My son 15 years old has ADHD and was taken medicine to help his problem. The medicine (adderall) had side effects that made his heart race and he wouldn't eat during the weekdays. Adderall cause him to do some really strange things. He stopped taken the medicine approx. 2 months ago and started seeing a teen counselor Since he stopped taken the medicine has has been in trouble at his school. Most recently he punched a kid in the mouth and received a ticket from the police for assault. The school is looking at placing my son in a alternative school as a corrective action for the assault. The other school is a bad environment and I don't feel it will correct my son's behavior. I think the proper medicine and counseling will help my son get over his problem. I will take my son back to the doctor to see if he can be placed on Strattera. School is over with in four days and the school wants to place my son in this alternative school starting next year which I feel is wrong to start him in a negative environment versus allowing the counseling and the Strattera to take effect this summer. I need a option from a pro please. My sons name is Jonathan jr. My son stated he just lost it and bunched the kid. He realize later he was wrong but he didn't think in time to prevent his actions.

That's a lot of us ADDer's problems. we don't think about the consquences. We act and THEN think. My son is 14, and he used to do that not on medication. I would treat my boys during the school year and then not treat them during the weekends and holidays and summer season. I've come to realize that a mistake. They need that little bit of help from the meds.

But anyways, what I wanted to tell you is I am not a professional, but I am 36 year old ADDer with two ADHD boys. Life, is NEVER dull. :p

Anyays, My John (14 year old) always had problems with the old meds, the ritalin, adderall and even dexedrine. We tried him on everything. And he had the insomnia so bad that we had to treat him for that. And he got to the point of where he looked like one of those poor little war ethopian kids you see on TV. You could count his backbone. I would feed him cookies for breakfast, chocolate for lunch and french fries for dinner. The Dr. said he would eat when he was hungry, but you know he was scaring me. He was getting skinnier and skinnier.

Well, what I am really getting at is, that the Doc put both of my boys on Concerta here a few years ago and this is different from all the old meds. This concerta has a slow release pump ( a hole in the pill) that makes the medicine (methylphenidate same as ritalin) come out much more slowly and helps in the reduction of the terrible side effects of amphetimines. I was extremely afraid to put John back on it because of all that he'd been through on the others, but it was true and it does help..... And the side effects still come out but not pronounced enough to bother him. He might eat less of a dinner than he would if I had skipped his dose, but he does eat and he's finally years later starting to put some weight on. He's been ok on the stuff. And he's doing well in school, he's actually a quiet child where he used to be the kid in the class that couldn't sit still. He was always trying to get up and move, not paying attention. Where he's actually made honor roll a few times this year!

I know I am not a doc or nurse here, I just got my experience to give you. I hope that it helps. Good luck to you and your Johnathan!
Hugs,
Tammyshell

I think that you are entirely right to try to negotiate a clean slate for beginning the year next year. *IF* this was a first offense, I think considering an alternative school is too drastic anyway. If it was a first offense, then absolutely, I say give counselling and different medication a try over the summer.

If it's not a first offense, it's a whole different ball game.

I'm apalled! He's your child, not the schools! Get in there and argue like there's no tomorrow. The schools tried to do lame stuff with me and my mom got right in the principals face about it. I don't know who's making these decisions, but I do know that they don't like angry parents. As a child care worker I understand the schools view about such things, but at the same time, as a former ADD child I understand how important it is to have your parents on your side fighting tooth and nail the whole way to make your life okay.

Hello, got myself a 13 year old male here at home. Had a lot of problems, anger, defiance, disrespect , bad grades etc. My son was on Adderall, this seemed to help him a lot more than the concerta,(really bad headaches and stomach aches, couldn't sleep or wouldn't eat). We take him off it during the summer so that he can grow. But would you like to know what really helped us?? Tae Kwon do. Yes, I put him into a class, 3 nights a week for a half hour. I can't believe its the same kid. The TONE left his voice, the attitude improved so much, grades from d-f went to B's and A's, the agression level went down so much, and he gets along better with everyone at home. He's started showing more responsibility, and making better choices,. He's been doing this for abut 4 months now, and last month we went to a tournament and he got first place. What a difference. His self'confidence level is up, not getting bullied in school and some of the friends he had have changed for the better.