my son has adhd

[xstasydream]

hi Everyone,
Im new to this board.. I just had my 7yr old son started on adderall.. he's been showing signs of something since he was in kindergarten. I could never get him tested or treated because of his "meltdowns" nobody would <as in counselors, doctors and etc> had the patience to see him cause he would scream and yell so much. My question is this.. although he is now on adderall, he just started taking it since ritalin didnt work at all made him worse I think, what are some side effect.. Im noticing him not eating as much as he did.. he never did eat much before but now he hardly eats anything.. he's been on it for two days only. He also has signs of autism, add adhd and various other things.. its not just one thing. He's screaming is incessant, sometimes to the point where he gets so uncontrollable I dont know what to do.
if anyone has info on this medication I would appreciate it. My insurance also does not cover all the drugs.. it was ritalin which didnt help or this.. only other alternative was something that was NOT fda approved for children.. I am against medicating kids to begin with but I refuse to give my son something that isnt even for kids to take..
thank you

[jinx2418]

Hi we are quite the same! My 7 year old was just started on Adderrall about two months ago. My son hardly eats as well. It's part of the medicine. The best answer is to give him a big breakfast before he takes his pills. But sometimes it's hard to even do that, right? Lunch is not good, and by dinner he has a bit of an appetite again. My pediatrician said at this point nutrition is not the issue, it's just making sure he eats something... so if there are certain things he enjoys eating no matter how nutritionless.. just go for it! At least he has something in his body. And it's not as if fatty foods wouldn't help him at this point! Luckily my son loves fruit... and that's all he wants to eat at times. He loves Ice cream too, so I let him have some of that as well. Try that out!

I like Adderrall because my son takes naps during the day and he never did on Concerta. Also, on concerta he was angry and violent, but not on adderall, so it's pretty good for him. Everyone is different, but it seems to be better.

Hope that helps!

[xstasydream]

my son has always been very angry and sometimes violent he got kicked outta school for hitting his teacher and principal.. he loves fruit also and tomatoes so yes I do give him what he wants to eat as long as he eats something just hope his anger will disappear with the medicine.. his mood swings are unpredictable and makes it impossible to go anywhere with him.. his new thing now is to scream on top of his lungs dont kill me.. he's never been hit in his life.. he's also very manipulative.. he knows how to make you give in to what he wants.. if one things doesnt work he tries something else. thanks for replying.. I dont know much of any of this.. Im trying to research it and find out ways of helping him..

[jinx2418]

Have you tried taking him to a therapy session with a child psychologist? Find one that is specialized in ADHD. It helps to tackle this problem with mutli-approaches. First, the meds, and diet, now therapy. THose three things can help. In a therapy session, your son can talk to someone other than you about the way he is feeling. The good thing is, the psych can help teach your son ways to deal with his feelings and help him to learn ways to control himself. They can also help you by giving you advice and strategies on how to deal with and work with, your son. So try and see if maybe you can take him to one and see how that helps. My son is going again today. Boy, do I have a lot to tell her!!

[janewhite1]

At this point, you're not just dealing with the ADHD. You've got some other issues from years of struggling with a task that was simply not possible for him--following classroom discipline. When I was that age, I would lie in bed at night and wish the fairies would turn me into a good girl, so I could do these mysterious things people wanted me to do, and they wouldn't be angry all the time.

At one point or another, you just get resigned to doing the wrong thing no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try to please. Rage is one response (keep in mind his self-control is still that of a 3-4 year old, and tantrums are inevitable at that age). For the more social kids, learning to manipulate people is another. Best I can suggest is to make your expectations reasonable, accept what he can't do yet, and hold him strictly to what he can.

It does get a little easier as he gets older. ADHD kids do have self-control, it just grows more slowly.