medication for my 9 year old daughter - ADD / ADHD Message Board

horseygirl14 · 04-25-2009, 01:32 PM

Hello everyone. My daughter is 9 and was diagnosed with adhd a year ago although I've always suspected there was something since she was a baby. Right now she isn't on any medication although I am running out of patience in dealing with this. I have 2 boys as well - ages 11 and 7 and things in our house can only be described as chaotic sometimes. The 11 year old and her do usually not get along at all. She and the 7 year old get along pretty well. I am contemplating medication for her. Can anyone tell me their stories about medications their kids have been on and if they've worked or haven't worked and what else seems to help. She has trouble socially with playmates, keeping her hands to herself, focousing in class and sometimes I can almost see her physically trying to stimulate her brain by bouncing around or doing whatever else seems to help her. She's not very mature for her age. Any help or advice would be appreciated. I have spoken with her family dr who wants me to bring her in to see her and then she will refer me to either a pediatriican who specializes in adhd or a psychiatrist either of whom will prescribe medication for her.

Thanks.

rheanna · 05-01-2009, 04:51 AM

horseygirl14,

Hopefully some of the parents will read this and chime in with their experiences. I have no children, but I've had ADD my whole life.

You sound like a caring mom who is trying to find a way for your daughter to get help, and for the family to live with a little less chaos. Getting your daughter evaluated is a good first step.

Your daughter may find that one or another med may help her to calm down and focus. This will be a process of experimentation and will take time, both to find the right med and to find the right dosage.

More important, I think, is to find some help through coaching and through the school resources, to help your daughter learn to live with her ADD in a constructive, rather than destructive manner. Medications alone will not do this. And some parents choose not to medicate their kids at all. This is your choice. But coaching, and lots of supervision will help your daughter a lot.

I wish you well in finding some help with this. As I said, I don't have children of my own. But I must have been a handful for my parents (decades ago!), so I sympathize. I wish I had had the opportunity for coaching and help when I was your daughter's age.

--Rheanna

Meagnsmum · 05-04-2009, 09:35 AM

Hi, i was in the same boat as you not too long ago with my daughter.
She was diagnoised and it was suggested by her doctor to go onto medication.
I was very reluctant and cried the second i put the first pill in her mouth.
Believe me, the first two weeks are not easy and there will be many times you will feel you have made the wrong decision because she will experience a massive mixture of emotions.
You will see her happy, sad, withdrawn but please, please, please don't think that these emotions won't go away!!!
After 2 weeks things evened out and now i can manage my daughters behaviour successfully, she has increased her grades as she can stay on task for longer, she has made new friends, and the most amazing thing for her is she actually wants to learn.

I now know that i made the right decision by enabling my child to access areas all other children can but she had found difficulty in doing, things are so much better at home aswell.
You will still have ups and downs but you will have strategies that work for you all and you must stick to them to keep the continuity for your daughter.

Best of Luck to you all

armyofone0508 · 05-04-2009, 05:58 PM

....it's hard when you want to help kids out but don't want ot medicate them. let me tell you about my nephew (he's 7). for the five years of his life, everything was fine. then, we (my sister and I) started noticing he was waaaaaay more hyperactive than kids his age. then he did alot of immpulsive things (like kick his uncle in the ....you know) and not think before he did anything. he's in grade 1, now, and takes the ritalin oral solution. it had improved the severity of the symptoms. he still gets in trouble for the immpulsive things, but now he many more people who want to come over and play with him. he's able to sit and play a video game. i'm way for medicating. i myself had it as a child and my parents didn't believe me. i got no help; just always in trouble. medication, along with therapy, is great for children

marisuela · 05-05-2009, 12:11 PM

if you want to keep medication as a last resort, there are other things you can try first.

a natural diet, daily exercise and getting enough sleep are all key factors in controlling ADD.

a natural diet just means to cut out all processed, artificial, fatty and fried foods. also cut out all high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, etc. these days, you can find a natural version of most of your favorite foods. watch out for artificial coloring in vitamins and medicines too. eat lots of whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. no candy or sodas.... if you can't cut them out completely, at least keep them out of her diet during the school week (including sunday afternoon, as that will affect her sunday night sleep).

make sure she gets 30 minutes of exercise each day. my daughter loves doing a fat busting yoga tape (she is only 5 years old, but she LOVES it!) with me. we also take 30 minute walks or bike rides about 3 times a week.

make sure your daughter is going to bed on time. if she seems too wired to sleep, it is possible that you are waiting too long to get her to bed. move her bedtime up 1/2 an hour each night until you find a time that works. of course, if she is not on a natural diet, this won't work as well, if it works at all!

my oldest is 5 1/2 and i am pretty sure she has ADD (i have it, her dad has it, i'm fairly certain she does too). i do not want to medicate her if i don't have to. the things i listed above are what we've done to help keep her ADD under control and it's made a world of difference for us.

good luck!