ritilan for children with add/hd - ADD / ADHD Message Board

brynkay · 04-24-2002, 12:13 AM

I am doing research on the effects of ritilan on children with add/hd good and bad. what does this drug do? does this drug drastically change the childs personality? does it do what it was prescribed to do?
Please help me determine whether this drug is good or bad for our children.
Thankyou
Cyndie

mlgable · 04-24-2002, 06:55 AM

While my son was on Ritalin it helped him to stay on task better. An example would be mornings getting ready for school: Without the Ritalin he had was so disorganized he couldn't even find his clothes and other things needed for school in time to catch his bus. Breakfast was another nightmare since he couldn't stay on task to decide what he wanted to eat. When doing homework it was like pulling teeth to get him stay on task and finish things and even that took hours. With the Ritalin: He was able to get dressed when asked and was able to find his shoes, get his bookbag ready and catch the bus. He was able to focus and decide on something for breakfast or was at least organized enough to be ready in plenty of time if he preferred something from the local convenience mart or pancakes from McDonalds etc. Homework went twice as fast as I was able to get him to stay on task so we could finish an assignment. He was on it for approximately three years but now with having had some counseling sessions with a super psychologist as well as probably getting older and more mature we have stopped the medication after loosing his bottle of medication. Since things are going ok without it we have his doctors approval to go ahead and keep him off of it but can get it represcribed if needed. His grades leave a lot to be desired this quarter but that is only because he is still lax about making sure his homework is turned in. That is one problem ie: the messy locker and getting papers in to the teacher that Ritalin won't help so at this time he is no longer on medication.

sams mum · 05-10-2002, 10:34 AM

My son is on ritalin the change is very plain to see...in the mornings he would need telling over & over again just to get dressed(now he dresses as soon as hes up)to get him to the school bus was dreadfull(anybody would think i was hurting him,he would scream & kick,swear & spit at me )now he walks hand in hand with me,this he had never done before the tablets.His concentration has improved and his behaviour at school has to(befor he would stare into thin air,disrupt the other kids in the class room,if a teacher didnt sit near him then he would pack his books away and gaze out of the window)before he would attack my daughter,pull her off a chair and drag her to the floor the grip her windpipe(with the aid of a behaviour programme & the drugs he doesnt do this now).As for side affects he hasnt had any,which we are thankfull for.I hope this helps you.

mskris · 05-15-2002, 01:12 PM

Ritalin is a stimulant drug. It does NOT affect personality, but its effects on attention may help kids feel better about their abilities and themselves in general.

It helps kids focus and stay "on task." It does not depress or cause drowsiness (ie, "zombie-like" behavior). I can definitely see the difference in my ds, age 7. His teachers at school could, too. I think it helps him filter out the "noise" that adhd kids have that makes it difficult to focus on anything. The frustration the adhd causes is helped by the medication, because the symptoms are blunted. Medication is not the only answer (see me answer to post about 7-yr-old behavior problems), but it can help to the point of making behavior modification work more efficiently. New treatments are in development that are not stimulants. In addition, a new form of Ritalin (called Focalin) was recently FDA approved. It lacks the D isomer of ritalin and may have fewer adverse effects, especially on sleep.
Kris

junelaura · 05-15-2002, 03:34 PM

You might want to look at the information about Ritalin on this site: [url="http://www.resultsproject.net"]www.resultsproject.net[/url]