If your child's doctor diagnosed them with severe ADHD, would you medicate?

Question

If your child's doctor diagnosed them with severe ADHD, would you medicate?

Answer 1

It depends on each parent but I had mine on medicine because they couldn't function long enough in a classroom setting to do anything. They were very disruptive to the other kids and weren't learning. It is a very hard decision to put kids with ADHD on medicine but when nothing else works then you are left with that or with the things that go along with ADHD. Children with this are usually very impulsive which is scary because they don't think before they do. I have had to grab my sons before they run out into traffic while exiting a store. It is very difficult because everyone thinks that these are just kids that are ill behaved. Being that it isn't a disability that people can see-like maybe a child with down's syndrome-it makes it hard. Also people think it isn't a real disorder. This is what I have to defend when talking about medicating my kids.

Answer 2

Nope, not again.... been there done that, much better for everyone involved to learn self discipline and not drug induced discipline.

Answer 3

Absolutely not! These medications alter brain chemistry and not in a healthy way. My daughter was placed on one of these medications and became a zombie and tried to kill herself at age 7! She lost interest in everything around her and moped around. I would rather have a child with tons of personality than a depressed medicated child who is not themselves. Try fish oil or flax oil and ginkgo biloba. These provide essential fatty acids and promote circulation for proper brain function without side effects. I took my daughter off the meds immediately without consent...she is my child not theirs, and simply told the teacher at least she has a personality...you can't expect all children to behave like robots and act like miniature adults...they are children! She is now 9 and is improving all the time. I simply talk with her often and feed her a good diet with the proper supplements. She is a good girl despite her impulsive decision making. I have also begun to home educate her which has helped lower stress levels in both of us tremendously. Best decision I ever made!

I also believe that too much is expected from children these days and that is very stressful for all kids. This can cause ill tempered behavior. Children do not want to sit in classrooms and be perfect because no one is perfect and they are kids. Schools are like little boot camps if you think about...walking in straight lines, doing what you are told with no freedom to make your own decisions for hours on end, listening to a teacher about something that is not interesting ( you can't force a child to learn about something they are not interested in....impossible), kids are kids and they need to explore and learn on their terms otherwise they will become frustrated and misbehaved no matter what they are diagnosed with. That is the problem with schools, there is no time for childhood and so much is expected in short amount of time...their day is zapped by the time they get home, not to mention homework and dinner. Where's the time to play? No wonder children are acting up

Answer 4

Yes, I would.  I have a nephew with severe ADHD.  It was the only way he was remotely calm enough to focus at school.  We took him off meds in the summer because it supresses their appetites.Often they are very thin.  It gave him a chance to put weight on.  He was 14 when taken off the meds for good. He is doing really well now.  Put your child in lots of physical activity. We found that really helped.

Answer 5

Never. When I was in high school kids who had ritalin or adderall prescriptions would SELL their meds to other kids who would crush them up and snort them because it gave them the same effects as street meth. No way in h**l would I ever feed that poison to my baby. Food allergies often cause behavioral problems and a lot of kids with adhd are found to be magnesium deficient. That's the best place to start looking for solutions in my opinion. The pharmaceuticals might be a quick fix for masking problem behavior but don't actually adress the real issue(s).

Answer 6

If the evidence suggested that medication would help morethan other things, yes I would.

If the medication then made them a normal happy child, great. If it just seemed like it was acting as a sedative and taking away their personality, I'd take them back off it and look for alternatives.

There is nothing intrinsically bad in medicating a child, if that's what they need. Would you deny a diabetic child insulin? No? Then why deny a child with a chemical inbalance in their brain a medication that will correct it? The problem is, IMO, that it's much harder to tell whether medication will help an ADHD child without trying it - and there's no question that it doesn't help some of them. But often you can't tell unless you try.

Answer 7

Okay, I KNOW I'm going to get thumbs down for this, but I think I might. You know, I have a severe ADD. And it was hard for people to diagnose, I had the first doctor, looking at surveys say I didn't and it was an "Organizational problem", yet I already had people following me around and making sure I was organized at all times, and just about everything that could be done was done and nothing was happening. I ended up going to a Neuropsychologist when they told me I had severe ADD. And I've learned that a lot of times it is hard to tell in rather smart children.

Now, since then I've been put on some medication (Lipitor), NOT really heavy, 10-15 mg a day or so. And it's helped me so much. I find myself not losing things, being more calm, focusing easier, and remembering more. Every so often I have stomach aches or so, but I haven't experienced any of the negative side effects. Maybe I'm lucky, but to me the meds have helped immensely.

So, I dunno, I'd probably give them a shot for about a month, see how the child was doing, and then take a hint from there. It probably won't work for every kid, so after a bit of time, I might just try and find other options. But I think that with ADD, ADHD, and just about anything, there isn't one solid answer, you have to find what works for you and your child.

Answer 8

Well since I personally think ADD and ADHD are both bogus and over-diagnosed no. Kids are hyper and there are way to deal with them without giving them medication. Not every kid wants to sit down and pay attention. Now because they don't want to they have some "condition." I think if every other kid has it then it isn't something you medicate for, it's an excuse.

Answer 9

It depends.  If I was not sure about the dx, I would seek a second opinion.  Then I would try to do every other intervention possible first.  If the child was still so disruptive then yes, I would medicate only if absolutely necessary.

Answer 10

Although I would not medicate, I support parents who do make this decision.  Each family needs to do what is, in their opinion, the best for their child.  And all families deserve support.

All the best.

Answer 11

I would wait until they are a little older.  My husband's cousin's child has been on meds since I can remember. . .he is 8 now.  Everytime he misbehaves he has learned to blame the meds or the ADD/ADHD and she does the same.  I think there is a time when every child has these tendencies.  If it is interfering with his ability to be in the school setting, maybe just medicate during the school year and take a break in the summer.

Answer 12

depends on the age of the child.      and also only after trying alternates therapies first

Answer 13

No. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 17, and I was treated with Adderall. I would NEVER give that stuff to my kid, EVER. It is very addictive. It causes anorexia, mood changes, depression, anxiety, heart problems,  & osteoporosis (from malnutrition). I have permanent health problems that were caused by taking Adderall & Ritalin. WHY on earth would a person give it to their kid?? Ugh.

Instead, I would change his diet. I have had great success with eliminating dairy products from my diet. It has helped tremendously with my fibromyalgia. Other things can be eliminated as well, for even greater improvement. The best thing is that, eliminating allergens also protects against many of the autoimmune diseases that strike later in life.

Common allergens are:

Gluten

Dairy

Wheat

Soy

Eggs

Yeast

and many others.

The best thing to do is try an elimination diet to discover what the allergy is, and then stop eating the food (or get your kid to stop eating the food) that causes the bad reaction.

Answer 14

I'd try other things first like changing in diet and routine. I'd also be sure to take my child off the meds for periods of time like in the summer when he/she isn't in school.