My son has been diagnosed with ADD about 14 months ago. I made the decision to not medicate him. Well all this time has passed and he failed 2nd grade we had to place him in 3rd now he is failing 3rd BIG TIME all E's. The only time I see his ADD is in school. He is normal to me. He could be a little more respectful but he is a typical 100% boy. He is so responsible. If he was 12 ( the youngest a child can be in VA) he could stay home alone and be fully trusted. I mean he is a good kids when it is calm in my house we have 2 small girls also.. He is just really bad in school. He says he HATES it it is to hard he feels dumb. His teacher trys 1 on 1 and that works. I really want to do the right thing..Anyone have simular feeling about meds? Has anyone seen BAD BAD side affects from meds in their kids? Thanks....

There are lots of bad effects possible from meds. Omega 3's like fish or flax oil have gotten some results for ADD, along with cal/magnesium supplements. No side effects.

Tutoring might help? I didn't try that be I have heard it makes a world of difference!! My son hated and barely passed in school. No subjects got his interest. But participating in an organized sport that he really loved in school seemed to make him try harder (you need to maintain grades to participate!)and then he discovered his true love...computers! So he made it through high school(barely) and now has a career in computers. I think some kids are plain bored with basic subjects and maybe are looking for something more exciting....to each his own. Maybe your son can join an interesting club or sport that is connected to your school and then school won't seem so bad? Both of my kids did better once they found something interesting about school.

My daughter was diagnosed with ADD when she was 5. She could never take stimulants because they always made her irritable and grumby amoung other symptons. She was on anti-depressants for awhile until a few years ago when she suffered a petit mal seizure. She is now 13 years old and has been on "focus factor" (nutritional supplement) for a couple of years. She no longers get all the symptons that come along with taking drugs. Though she does well with "focus factor, she is still having problems in school with some of her academics. Until recently I decided to try another nutritional supplement called "attend". She has been on this supplement for about two weeks and what I have noticed is that she takes more time in her hand writing than she use to. This is a big plus for her because her papers are neat and not sloppy. I keep monitoring her on a daily basis and adjust the dosage accordingly. I have no regrets with taking her off all the medications. My daughter is alot happier and
healthier.

I wish you success in finding the right nutritional supplement.

Regards,

Happy Mother

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[This message has been edited by moderator2 (edited 01-22-2003).]

My son should have repeated grade 1 but we put him up to grade 2, it was a struggle. Half way through grade 2 he was diagnosed with adhd and we started ritalin (regular dose) right away, Amazing things started to happen : he would concentrate on his homework, things made more sense to him, he began to read a little (he was way behind!)
this year, grade 3 (only 1 year later) he is practically caught up on everything except spelling. I've been told that the next report card (coming this week) his grades will be based on regular grade 3 marks and not on his I.E.P. (individual education plan). He has come so far, He's reading his second chapter book (Charlotte's Web) all by himself and silently! I almost forgot to mention he was also diagnosed with CAPD (central auditory processing disorder) in September.
For myself and family he's becoming a succes(sp?) story! Yahoo!
My 11 year old daughter on the other hand is severly adhd, takes the maximum dose of ritalin possible for her weight and has always required one on one to get any tasks done and still does poorly in school.( and yes, she'd tried different meds -ritalin has worked best, just not 100%)
They are both well behaved children, Ex. don't swear ,talk back, get in fights (outside the house), respect people and property. they aren't complete angels (show me a kid who is?) but they are good kids with pretty good morals.
I guess by now you've figured i am for the meds, for my son it's helped tremendlessly and for my daughter, she'd be completely lost without them!
you can give it a try and if you don't like what's happening you can stop. There is a trial and error period where not enough won't be effective and too much can make them weepy, whiney and cranky - find the middle and your set!
Side effects differ for different kids (perhaps on the dose also). My son really didn't have any but my daughter goes through bouts of insomnia and her appetite decreased since she started (she was 5 3/4 years old). She didn't gain a lot of weight or height for quite some time, she went from one of the chubby,tall kids to one of the skinny,short kids (over years not months) but in the last year she's grown 4-5 inches, gained 20 lbs and her shoe size went from a 3-4 to a 7-8! Maybe it's puberty!
hope i've helped

mommyof5

Please consider the risk of the meds versus the risk of your child developing a pervasive sense of failure, loss of self esteem and hate for learning. School is a necessary evil. I cannot imagine not enjoying learning, there is so much that life has to give. He needs neurotransmitters to "connect the dots" so that things make sense. Why let him fail? Meds aren't perfect, but what are your expectations if he cannot do for himself? So many ADDers end up self medicating to stop the brain from racing. Meds help make it all make sense. Consider "can't versus won't". He needs neurotransmitters to turn the can't into a can. The benefits outweigh the risks.....

The other side of the coin is - the elitist parents. I know because I let my child go unmedicated and struggle for too long. It wasn't a matter of failing a grade, but definite underachievement. It is almost impossible for others to understand that YES you are trying to help him. Hyperparenting does not work. He will be ostracized from his peers as elitist parents want their kids to be with kids that succeed. Many many of them view their child's report cards as their success as a parent. I don't agree with it - but that does NOT mean that the child will not suffer. Everyone deserves to have friends with dreams, goals and aspirations. Isn't that what childhood is supposed to be about?

[This message has been edited by addvocate (edited 01-31-2003).]