Ritalin???

[luv2bmommie]

My daughter was just diagnosed with slight ADHD and ODD. We have been advised to get her into behavioral therapy and the doctor gave us a script for 5mg Ritalin. I am really tempted to not give the Ritalin after reading all the side effects. The doctor explained that the Ritalin would just mask the symptoms but the real help will come with therapy (I agree).

Have any mothers here given their children Ritalin for ADHD or ODD and what significant effects has this drug caused your child?

Are there any mothers who have tried alternative natural remedies and what have those been?

I am scared to give my DD Ritalin especially if it does not treat the problem.

Help, advice, and feedback would be appreciated. Thanks


Proud Mommy to Alexis (6) and Dylan (3)

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

Hi there. BTDT. My 7 YO DD was recently (about 3 months ago) diagnosed with ADHD, moderate to severe. She (doctor) recommended trying natural treatment first as she said 5% of kids responded well to omega 3 and measured amounts of caffeine, plus a home/school routine with lots of exercise and structure. Routine was already in place and we tried the natural option first. No response and the struggle to get her to actually ingest the Omega 3 was not fun. So we moved up to a small Ritalin dose (5 mg./day, broken into breakfast and lunch doses). Major improvement in ability to participate in school within 2 days. No change in personality (she's still bright, bubbly and energetic) but definite improvement in behavior and academics while the drug was in effect. For her, the small dose wasn't enough and we are continuing to explore for the right dose/formulation for her needs.

We honestly haven't seen any significant side effects. The time release formula we are trying this month has impacted her appetite (which isn't great to begin with) and there is a period in the afternoon where she is clearly coming off the medication that is somewhat challenging, so we are saying that this isn't the right longterm option and will try something else next month. But especially for the low dose non-time-release we started with there were no ill effects. We moved to the time release to avoid her having to take more medicine at school and to see if she would be more consistent throughout the day.

The Ritalin definitely helped her to focus, to follow directions and to complete her schoolwork with her class. She actually asks for her pill each morning because she prefers the way she feels with it rather than off of it. She says it "turns off the buzzing in her head" and now she can think more clearly. She was also getting a lot of reprimands and negative attention from her teachers and even classmates it was really impacting her self esteem. Now she gets more positive attention and is slowly beginning to believe she is capable again. For me, that is worth any amount of discomfort I have with the idea of medication.

Could she do without this medication? Yes, she probably could. Would it be harder for her? Yes, it would be. FOR ME, the risk associated with the medication are not worth making her struggle harder to get through her day. Just like the potential side effects from my anti-depressent don't outweigh the fact that my days are easier on medication than off.

Happy to answer any questions or share my experience either here or PM.

[luv2bmommie]

Thank you for your response. I think I am going to try the medication and see. The serious side effects are what frightens me the what ifs and the 1-9 in 1,000,000 that end up in heart failure.

Thank you for your response. I guess vaccinations could also be harmful,but my children were given those.

Thanks

[nj's_mom]

Ritalin really screwed me up as a kid (with ADD/ADHD). I was on it from a young age, in varying doses. I had hallucinations, heart palpitations, complete loss of appetite, social withdrawal, stomach pain, insomnia .. these symptoms, and their effects on my development, haunt me today.

Not to freak you out- but I had to respond.

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

Originally Posted by nj's_mom

Ritalin really screwed me up as a kid (with ADD/ADHD). I was on it from a young age, in varying doses. I had hallucinations, heart palpitations, complete loss of appetite, social withdrawal, stomach pain, insomnia .. these symptoms, and their effects on my development, haunt me today.

Not to freak you out- but I had to respond.

And if my child showed any signs of these, I would of course respond and we would find a different solution. ANY medication (over the counter or Rx) has risks and patients (and their parents) should be careful, observant and willing to change if necessary.

Re: heart issues. Our doctor did insist that DD have an EKG before giving us a sript for longer than a trial use period because there is a risk factor there, but mostly for pre-existing conditions as I understand it. Its always up to us as patients/parents to decide what risks we can live with.

[twilight girl]

We have ADHD over here (or possible SPD misdiagnosed as ADHD), and as yet no one has even mentioned medication UNTIL we try behavioral modification and structure first.

I would ALWAYS be wary of any prescription for a "slight" condition. I really don't believe medication is warranted except in severe cases of ADHD where the benefits do outweigh the risks. For a "slight ADHD" I don't know that they would IN OUR CASE.

Good luck with your decision!

[BookGoddess]

This is an issue I grapple with also. We're probably going to start an ADHD med soon. I think medications have gotten a bad rap because they are so overused. But if one has tried and tried other things and those things aren't working, and the family is suffering, and the child is suffering then medications should be considered. That's what meds are for. Medications aren't bad in and of themselves. They can be used badly and be overprescribed, but I've seen medications totally change a child's life for the better. Say your child had a high blood pressure problem. You tried changing the diet and adding natural supplements, but they didn't have any measurable effect on the blood pressure. It would be perfectly understandable and helpful to try a prescription med.

Remember you can always take your child off the medications after giving them a fair trial. This is not a committment to medicate for the rest of your daughter's life. Some kids do better on certain ADHD meds so be aware that if this particular med doesn't work there may be another one that's a better fit for your child.

[Lilypie32]

I am thinking about trying ritalin as well because my son's behavior at school is definitely getting in the way of his and his peers learning. He calls out on average 1 time per minute with relevant and irrelevant information.

The AHA recommends an electrocardiogram prior to starting any stimulant medications. Here is the link:

http://medheadlines.com/2008/04/22/a...th-heart-risk/

[kme]

My 11 year old son has ADHD. I think the meds sometimes get a bad rap b/c people assume parents and teachers are trying to medicate their kids into submission and are somehow doing it for convenience and to make things easier. My son was on medication for 2 years and we did it for HIM, not for us or for his teachers. He functioned better with it. He got better grades, made new friends, did better at sports, etc. Life seemed easier for him.

He is off his meds now because the doctor doesn't think he needs them long term and my son wanted to stop taking them - he started middle school this year and has to change for PE. He was on Daytrana which is a patch and he was worried about someone seeing it when he changed. So..he is now off the meds and his grades have slipped, he doesn't seem to know what is going on at school a lot of the time (doesn't know when he has tests, doesn't know what his homework is), he loses things and forgets things a lot, etc. I have seen a difference, and not for the better. Still, we will probably keep him off the meds b/c I do worry about their long term use. However, if things really get bad, I would not have a problem starting them again. I don't think there is anything wrong with using them if they are used appropriately and they are truly helping. Your child should have an EKG and an EEG before beginning ADHD meds.

Just my opinion.