Advice needed

My son is 8 years old he was DX with ADD a little more than 1 year ago. He is on Vyvanse medication. Today he went to the doctor for his physical and his dad took him. Normally I take him. His dad called me yelling and upset because our son had a tantrum when he was going to get a shot and a finger stick. He started kicking and screaming which is not normal for him he hit the doctor and nurse and pulled a syringe out of his arm. Dangerous yes I know. I am a emotional wreck because I wasn't there with him and his dad said I am too nice I just don't know how to deal with that. Has anybody else gone through this is it normal, his dad thinks there is more wrong with him. I dont know if I make sense but I need some advice/suggestions examples etc. I feel alone I can only imagine how he felt.

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I feel your pain. I have a 9 year old daughter (and a 13 year old, too) that had to go to a children's hospital about 1 1/2 years ago because of an alergic reaction to an antibiotic. I took six (6) nurses to hold her down to put an IV in her arm. She kicked them, hit them, screamed HELP at the top of her lungs, and even told them how much she hated them. She also pulled the needle out of her arm, twice. It was a terrible scene, but sometimes kids just get a little scared. They're kids. I know it's frustrating, but sometimes we, as parents, have to understand that our children may not understand the importance of what is going on.

Dads who take on tasks they don't normally do can overreact to the things that happen. I'm assuming this never happened before - since your son has been on his medication for a year, have you noticed any changes in him? For the better? For the worse?

I had to drag my own son out from under a table in the waiting room once where he had run and hid after he saw the nurse coming at him with a needle. I don't think it's uncommon for children to not want to get a shot or have their finger stuck - what is uncommon is the very strong reaction your son had.

Without being there, it's impossible to know how it happened? Did your son protest verbally first and resort to striking out when no one listened to his protests? Did he suddenly start to hit? How it happened is important.

And why it happened even more important - when you asked your son why he reacted this way, what did he say?

Well, there are a couple things I would suggest. First, Vyvanse is a strong drug, and I got the impression that the doctors are a little pushy with their prescription pad. I know that I was prescribed Vyvanse about a year ago, and it made me very jumpy- did NOT like it at all. Have you tried to take sugar out of his diet? Also, dairy items can trigger ADD symptoms as well. (Just a suggestion..) As far as the doctor's visit goes, your son might just feel more at ease and secure with you, and familiar doing that with you. I can speak firsthand that people with ADD benefit a lot from routine and once the routine is changed it has a huge effect on the person and causes quite a lot of confusion. Another suggestion, "My Friend the Doctor" by Joanna Cole or other books like that might help ease some anxious nerves that your son might have about a doctor's visit. I hope that might help a little!

For your son's father to call you yelling because of your son's reaction seems childish. I am also surprised that he would say you are too nice since your son does not behave like that when he is with you. Is it possible he was picking up non-verbal clues from his father that set off his tantrum? It sounds to me like his father was frustrated by the situation (and who wouldn't be?). There is no need for him to call and take out his frustration on you though.

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