Did anyone wait until the teen years for ADHD meds? worth it?

[Pamela H in Texas]

Just seeing if I could get a few perspectives.

We almost medicated a few years ago but didn't. Now wondering if it's really too late. And yet, if it would just make things a little easier for kiddo....well, you know what I mean.

Thanks,

[lynn]

DS wa son a low dose of adderall at 9 and it really helped him and we discovered he could write more than 1 sentence without it being an hour long event. He could do multiplication without hitting his head on the desk. He could actually get through an entire day of school without a melt down or frustration. He could write wonderful narratives. He picked up the piano and could read music....something I didn't know he could do without his meds. I say all this to say we did not wait until the teen years. We've had to make some adjustments to his meds through the years to meet his needs now at 15 he can tell a difference especially in school if he has forgotten to take it or not. When he does take it he gets all his work done well and when he doesn't we get chicken scratch and nothing completed.

[Mrs Mungo]

Just seeing if I could get a few perspectives.

We almost medicated a few years ago but didn't. Now wondering if it's really too late. And yet, if it would just make things a little easier for kiddo....well, you know what I mean.

Thanks,

My dd is almost 10 and we've been waiting. However, I know exactly what you mean. She's really reached a point where she can see that the way she behaves affects how people treat her. That's affecting her self-esteem. It's really making me question my decision.

That said, I have a friend who didn't start ADD meds until she was in college and they really helped her at that time. So, there's no such thing as "too late" as far as helping them goes.

[JennW in SoCal]

We waited until ds was 12, and found it made a huge difference. He only takes it as needed which is not necessarily every day. He has a 4 hour dose of Ritalin and it gives him just enough to help him get through algebra or any other subject that needs his full focus.

[shell in SC]

Those of you that didn't medicate till later. Can I ask why if you don't mind my asking? I actually think it was easier to cope with my ADD as a teen than it was when I was younger. As I got older it was easier to cope and make myself pay attention than when I was younger. Our plan is actually the opposite with DS. He is 10, and we plan to start weaning when we think he might be old enough to better control his actions. Maybe his case is more severe though. W/O meds he would more than likely need an IEP and struggling to stay on grade level, so I'm curious as to what others thoughts are on not medicating.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Shell,

The child of which I'm speaking is able to compensate pretty well academically and has never been a behavioral problem. I thought that homeschooling eliminated most/all reasons to medicate. I'm believing that though I may or may not have been correct before, that it isn't true now.

[shell in SC]

Pamela,

I am actually not homeschooling this child now b/c I don't think in our case it would be productive. He does mention wanting to homeschool, but I have told him that he has to be able to learn to control his ADHD before we can do that. I don't think that it would be a good situation for either one of us to be in at this point in time.

I'm glad that homeschooling has worked out for you guys so far! Maybe a low dose would take the edge off enough, and if he's been able to work with it up till now maybe he as he gets older he won't need it.

Good luck. . .It was a hard decision for us to medicate, but it was necessary in our case.

shell

[Mrs Mungo]

Those of you that didn't medicate till later. Can I ask why if you don't mind my asking? I actually think it was easier to cope with my ADD as a teen than it was when I was younger. As I got older it was easier to cope and make myself pay attention than when I was younger. Our plan is actually the opposite with DS. He is 10, and we plan to start weaning when we think he might be old enough to better control his actions. Maybe his case is more severe though. W/O meds he would more than likely need an IEP and struggling to stay on grade level, so I'm curious as to what others thoughts are on not medicating.

Well, I homeschool partially because I can work with her. I can let her pace while she recites, rock in her rocking chair while she reads her chapter book, I can adjust things so that she doesn't have to sit still at a desk. I'm sure if she were in school she would require an IEP and I would probably get a phone call every day. A large part of the reason we don't want to medicate is because she is *tiny*. She is 9 (will be 10 in July) but is the size of a seven year old. She is super-skinny. None of her doctors have been willing to even consider medicating because of her size and how the meds affect appetite.

[Michelle T]

He has been on meds for around a year now. It has made a HUGE difference in his ability to learn. Prior to meds, he could not focus enough to remember what a single page was about. Now he generally can.

My guy also has NLD, so his learning issues are a lot more severe than ADHD on its own. I figure anything I can do to help lessen the ADHD will also help with the NLD.
Michelle T

[nakitty]

My mother chose not to medicate me as a child and school life was HARD!!!! However, I am so very very glad she didn't. It is my belief that you should hold off medication for as long as is sufferable. Medicated children do NOT learn coping mechanisms....they don't need to. Many people 'grow out' of their ADD/ADHD...but for those of us that don't....not having coping skills is absolutely detrimental. Some severe cases require young children to be medicated....however, I do NOT believe that we should be medicating anything near the numbers we are. That being said...I was first prescribed Ritalin in college and was ecstatic over the effect it had on my ability the concentrate and learn....it was like a key to another world! LOVED it! However, then I started having children and breastfeeding and had to be off my meds for several years....had I not learned the coping skills I did as a child....I would have been a mess. Medication is not evil...it most definitely has its place...but it is something that really needs to be thought through...the pros and cons (of which there are countless) and if you decide it is something your child NEEDS....don't forget to also teach him/her how to deal with being a scatterbrain as well...though, I confess, I don't know how one would teach that to a child that isn't experiencing it....LOL I ramble....going to bed now.

[crazycoffeechic]

My ds is 13 and I have been thinking about doing the same thing. When ds was in ps, his teacher said he acted like her son (he as ADD), and suggested that I get him checked. Well, the following year, I pulled him out and started homeschooling him. I thought it would help him better and not be so distracted by the other students, it has to a point, but I can tell that he is still struggling. I've been scared to put him on meds, but maybe we could try him on a really, really low dose, like the other poster said, just enough to take the edge off and help him concentrate just long enough to get the work done.

[elizam]

We began medicating my ds last summer, right before he started ninth grade. My only concern is, he has a hard time accepting it now--both the ADHD itself and the medicating for it (he says it is the med, rathern than him, doing the work or the good behavior, and that hurts his pride)

It definitely helps him to take something. Side effects have been rough, but not as bad with Focalin XR as they were with Concerta (horrible) and Vyvanse (we might have gone up to high a dose).

He once told me he probably would have accepted it better had we chosen to medicate when he was younger. He is very sociable but was never liked well by other kids, and that makes him sad and angry. He blames it on homeschooling, and is in PS now, where he has a diverse bunch of friends, but still gests picked on and the kids who are his friends aren't the type most parents would feel comfortable with.