creekwalker
05-03-2002, 10:50 AM
I have a 16 year old son, who, at the age of 5 was started on Ritalin. He took it for 7 months and became a walking zombie. The school forced us into him taking it. He had been diagnosed as ADHD and they said they couldn't control him. I realize that Ritalin may help some people, but it definately isn't for everyone, especially for ones that young. The Dr's kept increasing his dose because he seemed to become used to it and required more. He actually got up to 40mg a day. He went from being the hyper, happy, smiley child we had, to a zombie, with dark circles under his eyes and no emotions, except irritability. But, the school liked it. Not because he was doing much better in his academics, but because he was quiet and not disturbing the class. He didn't pay any more attention to his school work than he did before. After all those months of Ritalin and increasing the dose, I told his Dr it just wasn't working and they prescribed a total of 4 other medications(in a row) to see if any would help. None did and when the last one caused a severe headache, bad enough for an ER visit, I refused any more medications for my child. This was at the end of 1st grade. I had tried unsucessfully to get him into a BD class so that he could get some one on one, but they refused, saying that he didn't need that. It was the only type of class they had to offer then. So, after I refused to continue the medications, they suspended my son for a day, and promptly put him in the BD class for the rest of the 3 weeks remaining of school.
I put him on vitamins and herbs and he never had a behavior problem since. But, he had some side effects of the medications that lasted quite some time. He chewed on his fingers(not the nails, but the skin!) constantly, he developed wierd facial expressions, he started some odd behaviors like rubbing his hair in a strange way. Some of these behaviors he still does. Now, they think he is autistic because of this. He did not do these things as a small child, but after the medicine was given. I want to warn parents that if you do try Ritalin and others, please, please be careful. If it only calms the behaviors and not help the attention, do not continue to give it. If it seems to affect their mood, please stop giving it. I have read studies that say it is possible for Ritalin to cause pychosis, but they say it's only temporary and stops after you stop the medicine. I believe that it caused some lasting side effects in my son and don't believe them when they say it's temporary. I would give anything to be able to go back in time and never have put him on all that stuff. I wonder how he would be today if I had refused in the first place? The vitamins and herbs helped him more than anything and also we watched his diet. He was very sensitive to chocolate, caffeine, and chlorine. But, some damage has been done, and like I said before, they think he's autistic now. Please be careful!!!! Diana
I put him on vitamins and herbs and he never had a behavior problem since. But, he had some side effects of the medications that lasted quite some time. He chewed on his fingers(not the nails, but the skin!) constantly, he developed wierd facial expressions, he started some odd behaviors like rubbing his hair in a strange way. Some of these behaviors he still does. Now, they think he is autistic because of this. He did not do these things as a small child, but after the medicine was given. I want to warn parents that if you do try Ritalin and others, please, please be careful. If it only calms the behaviors and not help the attention, do not continue to give it. If it seems to affect their mood, please stop giving it. I have read studies that say it is possible for Ritalin to cause pychosis, but they say it's only temporary and stops after you stop the medicine. I believe that it caused some lasting side effects in my son and don't believe them when they say it's temporary. I would give anything to be able to go back in time and never have put him on all that stuff. I wonder how he would be today if I had refused in the first place? The vitamins and herbs helped him more than anything and also we watched his diet. He was very sensitive to chocolate, caffeine, and chlorine. But, some damage has been done, and like I said before, they think he's autistic now. Please be careful!!!! Diana
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help
05-07-2002, 01:59 AM
I would never listen a word the school says.
If they say you MUST medicate him and it's not helping hiim any only making him worse, well I supposed it's time you look for another school.
ADD isn't about the way people act, it's about how their brain works. If your child becomes resistant to medication and they have to increase the dosage to get the same effect, that's not ADD treatment that's addiction. With ADD if you are on the CORRECT drug/dosage you can stay at that dose for the rest of your life without losing it's effect.
My suggestion is you should think about filing a lawsuit against your psychiatrist.
That is if you have evidence that ritalin induced or precipitated autism.
If they say you MUST medicate him and it's not helping hiim any only making him worse, well I supposed it's time you look for another school.
ADD isn't about the way people act, it's about how their brain works. If your child becomes resistant to medication and they have to increase the dosage to get the same effect, that's not ADD treatment that's addiction. With ADD if you are on the CORRECT drug/dosage you can stay at that dose for the rest of your life without losing it's effect.
My suggestion is you should think about filing a lawsuit against your psychiatrist.
That is if you have evidence that ritalin induced or precipitated autism.
creekwalker
05-07-2002, 09:17 AM
I wish I could now, but, like I said, he's 16, almost 17 now and it's too late. There's also no way I could prove anything at this point. I wish I knew then what I know now. I thought I'd get in trouble if I refused to do what the school and psychiatrists said.
help
05-07-2002, 05:25 PM
It's not too late to help treat his ADD if you haven't already. If your son isn't, depending on the severity, it can cause him to go down the wrong path and "self medicate" not knowing.
creekwalker
05-07-2002, 06:33 PM
Currently, my son is taking Zoloft with fairly good results. We just started that last year. He is going to weekly counseling. I don't know what else to do. I had to think long and hard about the Zoloft because he had been free of meds til now. It does seem to help him, but my son, even though he's very intelligent, acts more like a kid younger than what he is. He stays at home and has no friends. There are basically no programs in our area for kids like him. We got him into the regional center here to help us, but they've been no help. He can take care of himself though, but he needs life skills training, etc, that no one seems to know how to do around here. I try, but I can only do what I know how to do. I am not worried about his falling into the wrong crowd or going down the wrong path at this time, because he's just not capable of it yet. He still has to be told to take a shower or brush his teeth, but maybe that's just a teenager for you. My son did not act autistic when he was little, but now, he does or at least has some of the signs. But, I just wanted to warn parents of a potential danger in Ritalin. I do not believe my son has true autism, but I do believe the symptoms he has were at least partly caused by the Ritalin. I appreciate you trying to help. I've been fighting and searching for a solution to his problems for years now and it can get so frustrating.
Megherc
06-01-2002, 03:30 PM
A terrible story indeed. I really hate the "pop a pill" answers to all life's problems that have become so popular. For example, us women can't even have our PMS now without worrying if we have this new PMDD(bull doo-doo) instead and need to live on Prozac(Sarafem)just because we are not men! The braincandy docs prescribe are much like the dreaded street drugs in nature, only that with the "controlled" doses, they can cause mental and physical harm, but in a way less identifiable than it's street counterparts
Have you had your son try the Omega fish oil route? The oil (usually salmon) lists the DHA and EFA's on it. Not cod liver, because it doesn't contain enough. It is good for the brain, nervous system and even the heart and eyes, but from what I have read, also drastically helps depression and ADD. It couldn't hurt to try, huh? It's pretty safe; it's not even one of those contraversial herbs. It's just oil, like olive oil but more beneficial. On this very board, people are claiming success from ADD with it, so I am wondering if it might help your son?
Have you had your son try the Omega fish oil route? The oil (usually salmon) lists the DHA and EFA's on it. Not cod liver, because it doesn't contain enough. It is good for the brain, nervous system and even the heart and eyes, but from what I have read, also drastically helps depression and ADD. It couldn't hurt to try, huh? It's pretty safe; it's not even one of those contraversial herbs. It's just oil, like olive oil but more beneficial. On this very board, people are claiming success from ADD with it, so I am wondering if it might help your son?
creekwalker
06-02-2002, 10:19 AM
I can try the fish oil again. We have done it before, but I'm not sure how much the dose was then. We've tried flax oil too. Ive had him on vitamins, herbs, etc. While most of these things are very good at controlling his hyperactivity, they don't do alot for his thinking. Or, they don't seem to anyway. Thanks for your input though. I can try the fish oil again.
Megherc
06-03-2002, 05:12 PM
Well, it makes me wonder if those drugs at an early age did do some damage. Maybe this will be something to deal with for life...hopefully not. Fish oil is good for the brain; maybe it will take years but maybe the damage can be reversed, I hope.
I don't know if you meant he gets bad grades or what, but my own son was never good in school, although the once a year academic tests would show scores in the 90's, but he barely passed high school. The thing is , I think regular subjects bored the crap out of him...because when it came to what he liked, he would excel. He was a musician and songwriter for awhile(self-taught!) and then he got into computers; he can hack most programs, learned networking and actually now works as a tech support for a company that makes computer routers...he never went to college!
Maybe there is something your son would excel at out there someday, too? I don't think people need to excel in grades 1-12 to end up succeeding in life. I used to tell my kids, it's what you do after that counts...as long as you pass high school because that is the only way to go further. So they never had "pressures" in school, but my son did pass (barely); my daughter, on the other hand, enjoyed school so she ended up with mostly A's and B's , but liked the fact I would encourge her to do well, but never pushed. Now, she has decided to pursue a career in accounting at college and is getting all A's!
My son is doing so well in computers, he has decided to study for Microsoft certification!(I have always encouraged and complimented his computer skills...but never pushed and left it all up to him).
So, there is hope, no doubt, for your son to have a bright future. Keep giving him the vitamins and oil; make sure he gets lots of vigorous exercise (another brain booster), and hopefully he will get better. Only time will tell.
I don't know if you meant he gets bad grades or what, but my own son was never good in school, although the once a year academic tests would show scores in the 90's, but he barely passed high school. The thing is , I think regular subjects bored the crap out of him...because when it came to what he liked, he would excel. He was a musician and songwriter for awhile(self-taught!) and then he got into computers; he can hack most programs, learned networking and actually now works as a tech support for a company that makes computer routers...he never went to college!
Maybe there is something your son would excel at out there someday, too? I don't think people need to excel in grades 1-12 to end up succeeding in life. I used to tell my kids, it's what you do after that counts...as long as you pass high school because that is the only way to go further. So they never had "pressures" in school, but my son did pass (barely); my daughter, on the other hand, enjoyed school so she ended up with mostly A's and B's , but liked the fact I would encourge her to do well, but never pushed. Now, she has decided to pursue a career in accounting at college and is getting all A's!
My son is doing so well in computers, he has decided to study for Microsoft certification!(I have always encouraged and complimented his computer skills...but never pushed and left it all up to him).
So, there is hope, no doubt, for your son to have a bright future. Keep giving him the vitamins and oil; make sure he gets lots of vigorous exercise (another brain booster), and hopefully he will get better. Only time will tell.