11 yrd old with ADHD?

Question

I have a child with ADHD, he is always grounded because he just does not seem to listen and follow rules. He takes medication. He sneeks out in the middle of the night because the medication makes him very hungry and eats anything and everything he can. He hides food wherever he can in his room. It has gotten to the point where he eats raw meat because he is so hungry . He will be awake at about 3am or 2am sneaking food and watching TV. He does not know when to stop. This only happends after the medication effect wears out. Grounding him does not help. He really does not care if he is grounded or not he will just keep repeating the same behavior. My husband and I are always arguing because I feel bad for my son and I give in. His two younger sisters have to put up with him too. He acts really immature for his age. He does not socialize with other kids his age. He tries to avoid other children whe we go out to a friends house or to a gathering.He does not like sports. What do I do?

Answer 1

Me, personally, do not believe there is a "real" condition called ADHD. Parents feed their kids too much sugar, then they give them anti-depressents? Parents claim their kids have ADHD, but really, the parents aren't being good parents. How do you think this effects him? You give him sugar so he's hyper, then drug him up on anti-depressents before they go too school? Try to slowy ease off the sugar and start eating healthier. Seriously. I garuntee you, you will see a difference. Think about that....

Answer 2

ok first off there is a condition called adhd, my son went through hours of testing to determine, second we went through a situation similar, my son was eating us out of house and home, sneaking food, leaving food in room, etc. he wasn't eating raw meat,   when he had one of his checkups with his adhd dr. they informed me that it is b/c they are on a growth spurt and the medication is no longer working and needs to be adjusted. he was complaining constantly hungry and we kept nothing but fruits, veggies, etc. my kid has never had mountain dew, or anything like that!!  he doesn't even know what it tastes like, i am very luck he is very responsible he will not eat chocolate, sugar stuff b/c he says he cannot sit still after he eats it and he is only 8!!  so i am proud of him!!  he was on concerta at the time, had been on it for awhile, so we switched him to daytrana and he is fine, he eats normally and sleeps.  i would definately tell the dr. about the eating habits, if he hasn't been on the dosage long, when it does where off he will eat and if he has lost weight i would let him b/c i did with mine and just had healthy stuff around for him and the dr. said to until it got to a certain point, if he has been on the med a long time, might be time for a dosing change, how is school going? does he eat at school well? b/c sometimes mine wouldn't eat much at school, but when we went through this it would start around 6 pm good luck!!  but definately contact the dr. to let them know about the raw meat eating.

Answer 3

I concur with Bobbi's view about using minerals. Give ADHD vitamins and ADHD diet a good try.

They are non-drug methods and the recommended stuff are all easily available in pharmacies and even supermarkets. You can get more info on ADHD vitamins and ADHD diet here:

http://www.adhdquestionsandanswers.com/A...

I wish your son good health, and may peace and tranquility return to your household real soon.

Answer 4

"Me, personally, do not believe there is a "real" condition called ADHD."

Gosh, it must be nice to be smarter than thousands of scientists and doctors, as well as the National Institute for Mental Health, The American Psychological Association, and the US Department of Education.

Ok rant over.  Please be aware that ADD does affect how the body processes glucose.  If he's that hungry as his meds wear off, his dosage may be wrong.  Also, often people with ADD get so into what they are doing that they don't process hunger signals until they "have to eat right now."  It might help to develop a system to remind him to check if he's hungry.  Make sure his meals are well-balanced and contain lots of lean protein, which helps regulate blood sugar.

As for the socialization aspect, if he avoids other kids, it could be because they over-stimulate him.  Is he locked in a room with 5 other children?  That could be enough to drive him nuts.  Make sure he has a way out.

For more suggestions, check the parenting section here: http://www.additudemag.com/

Answer 5

NO!!!!!!!!!!! It is not the parents fault and YES there is such a thing as ADHD! If I were in your shoes- I would talk to the doctor and let him be aware of what your son is doing! Also, there is a medicine called clonidine (to be taken @ night) The Dr. gave this for my son, It not only helps him "calm" down after the adderall has worn off..but, it helps him sleep throughout the night! My thoughts and prayers are with you! If you ever need to just talk- send me an email. I would be more than happy to listen.

Answer 6

i do not understand the eating raw meat thing,but ADHD medicine has strange side effects.it usually causes decrease in appetite.i totally understand the behavior. my son acts just like that. maybe you should look into a long acting medicine like concerta.i believe they avoid other children because they feel different. my son does not like sports either,but remember sports demands discipline these children can not pay attention that long.i believe once you get his medication adjusted he will be alittle easier to handle.good luck!!

Answer 7

He needs discipline and a man in his life.Try to get  your dad ,and his uncles involved.If you have to, spank his tail next time he disobeys you.My mom had no problem taking a belt and letting me have it at that age.

Out of curiosity, I wonder how the Amish deal with their ADHD kids.

Answer 8

You should take him to a theripist or something. It sounds like a doctor of some kind would really help. This is not a guarenteed thing that will work because it has not happened to me before, but it is just a suggestion.

Hope it helps and god bless you and your child!

Answer 9

Alright, that seems like a complex problem. First, most meds for ADHD are 12 hour, extended release. So if he takes it by 7, it should be out by 7pm. If you eat dinner before 7pm, try to move dinner back, so that he's more hungry around dinner time. If you could eat dinner around 7:30, he'd be more hungry and eat more of it. Also, allow him specific healthy snacks before bed, don't limit them unless they aren't healthy, yogurt, granola, fruit. Let him eat whatever he wants that is healthy up until bed time. You have to work with his schedule, if he's on meds make sure he has the ability to eat when he's hungry.

You also might want to consider either a decrease in meds or a switch, there are a few different common ADHD meds, and you can try another and see if he reacts better.

Do not give in, and try to present you and your husband as a united front. If he says no it means no for both of you, don't let him come to you for an answer he likes better, thatjust causes problems. If you disagree with your husbands decision, stand by it anyway, and talk to your husband in private later about what to do next time. The boy needs you to be consistent and strong. If he's getting up and eating bad food and watching tv, take away his tv and all junk food.

Maturity you have to work on through parenting and dicispline, it will come with time. Socialization sounds like a problem, try to encourage him to do any activity he likes. Music, sports, art...and find a way to involve that with other kids. Don't push it to crazy though.

Answer 10

The medicine is not doing good by him. There are other medicines he can take that would keep all that from happening to him. It is not his fault that he is doing that. I say for the meantime, stock up on healthy snacks like jello and carrot sticks. Leave them out for him when he wants them.  I say call the doctor tomorrow and tell them he needs a change asap. This arrangement is going to cause him to have trust issues and can't go on for a long time. It isn't your fault or his. Some kids just do this. I had add as a kid, not adhd, but it makes it real difficult even now. Good luck and please call his doctor.

Answer 11

1) Give a warning first. Explain the action that was wrong and let him know what will happen the next time.

2) No warning here, take the child by the arm, (he will fight you) bare his bottom and secure him. Give him a good 5 or 6 swats until he is crying and promising to be good.

3) Sit him down, tell him you love and let him knows this is what happens when he's naughty from now on.

It works like a charm.  Natures cure here...

Answer 12

I have been looking into this lately for my 5 year old son.

I have found that Zinc and Omeg-3 can help their brain become more "grounded" and then they can calm down.

Also, before your son goes to sleep, make sure he has a snack ~ maybe a couple of things by his bed.

Look into natural alternatives for calmness, hunger, and rest...