I'm 40 and have ADHD. When I was in fifth grade my teacher suggested I get tested and the results came back as "dyslexic". They didn't have ADHD designation back then. I then received various types of training including visual and auditory therapies. I learned how to use computers. I also learned how to cope with my weaknesses, as well as, exploit my strengths. This took a lot of effort but helped.

School was not easy. I had to work harder then my peers, but I managed to keep up and excel in some areas such as writing. I won many poetry competitions. As a graduate student in college managed to graduate with top honors.

While in my early twenties my brother was diagnosed with ADHD and tried using a prescribed drug to help. IT did help him. Since spelling and number accuracy still plagued me, he gave me some thing to try (ritalin).

It was amazing my misspellings and word reversals simply vanished and I felt much calmer; however, it was not without a cost. It's hard to explain, but I felt as if myself and my body were not quite connected. The best analogy, is the feeling you get when you have a really bad head cold. Some times you feel as though the world you interact with is not quite real. I also felt really slow. When I moved and when I walked I felt as though I could not move as fast as I wanted to. Aside from this I was not hungry and I started having sleeping problems. Most of all, I found that my creativity all but vanished. I was simply not me. I was slower, less energetic and as my friends told me boring. Fortunately I was an adult, and I could make mental comparison between my own thought process when I used the drug and when I didn't. Needless to say I went off of it and never looked back.

With this said, it doesn't mean this is what your daughter will feel like me. Everyone reacts differently to drugs. If I were you I would also take into consideration the severity of the ADHD your daughter has and how it effects her. Can she simply not concentrate or memorize anything? Is she totally distracted all the time? If so, she may really need to take something. Is she simply behind in math and reading or occasionally day dreams? Maybe you don't want her to take it. How old is she? Is she six or seven? Kids can be naturally wiggly and distracted at this age. We ask a lot of our young children; maybe too much sometimes. Is she otherwise a happy , health, well adjusted child? If she is around ten and having difficulties, then maybe it is time to try a drug therapy.

The last comment I have is regarding testing. Who tested her and why was she tested. Was it the school district or and outside facility. There are other therapies and learning programs that can help "spirited" kids without drugging them.

Please understand, I am not a therapist or a teacher. I am just a person who has ADHD and has tried the drugs for it as an adult.


Good luck.

I personally was diagnosed with ADHD and was placed on a medication and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I could actually sit in front of the computer and do my work. Unfortunately I wasn't diagnosed until my early 20's. They tend to miss girls with ADHD. I had not been able to develop good study habits or work ethics and can only wonder where I'd be today if I had been caught early enough to develop good techniques. You know ADHD people make great ER Doctors. They assess the situation quickly with the given facts and take action. Having ADHD can be a positive if you look hard. Just like a diabetics body does not produce the appropriate chemical a person with ADHD is also lacking a particular chemical. So if you can take a medication that puts everyone on the level playing field at school why not do it.

M 14 yr old was diagnosed in 1st grade with Adhd. She was put on meds..It is a tough decision. But, you need to be consistant with her meds. Even on the weekends(from what my doc told me)! I had taken her off the meds in the beginning of 6th grade to see if maybe she could control it better that she was getting older. Sure enough the teachers started calling. So, she still is on meds. I feel comfortable with the fact that I am giving her an oppertunity to focus better, so she is able to learn. It is a long hard road. -many blessings-

MY DAUGHTER IS 7 NOW AND HAS ADHD. SHE HAS BEEN ON MILD MEDS FOR 2 MONTHS NOW, TO HELP HER FOCUS IN SCHOOL AND CONTROL HER GRITTERY AND TALKING TOO MUCH. HER APPETITE HAS DECREASED, BUT I MAKE SURE SHE EATS AND SHE'S DOING SOO WELL IN 1ST GRADE AND STAYS FOCUSED AND HER PERSONALITY IS STILL THE SAME, I KEEP HER OFF HER "VITAMINS" ON WEEKENDS.

Bre408, if your child "looses her personality" then she probably isn't on the proper medication or at the proper dosage. As trooper said, medications may reduce spontaneous behavior, which in most cases is a desirable effect because you want kids to focus and not act impulsively...they need to stop, THINK, and then act. If your daughter is known as someone with a "bubbly attitude" then yes, it probably will be reduced, but the biggest side effect most people experience on stimulant medications is appetite reduction....That usually becomes less noticeable after time...just encourage your daughter to eat a little even if she doesn't feel really hungry at lunch. When the medications have worn off, her appetite should be fine...

storyteller75, it sounds as if your niece may either not have been correctly diagnosed, or was on an improper medication. It was mentioned at a recent International Chadd Conference, that doctors are trying to find more concrete ways to diagnose ADHD, and to determine the optimal medication for each person. Functional MRI's are showing promise, but there is nothing like a "simple blood test" that can be used to diagnose ADHD right now.

Bre408:

Here is an article about medication and ADHD:

www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/998

Here is a list of other conditions that can mimic ADHD.

www.incrediblehorizons.com/mimic-adhd.htm

The question about losing personality is often asked. It's likely that the root of these rumors is buried in the children who have these other disorders but are misdiagnosed and medicated incorrectly. Some of these other conditions are serious and ought to be ruled out. That's one reason why I recommend a psychiatrist or neurologist to do the diagnosis.

My daughters' diagnoses included EEGs, EKGs, and various blood tests, as well as observation, interviews and questionnaires.



storyteller:

There are indeed specific protocols for diagnosing ADHD. Borrowing a book from the library or visiting a few web-sites such at this one, will give anyone a good idea of what to expect.

What these particular articles do not come out and say is that most general pediatricians are not qualified to diagnose ADHD. It's best to go to a pediatric psychiatrist or neurologist.

www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/2313

www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/1046

www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/2085

www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/2320

I can tell you my niece was put on medication for ADHD and she went from ambition and forth-coming to very solemn and withdrawn. This was several years ago. My sister took her off, but she changed after that, she's just not the same. I can only shed my insight and personal experience, I mean not to frighten you.

She won't lose her personality. But, she might be less spontaneous. My child could get so silly - he was so happy - but he could't be reached. With medication, he still has his sense of humor - but his reactions are more controlled. Overall he is happier, because he is able to have relationships with peers. My child recognizes the signs of his ADD - and knows when he needs his meds. I no longer worry about will he remember to do something, In his case, the benefits out weigh the risks. I do remind you, once you start medications with your daughter, she will need to be closely monitored by the pediatrician to make sure you are getting the desired effect.
I know it is a tough decision!
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your daughter.

Thanks for all your information and experiences with your kids my Daughter is 8 years old and she is at 3 grade and i trust her doctor because is so hard to my daughter get focus or memorize many things , my worry is that she lost her personality with the medication .

It's sad. Many parents can't afford to see several doctors to get other opinions. I wonder, is there a proficient test, one created by a leading doctor on ADHD, parents could give their child that could determine if the child truly does have this disorder? If not, it would be a perfect tool to assist parents and go from there.

Storyteller.

You put your finger right on the problem when you said that "he was mentally bored. " Your child clearly did not have ADHD. One of the many, many things that is often mistaken for ADHD is boredom.

That's why I asked the OP who diagnosed her child and what tests were performed.

Doctors who do not know how to properly diagnose, and then hand out medication without follow-up, are a menace.

Not only do they harm the misdiagnosed child, but also raise skepticism in the public over the very existence of ADHD and it's treatment. They thereby harm the many other people who miss out on treatment.

A person with ADHD who is given proper medication can experience amazing benefit.

Osiyo, hello. I just bounced on this site to ask a question and I saw yours. My son is going to be 12 Dec.3. Since he was in kindergarden, his teachers have said he lacks focus and doesn't listen. They were strongly for putting him on medication.
The problem is so many people turn to medication when there needs to be further involvement on what the child may be going through.
Medication to me, is no different than Dr. Freeman performing lobotomies in the forties and fifties on kids with the same problems. It can be so much simpler than that and less
one example ( realizing all children have different brains) my niece - she became distant and sad, but focused - very strange. She hasn't been the same little girl since.
As the teacher continued to ask if we'd seen a doctor yet, we began various games and strategies to help him focus, i.e memorizing short grocery lists, breathing, children museum, learning made fun.
The problem wasn't that he couldn't focus, but plainly put he was mentally bored. Three years later, we learned he had a tenth grade reading level and was just too preoccupied with thinking how he could do things differently. My son has never been on meds and is now at the top of his 6th grade class and playing the cello like an Italian protege!
I would suggest showing him/her different ways of focusing. rewards like a new backpack or trip to the zoo or seaquarium may work. Find out what interests them and encourage it.
I also asked my son what he was interested in, he likes taking pictures, so I bought a disposable camera and let him go at it. This helped him release that pent up energy.
Let me know if anything of this worked. Many blessings .

Hi, Bre408. How old is your daughter/what grade? The other posters have given you very good information already. Like trooper's child, mine has been using ADHD medication for a decade (10 years) and it has been very helpful. I would encourage you to post further concerns in the Learning and Attention Difficulties Group, where even more parents who understand your situation will see your questions and be able to offer you advice and support.

There are a lot of people out there spreading scary stories that are unfounded and irresponsible.

The way stimulants work on a child with ADHD is to FOCUS their mind so that they are not so distracted or impulsive. It should not make them sleepy. It should not change their personality or make them robotic. It MAY make them more pleasant to be around if they're less frustrated and destructive.

Usually a doctor will prescribe a relatively mild dose to start. Finding the correct medication and dosage can take some experimentation. So if the results aren't good, you should discuss it with the doctor and make adjustments. The doctor should have explained to you, his or her plans to follow up.

I would expect to bring the child in to the doctor around once month until the correct dosage is reached, and perhaps have a few phone calls thrown in as well. Then move to every few months.

Stimulants, like Ritalin, that are usually prescribed for ADHD, work their way through the system rather quickly, usually a matter of several hours. If you don't like the results of the medication, you can just not give the next dose and call the doctor. You, the parent, have a great deal of control.

What kind of doctor prescribed the medication? What tests and questionnaires did he or she do to make the diagnosis? What did he prescribe in what amount? If you're nervous about it, we can tell you if it seems like a normal amount.

ADHD will never go away. Medication is only part of a management plan. You and the teachers will be able to see if the medication is helpful. Although I understand your fear in trying medication - you might find that not only are you and the teachers feeling better - but your daughter is feeling better as well. Children who lack the ability to regulate impulse control - usually do not meet with academic success, and feel alienated and rejected by others. Their impulsive behavior makes it difficult to maintain composure in social situations. This becomes more and more apparent as they get older.
The are many pluses to using medications. The downside is worrying about the side effects. What are you specifically worried about? Have you posed your questions to the pediatrician? Tell the doctor your fears. It is perfectly understandable.
Speaking from personal experience, my child has been on medication for ten years. Initially there was a period of trial and error to determine the best medication and dose. We have had excellent results.

Hi Bre408,

Welcome to GreatSchools!

I see that you already joined our Learning and Attention Difficulties group. This question would most likely be better answered within that group. It's my opinion, that your pediatrician would not have described medication to your daughter had they not thought it would be beneficial to her. There are other routes to take besides medication, I'm sure MagnetMom and Healthy11 will respond to this at some point since it's right up their alleys.