Z'sMom

We've only just recently put our teen on Adderall for his ADD. He was diagnosed as ADHD-hyper/inattentive combo in the past and we've spent 7 YEARS working with him, therapists & diet to get a 'working' solution. When he was tested recently, the hyper was deemed as "not an issue" because he's learned to control it to a reasonable extent.

As our son hit puberty, though, we had to look at other options. You're not alone. It's a hard, frustrating time but you are NOT alone. We've cried all those tears (guilt, relief, concern, anger & frustration) too.

Yes, in some ways it might have been "easier" for them if they had access to meds earlier ... both academically & socially. What we are seeing a few months into the Adderall, though, is that this is not the "wonder cure". It does allow our son to be himself more often, with less difficulty which is the whole point (for us). Studying, taking notes and focusing all come easier...however he's still distracted unless he makes the CHOICE to control himself. He tends into hyper behaviors when he's tired, been eating "off" his normal diet, or is growing.

Socially, we see him better able to interact with his friends, take less offense, have greater self-esteem when things are good. He still tends to 'drop' emotionally though and is still more sensitive than most of his peers. His grades are still A's & B's...but generally higher numbers, and less difficult for him to achieve.

The biggest side effects we've had with Adderall are the weight loss (he lost 4 pounds in the 1st month and is down 2 pounds this month) and the dry, hacking cough thing. The latter was taken care of with a humidifier/air purifier in his room, although he was prescribed a different med to help (takes maybe one tablet a week, if that). Once he started sleeping better (caused primarily by waking with the hacking cough), he's doing even better. He's also a little more emotional by the end of the day but it's not too bad.

We've only seen a few ticks...kind of shaky at times, a twitchy eye when he's tired.

Overall, for our son, this is the right decision at the right time. We didn't want to hand our son a "crutch" and are happy with the self-control and behavior modification he's learned over the past 7 years. Together, those skills AND the meds are helping him to reach as high as he wants to. There's still a lot of CHOICE but we hope to see even better decision making on his part as he gets more & more used to the 'benefits' of his meds.