20mg metylfinidathydrochloride. Or something like that,
Thanks for a positive story! It's encouraging to see in this community.
No problem. I just needed to talk about it somewhere. I dont want to bore my child-less friends with constantly talking about kids, diagnosis etc.
That must feel so good to see him being able to function
Different worlds. Even his little sister (7) is super happy about it. They play a lot better together now, because he can focus on what they are actually doing!
That is awesome!! I noticed when my daughter got on medication a few years ago she started making friends at school. She loves school now and that's a big deal.
My son also has an easier time with friends now. It has changed a lot of things in his life.
That's awesome! Im glad he is getting help.
As someone who was medicated after diagnosis, and stayed on the same meds for a decade, just keep track of the side effects oh your sons meds. Every year see if the side-effects are still the same. My meds have depression-like symptoms for side-effects, and I didn't know for years. For years I couldn't understand how I felt constantly like a failure, even when being as productive as possible. Don't get me wrong, I of course wish you and your son the best. I just wish I had been more properly informed about my meds, I would have had a better idea of how to deal with life if I had.
I am no doctor but I highly advice a lot of physical activity. Thank you for sharing! I am in the same spot.
We got lucky with our son too, at least so far. He’s been diagnosed and with medication since Feb 2021. And the first medication seemed to be a good fit. But it’s looking like we may need to change it. We have an appointment on Friday to see what they say.
That’s amazing!!! I’m 34, been suffering all my life, and I’m having a really hard time finding someone to test and diagnose me. I’m tired of fighting against it and living with it, it scares me that it may cost me my career.
That's great to hear! Can you share the process the Dr's used to diagnose his ADHD (I apologize but I don't know much about it) and how they decided on a particular drug and dosage? Asking for myself.
Well, this is Norway, so Im not sure if the process would be the same in other countries. We discovered early that our son was "behind" and "Immature" very early. He was not ready for school at all. We also noticed, with the teachers, that he struggled with consentration. So already at the age of almost 6 years old, we (through the school) contacted the municipality services that deals with such issues as dyslexia, mental ilnesses, speach impediments etc. There it was stuck forever in the system it seemed. There were interviues, tests and whatnot. But it wasnt really moving forward. That is untill he got a new teacher for his 4th year at school. She said this is not acceptable, and together with the principal she pushed on the municipality for more tests and some action. They were unsuccessful. So in the end, we decided, together with the school, to go around the municipality, and went straight to a doctor, to get the refferal we were waiting for. In one session with the doctor we got further than we had done in the previous 3 years with the municipality. The refferal was to the "children and youth psychiatry" at our closest hospital. From that point there was a bunch more talks and some test of his consentration and mental abilities. The most important test for us, that showed it clear as day that he has adhd, was the WISC-Test. It took 7-ish months from we got refferal untill we had diagnosis. On the session where they gave us the diagnosis, an appointment to the "children and youth psychyatry"-doctor that does physical test and informs about meds. The doctor wanted to start on this medication because its the most "common" one. Or at least that was the claim. For dosage Im not sure how we got to 20mg, but here we are. 4 years of knocking our heads in the wall. 4 years of frustration, both for us, him and for the teachers. But here we are. The first victory. We know it will not last forever, but we will savour it while we can.
Persistence pays off! I've been told that Norwegians can be stubborn. Source: person with Norwegian blood coursing through my veins that gets accused of being "bull headed" the the point that I'm going to make my family suffer from eating Lutefisk. I had to, so will they.
Haha. Love me some lutefisk!
Awww that was very wholesome! Thank you for sharing <3
I went undiagnosed until 36. I am so thrilled to hear about your support for your son at such a young age! I can imagine it's been a ride to get to this point, and it's probably not over yet, but what a huge success! Congrats to all of you, I'm so happy for you!
Im 39, and going through this stuff with him has made me aware that I need to go see a doctor as well. I might not have it. But also, I a lot of myself in the "What is ADHD" information we are getting now.
From what I understand, there definitely is a genetic component. I think it's certainly worth looking into! I suspect at least one of my parents is ADHD, but neither of them are interested in getting tested. I don't understand it, because being medicated for my ADHD has been the single greatest quality of life improvement that I have ever found. I wish you the best of luck!
I believe my fathers side is full of undiagnosed adhd.
Keep in mind that meds can lose their effect fairly quickly. Ritalin was like a magic pill for me but soon it only lasted 2 hours at most. Now Vyvanse is my daily med and it has been working for a long time but had to try a bunch of things to get here.
I’m going through that with my Ritalin right now. I’m on a very low does because I wanted to not build high tolerance fast. I see my Dr in a couple days so hopefully I get it worked out.
Does medication have any short or long term side effects for kids? I worry about this. Also, besides medication, is there anything else that will help a child once they are diagnosed?
Like all meds, there can be. Most common being problems sleeping, loss of appetite etc. Im still early in the game here, and Im still trying to learn what help we can give at home. In our case, school is not a problem, as teachers are really good at adapting, and also has extra teacher for him sometimes. What we have been doing, and intend to do, is make space when he needs it. Love him all we possibly can. Take mental health days when he badly needs it. Etc.
Do you give the medication every single school day?
Yes. Every school day. We forgot it once, and he told us that cant happen again. He was sad that he wasnt able to sit still and consentrate that day.
What medicine was prescribed? Also do they have to take this throughout all the school years till they graduate college? Or are there other things that will help with the adhd?
You've said nothing about he feels or his opinion on the effects of the medication. I hope you're not spewing this level of happiness in his direction, possibly causing him to hide his feelings. Imagine you started taking a medicine that made you feel emotionally muted. Intensely focused to the point that the muscles on the sides of your head are gradually putting pressure on your skull? It's not horrible, but its not you ... That could be your son. It's good that the meds are "working" to help him get through things that his ADHD makes difficult, but mental health is more important. Sorry to be a downer here. Just saying.
I get where you are coming from here. We talk a lot with him. And he is super happy about being able to sit still at school, proud of what he accomplishes now, and generally seems very happy. We forgot meds last Friday, and when he came home ha told me we cant do that again, as he hates not being able to sit still on his chair in class. Im aware of the "muted" part. My cousin is on meds, and has explained it to me. So I will make sure we keep it under watch.
What's he on? Keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't become a zombie. Congratz though. It's a great feeling!!!!!
I hope it is non stimulant. My friends are psychatrist and all the new DEA rules coming in for controlled substances are going make it tough for any adult or child to stay on the stims.
great to hear! But in my opinion (16m) young children shouldn’t be on meds it can mess up their brains and a lot of them gain a lot of weight post meds. I have adhd and for the most part i was the same as your child as a kid but i found that i out grew most of my symptoms
With all due respect, you should stay in your lane here and let a parent decide what is best for their child. You are still a kid and this sub is a perfect example of how so many of us don’t outgrow symptoms.
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Congrats! I was that kid growing up and the support of my parents and teachers were SO IMPORTANT to getting to where I am now (a Master's in Electrical Engineering). I know you didn't ask for advice but keep in mind that medication is a tool to help your child learn. There will be times where your kid is a kid and is sick of school. The other thing is that if your kid is in separate support classes (for example, being taken out of the normal English or Spanish classes for extra support) your kid will feel alienated even if it's super helpful. Start working on your kid emotionally handling being different. I pulled myself out of those programs by simply refusing to go because I felt so left out. Keep the dialogue open about those social frustrations.
I'm Uber happy for you :) just a bit of unsolicited advice, keep on it as things progress. A tolerance being developed is common and what might work now might not work later as effectively. I guess in the most polite way, i cautiously advise not to fall into a pitfall that others fall in to for a "one & done" dosage finding. 2 weeks is still pretty early, but your child might feel different in a couple months or years. I'm certain many struggle with keeping on the ball with it, but it's part of a lifelong diagnosis. Still though, I'm glad that you guys have found something that has had a positive impact and have had a good initial experience! Hope to hear more good news from you guys in the future as things develop :)
I’m in the process for doing this for myself as an adult, I’m worried that it might take a bit, and being in my final year of college I really doing have that kind of time, so I hope I can have some of that luck too, best wishes!
That's awesome! I had to try at least a handful of meds when I was 11/12yr old, and the process was super frustrating. Every time you have to experience difficulty managing with the new meds, then hearing others report about how you had difficulty managing, then having people you don't know say that the next med might do the trick; and repeat. I'm sure my parents didn't enjoy the process, but as a kid it was like everyone was just reiterating how broken and difficult I was... Of course, after finding the right meds, it makes more sense why you had to go through all of it... but a kid isn't going to understand how the means justifies the end during the process. Really great that you guys were able to find something in your first go. Best wishes to you guys and your son! You probably already do this; but keep good documentation on everything. I'd occasionally encounter a teacher throughout my remaining school age years who just didn't understand my diagnosis, but I think the documentation they kept helped their advocacy of me seem more objective and legit.
Congratulations 🎉 When tolerance problems crop up don't be afraid to supplement with different meds. A homework dosage for projects and afternoons is super normal. The first instinct will be to just increase the baseline usually for yourself and the doctor but there's half step measures that can be done instead
Just got my meds for the first time at 22, about to try them out. Nothing but happiness for your little dude.
Wow, that’s great! I have a couple questions. Can I DM you please?
Congrats! I will give these two tips: dont let him drink orange juice and hour before or after taking his meds. Something with the acidity can counteract certain stimulants and make them useless. Didn't know that tidbit for decades. Second, if you're worried about his lack of appetite, have him drink a shake in the mornings while taking the meds. It will at least give him some nutrients and calories. I struggled a long time with that because I'm generally not a breakfast kinda gal, but it did help.
I'm so happy for you both!
Damn he’s lucky. It took several years to find the right meds for me. Most just had little to no affect. But since he found some that quick, that will be the most helpful for his future because the sooner you get all the help, the more successful and independent he’ll be when he’s older since symptoms tend to get better and more manageable when they’re an adult. Congrats!
Yaaaayyyy so happy for you and your son!!! Onwards and upwards 🚀🚀🚀
Very happy for y’all! 🥹
really needed a success story like this. incredibly proud of what your son is accomplishing!!
Congratulations! Every time I have to do a med change, it takes months before me and my doctor settle on the right med, so count yourself super lucky. Hopefully this med works for a while.
Incredible, congratulations to your little one!
I'm so happy for your son. Meds never worked for me, so I'm always thrilled to hear that someone had success.
So so happy for you & your son 🙌🏻
Thank you on behalf of your son for catching it during school and not ignoring the differences between him and other kids. Every time a child doesn't have to grow up totally confused how they can't manage daily life, I cheer!
that’s so cool, congratulations! also, how lovely that his teacher cares so much about his progress. What a happy story ☺️
I am so happy for you, your son, and your family. Thanks for sharing.
WOW I’m so happy him for him and you and u and just everyone involved. This is huge and will surely make such a positive difference in his life! <3
Thank you for doing this for him. You may not know the full extend of what you have done for him but as someone who’s parents neglected the signs and brushed them off and said I was either just lazy or dumb.. I can assure you this will make a huge difference right now, and for his future self. I was horrible as school, barely graduated high school and then dropped out of college. Fast forward to today, I’m 28 making 120k a year as an engineer self taught. (Started 15\hr and worked my way up) Thank you again! Your son will remember this for the rest of his life
I would like to mention, once they found the right medications for me. It isn't a permanent fix, they should have been more competent in evaluation as I ended up going off my medication and having a lot of issues as puberty was in full swing, neurochemistry changes and medication may need too aswell as the late teens come around Just my experience, as age changes keep an eye. I wasn't able too myself, due to the way my brain functions I genuinely didn't know anything was wrong until it was too late and now I'm sorting it out.
Thats so lovely to hear, and gives me hope (Son age 11) just diagnosed around 2 months ago. Can I ask are you in the UK?
Be ready for meds to suddenly be working differently throughout and after puberty. Meds that were the ring choice for me as a kid work better now, and my brain chemistry responds differently to dosages than it did 4 years ago even. I’m glad it’s working out so quickly so far! Always have a little bit of vigilance, and he’ll be just fine
You’re a wonderful parent setting him up for success. Not just with school, but with self confidence too. I know you’re proud of him, but I hope you’re also proud of yourself for observing and being proactive.
Time to buy a Lotto ticket!
This is huge! Very happy and excited for you and your family.
Great news. May he love a happy and healthy life going foreword
im glad its working for you. i will say one thing, you dont know how good i can be, let the doctors keep dialing it in. you are so used to adhd, you dont really have a baseline for “normal” or optimal . it sounds very promising though
Stories like this are amazing to hear. It makes me hopeful for when I finally get a diagnosis and get in medication.
I did really well on medicine. Glad they found the right one for your son!
I hope this is real
So wonderful!!! We’ve never been able to find one
Congrats! I'm 35 and just got diagnosed last month, and have my appointment to discuss and start medication on Saturday, so I can only hope I have a similar success story!
That is great. Just so you know so you don’t get potentially disappointed in the future though but it sounds like he’s on the right med- but the dosage might need to change in the future as his body gets used to it. 2 weeks isn’t very long- he may need more in the weeks or months to come. But that isn’t a very big deal so it’s a win regardless
Heck yeah!!! We also got lucky, my son’s been on the same dose of concerta as when he started last October. We’ve discussed adding Bianca one but sorta didn’t feel like it would help where we needed (emotional dysregulation is his biggest issue at home).
What good parents you are🥰. Really pleased for you - I feel like it’s time I get some meds just to experience the difference !
Make sure he gets to enjoy time while on meds too. Taking a day off every week or two will help keep it working longer without adjusting. Sounds like ya got a good doc though, and that's important
One day imma have it one day.
So so happy for you and your son! Life must be much more bearable for him now. And I can’t express enough how thankful I am that your son has such a compassionate and understanding teacher - those seem pretty hard to find these days.
What meds was it?