Discussions
Are You For or Against Medicating Children with ADHD?
Posted by busylizzy • 1/04/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: adhd, drugs, medication, medicine, ritalin
I wrote an essay on my ADHD adhdandmore.blogspot.com/2009/01/adhd-medications.html#links. It's more informational than opinion for or against. Of course I'd appreciate any visits! 
So here on BC maybe we can get the arguements going about whether ADHD kids are the naughty brats of ineffective parents or children with real neuro-chemical problems that might benefit from the use of medication.
I won't be offended by any opinions unless they directly insult me. Then I will cry and hopefully make you feel bad. LOL!
User Comments
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This is a question, I feel, that can only be answered by the parents (and other family members) having children with ADHD. I am not qualified on any level to give such an opinion.-
I'll second that. -
Thirded. -
Fourthed. -
Fiffdded!
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I have an 11 yr old with ADHD. I tried him on Adderrall, but deemed in effective. I have learned how to deal with him on an individual level to help him focus on his concentration. Just showing him I love him daily eases alot of his anxiety.-
Have you tried any other meds? My sister's son found the right med on his 4th try.
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Personally I'd rather see them weaned from the mass media (TV, internet, video games, etc.,) before giving them dangerous medication.-
yes! -
The doctors try to avoid the "dangerous stuff."
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I agree.
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busylizzy; We're going to have to agree to disagree to some extent, I think. Many doctors are "in the pockets" of the pharmaceutical companies & as such, the "dangerous stuff" is their business.
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I'm for actual, case-by-case medical evaluation that doesn't seek the easiest answer or a one-size-fits-all prescription and diagnosis. In most cases, i suspect that does NOT require medication, but I wouldn't make a blanket statement that it's never necessary any more than I think medication should be as widespread as it is.-
I agree with MadameX.
Also I would love to see some exhaustive studies on the relationship of foods and food additives to ADHD and other health problems. Of course there is no profit for the pharmaceutical industry in changing peoples diets or the way food is manufactured. -
Click Here - see my blog for an article entitled The Feingold Diet...
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I've read the article and found a link to the Feingold site and now I have a problem. I'm not going to sleep tonight worrying about what is in my food. Thanks for the easy to read info. I'll be back.
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I was a kid with ADHD. I can honestly tell you that yes it does help, but its not the only thing that helps. When I first started taking it I was 13 years old and I was doing fine in school, I jsut had a really hard time paying attention, keeping a train of thought and it was tough to sit still. I took the medicine for about two years and I hated the way it made me feel. I felt weird. I wasn't myself. I was boring and while I could think more clearly and was always "on task", things seemed less real to me. I was accustomed to my hyper and maybe even flighty personality.
After much complaining to my mom she let me stop taking the meds. I learned other ways to deal with the problems without having to be medicated. It took hard work but my mom was there for me and helped me learn how to disipline myself. I eventually learned how to mask the ADHD almost completely when I have to, but I still have my normal personality. And I'm glad I did because I also have adult onset ADD, which is completely different than juvenile ADHD, and if I didn't learn the coping skills I would still be on the meds to this day.
I don't think that the meds are always necessary for ADD/ADHD kids, but I do think that they are eassier than the alternative, especially if the problem is so bad that it is causing problems in school. I in today's crazy times, a lot of parents are just looking for the easiest way out instead of helping their kids learn how to deal with their problems. Its kind of hard to say if the drugs are good or bad. Personally I find them stifiling and something that no kid should ever have to deal with but they definately do serve a purpose in severe cases.-
Thanks for sharing!
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some debate material
youtube.com/watch?v=Ia6OGEj6wW0
Watching television rewires brains of children, causing ADHD and behavioral disorders
www.whitedot.org/issue/iss_story.asp?slug=ADHD%20Toddlers-
Thank you for sharing. There are dozens of studies available online, as well.
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Interesting comments so far and nobody managed to insult me or make me cry! My daughter who is in 6th grade has ADHD. A little bit of her story is in each of my blog's articles.
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I had a cousin who had it. It was greatly affecting his concentration in school but his mom was not happy with giving him meds. I do not remember what the doctor gave him but it was worked out that he would take med for school but when he was going to be home he would not take it. She had him help with the house and lawn work to keep him occupied and play outside when he was not on it. Worked well for him.-
My daughter doesn't take meds on the weekends, holidays or summer. Your cousin's mom and doctor did good by keeping him physically busy with something to do that was interesting to him. ;D
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Each child is different, each family is different. My son is ADHD and is medicated. We were not part of the growing trend of one office visit and a prescription written (not saying all just seeing a lot of that lately). We had extensive dr and psychological visits, communication with the school. Tried diet, concentration methods, accomidations in school (ongoing through an IEP), taking away what some felt was harmful such as tv and video games (although rarely available at the time of diagnosis and still not the prefered entertainment of his choice). Nothing worked so medication is our chosen therapy. His diagnosis came at 6, he started medication at 8. Being he also comes from 2 parents with the same or similar diagnosis (I am ADD, his biological father is ADHD) it was expected to have at least one child with the same or similar diagnosis. My son is currently taking Vyvanse and is doing very well on it. If there comes a time this no longer works for him, as has been the case with other medications of the past, we will discuss options again. Most likely a new medication or dosage. No complaints about how he feels and he is a better kid (not a different kid or drugged up kid) so this is working for him in school and out. We choose to stay medicated at all times as it is felt this is best for him rather than skip doses which does effect how he manages his ADHD. Medication is not for every child. Every therpay is not for every child. Even with my own child currently on a medication therapy, and myself on medication at some point in my life, I am neither for or against. I am for what is best for the child in question rather than a general opinion for or against. -
against-
Only because there are ugly organisations that would like to medicate everyone
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I am very much against medicating people as a first solution--but I know there are people who need medication. When there is a chemical imbalance, no amount of therapy or behavioral intervention is going to help--just as that would not help someone with diabetes or any other physical condition. The problem is that doctors are far too quick to pull out the prescription pad rather than to try to address the problem another way. -
Yes. I am aware that some people require medication.
As a rule I prefer acupuncture, chinese herbs and alternative therapy as a first stop -
@accoustic guitar--I agree; I think alternative treatments should always be tried first.
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As a psychologist, I can tell you that IF a child truly has ADD/ADHD, then he or she might need medication but that should never be the first solution. I would always recommend seeking a behavioral intervention first.
The real problem, imo, is that there are far too many cases of misdiagnoses wwhen it comes to ADD/ADHD. This is what drives me nuts, most of all. A teacher sees a child with behavioral problems and makes the untrained diagnosis that the child has ADHD--telling this to the parents. The parents then go tell the child's pediatrician (who is likey not trained in this field) "My kid's teachers says he needs (fill in the blank--Concerta, Ritalin, etc) so could you please write a prescription ffor little (fill in the blank, Timmy, Bobby, etc). This happens ALL the time!
These medications are SERIOUS! They are basically the same chemical structure as hard core speed! And if the child has a behavioral problem that isn't ADHD, then it is not going to do zip and may even worsen another condition such as childhood bipolar.
If parents believe their child really does have ADHD, then they need to go to a specialist.-
Another troubling aspect of this is that the symptoms of ADHD overlap very heavily with the "symptoms" exhibited by gifted children who are bored to tears in the traditional classroom.
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@MadameX--exactly--and to be honest, behavioral problems such as this could be caused by any number of things, including inconsistent discipline by the parents. From my angle, this causes more behavioral problems in children than anything else.
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FYI - my daughter's pediatrician refused to try ADHD med's and referred us to a child psychiatrist. The 4th grade teacher, and a year later the 5th grade teachers plus us parents filled out questionaires that were scored. He never gives refills and sees my daughter once a month. For 2 years before my daughter finally got onto meds we started using a whole arsenal of techniques or tricks to help my daughter learn, get through her homework, and score her best on tests. Things improved with alot of hard work and extra hours each week. Her grades significantly jumped once on the meds - I noticed the "stupid mistakes" and "not reading directions" problem lessen quite a bit.
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@busylizzy--that is great (for you) but I have worked extensively with children with behavioral problems and I have seen many misdiagnosed cases--where no real testing was done--just a teacher's word and then BOOM on medication.
And I would advise any family--never use medication alone--and try to reach the point where behavioral treatments are only used (and this is possible). Because these are HEAVY meds--and we still don't know what the long-term effects might be. -
I agre mTyler. I used to see that issue come up a lot on the crisis hotline, parents being told by a teacher or someone their child has adhd and they need meds and the parents would panic and in desperation call the crisis hotline. We were not qualified to give advice but we were qualified to explore the issues and refer callers to qualified professionals. A 20 minute test at a "for profit center", or by someone who is not a specialist in that area is not enough.
As for the diagnosis, even then I think it important to seek second opinions and research treatments that use meds as a LAST resort. -
We had a teacher last year who had no control in the classroom and one of my sons, who chose to take advantage of the fact that his buddies were acting up, kept coming home with notes and meeting requests. By the end of the year she had called in other staff to "evaluate" him and I was in tears from my frustration with her. I'm so happy that his teacher this year has a better grasp of managing her classroom and working with parents instead of trying to cram a "diagnosis" down their throats.
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Jafabrit - I can't even imagine someone calling a crisis center for ADHD. Talk about over-reacting! It must have been very frustrating for you and your coworkers to receive calls for non-crisis issues.
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That's a very broad definition. There are some people with severe cases of ADHD who can certainly benefit from medication...in fact, it might be the only way to help them. They, however, are probably a tiny percentage of the legions currently being diagnosed and drugged.
I for one, am very definitely ADHD--shrinks tried to get me on a ritalin when I was a kid since I showed so little interest in anything I was supposed to be learning in the classroom, and I refused to take it. No doubt, nowadays, there'd be a lot more pressure. As it turns out, though, I survived grade school, went to college, then grad. school, and ended up with a PhD.
In fact, I found that school got easier and easier the higher up the ladder I went, as there was less and less structure and rote learning and more and more opportunity to learn independently. In fact, I seemed to have a lot less trouble than most PhD candidates.
So, am I "learning disabled," or is it our educational system that has a severe disability in terms of educating people with learning styles that are outside of the norm?-
I have had the same experience, Dr. Jay! I know (now) that I was definitely ADHD as a child--but there were no diagnoses at that time. I did terribly in school for all of my elementary and high school years--but excelled in college (I was an over traditional age student) because I had learned to deal with my 'problem.'
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I think we ask too much of the younger kids. Trying to be world-competitive as well as trying to out-do each other's school districts in test scores, we are forcing the little ones to act like perfect students at too young of an age. It's also easier to pay attention when the teacher presents the material in an interesting, interactive way rather than lecture blah, blah, blah in front of the students. In high school and college, alot of the classes we take are of interest to us, where in elementary and middle school the subjects are forced on us whether we like them or not. But the basics are necessary, so it's a painful and boring fact of life for many of us.
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I do agree that we overburden kids today--most have WAY too heavy schedules. ADHD, however, IF it is a true diagnosis involves an imbalance of neurotransmitters and hormones--it is more complicated than simply 'kids being bored.' The trick is to distinguish from those cases of 'boredom' (or other behavioral problems) and true ADD/ADHD. Some kids do require medication--but as I have said, this should always be the last resort rather than the first.
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Well, the only experiance I have with this is my ex boyfriend and my current boyfriend's little sister. I think this mental illness can be very disturbing and if not handled correctly and unmedicated can hurt ther person when it comes to their education and career. I think it should be TREATED...in whichever way is best for the family...not neccisarily medication but it should not go ignored.-
Regardless of the cause, it's important to get the information into the person's head and we should do whatever tricks and methods we can to help out. Medication is one small part of the answer.
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Is there a link between preservatives and additives and ADHD? I think it is too broadly a defined area and there are too many gray spots and not enough other possibilities thrown up. People tend to see symptoms and throw children in boxes labelled adhd without perhaps looking at all the things it might be. Not to say a child cannot be but just that a quick label is often an easy fix rather than investigating further.-
I'm wondering the same thing too. In addition I'm wondering about overly stimulating hectic home environments and fast paced lifestyles.
The friends I have that have kids with ADHD don't eat whole foods they eat processed food products, and they eat out a lot at places that do use MSG, and other preservatives in their food. They also allow their kids to consume high energy drinks. thistimethisspace.com/2007/06/09/high-energy-drinks-for-athletes-not-for-ki...
They lead hectic lives revolving around on busy schedules as they have registered their kids in multiple after school activities.
When transporting their kids to and from from the many activities they have them registered in, the kids are in their cars eating processed junk foods containing preservatives and drinking high energy drinks.
When they are at home there isn't a quiet moment or quiet spot in their house. It's an over stimulated environment. The TV, computers and steroes are always on with the kids parked in front of them. And the kids are never out of touch with their ipods, text messaging and cell phones. -
Blaming food and only food I don't think is the answer. I think it's a combination of lots of things and whether or not a particular individual is "sensitive" to these factors. My hubby and his brother were raised in the same environments. Hubby is fine. His brother is ADHD. How can you explain why they are different except to delve into the physical and brain chemisty sciences?
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I'm not blaming food. I'm wondering what role, if any, food, lifestyle and environmental factors may contribute.
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TT--there is most definitely a link between diet and behavior--and we are still learning just how big a link there is. I believe that some psychological conditions could be caused by food allergies. It makes sense that if some foods cause physical reactions, there might be some that cause behavioral/psychological reactions also. I feel (strongly) that in another 15 years, we will be able to get a DNA read out stating what foods we need, which we should avoid, and which are really dangerous for predisposed conditions (such as schizophrenia or ADHD, for example).
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My biggest fear would be if it stifled my childs creativity. I wasn't medicated until my 30's.-
Kaliopy - my daughter is very creative and art is big in her life. ADHD meds are not mind-numbing at all. It's not a zombie drug like some anti-depressants can be.
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If I had a child I would make sure they were getting the finest nutritional products and have healthy eating habits. Diet not dieting has a lot to count for in each of us. Interacting with children and paying attention to them and listening to them is so important, too. Music, art, recess, theatrics all are great tools and studies which are creative and prove quite helpful in children's development. It allows their creative abilities to be expressed instead of being cooped up within their beings.
Just my opinion. Children are wonderful gifts and should be treasured. -
Thanks for your opinion and I totally agree with you! We need to be more "whole body" in raising and educating our children!
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awesome subject!-
Tony - I've heard heated debate over the years on this subject. I pay more attention now that my daughter has ADHD. Thought this might bring some interesting opinions and maybe some awesome arguments. Weird though - I haven't heard from anyone blaming bad parenting -perhaps they were afraid they'd make me cry (as I threatened to do in my opening comments). LOL!
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As a parent of a child with Hyperlexia (Hyperlexia has characteristics similar to autism, behavior disorder, language disorder, emotional disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, hearing impairment, giftedness or, paradoxically, mental retardation)
Personally, my husband I never wanted to or be forced into medicating our son, he is now 16 and has never been medicated by any drug. Diet played a very important part of his development as did therapy and other programs he was involved in.
His development has been as will continue to be in simple terms "a lot of work" and no medication can take the place of dedicated parents, caregivers and professionals who care enough in the development of our children.
This is just my personal experienced opinion.
Edit: Just wanted to add that without him I wouldn't have been able to create my latest website, he redesigned the standard out of the box template, did all the SEO for me and managed to get it a pagerank of 3 after only 2 months.....he is a brilliant young man. -
Sylvia - Hurray for you and all your had work!
I have not heard of Hyperlexia. Are there any good websites that you recommend so that I can learn more?
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Hi Lizzy, The American Hyperlexia Association is a great resource
www.hyperlexia.org/
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The Hyperlexia Parents Network
westwingpublishing.com/hyperlexia/Welcome.html -
Sylvia - thank you very much!
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I have been diagnosed with ADD (not ADHDY and have been through a laundry list of medications for it. I have tried Strattera, Adderal, Ritalin and have finally rested on Concerta. They definitely have a very positive effect on your level of conecentration and have noticed an increase in school-related focus. Their are several issues that I have found with various meds ranging from loss of appetite, insomnia, and "withdrawal" symptoms when on breaks which leave me exhausted and mildly depressed. One important note to make (for me personally) is it will only help so much with focus, I still have to be interested in the subject or I'll focus on something else. I am in favor of medicating those that have a real problem learning due to their ADHD but I do feel that the disability is very much overdiagnosed and scapegoated for underachieving students.
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Jonmcollins - I totally agree that the class has to be interesting or everyone would have trouble paying attention. There's nothing like a lecture on a dry subject by a teacher with Ben Stein's voice. Shoot me first before I ever have to endure that again! (college accounting classes)
Legbamel - some teachers can be real jerks!
LGramlich - I've been thinking. Our experience with the pediatrician and psychiatrist is that they were cautious and conservative. I just assumed all doctors were this way. It looks like I am naive that way! -
I definitely agree with your summation of this as being a case by case scenario, which makes sense when you think about it. Blanketing a diagnosis for multiple people could lead to real problems.
Personally, I am a very cynical person. I love people but are baffled by their actions on a large scale, and on a large scale I find there to be a problem with today's parenting. Now, I just contradicted my earlier comment about blanket statements, but I'm willing to admit that for the sake of argument. In the news, in regards to violence in movies and video games, there is the eternal debate between "who should look out for the children?" Is it the parents? The stores? The government? Well, I feel that the stores should have tighter restrictions and the parents should have a MUCH more hands on style of parenting which allows them to be aware of what their kids are doing.
How does this relate to the topic? In my opinion, there are a lot of misdiagnosed kids which are either just uninterested or face some other reason for not performing to the best of their abilities. If this is the case, the parents need to have a strong enough bond with their children that they a) know there's an issue and b) are there to work on it with them. Instead, they shovel off their duties as a parent to a couple pills out of convenience.
That sounds very cynical, I know, but the point is this: there are people who have genuine learning hindrances and if they're anything like me, they would love to be able to achieve the same level of concentration and functioning without their medication as they do with. Medication is not a "good thing" in the sense that everyone should jump on board and try it. It should be reserved for those who truly need it as it has its drawbacks on you physically. Furthermore, as more people are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, the perception of the public is becoming less and less serious to the point that having ADD is becoming as trivialized as saying you're double-jointed. Its use as a crutch is deleterious to those who genuinely suffer from the condition and that is why I feel so passionately about being sure it is the cause of the problems. -
Jonmcollins - regarding parents' shortcomings - I agree that sometime's it's a lazy parent who thinks parenting is merely providing food, shelter and hugs. As a preschool teacher I just knew some of my "students" were not taught or told about polite or appropriate behavior. Each year I'd have at least one child who was disrespectful to others and property, was clueless about rules and doing what any adult requested, and thought school was a friggin' Chucky Cheese free-for-all of anarchy. And none of these kids I would call ADHD (especially at that age). I only had 1 child that I suspected ADHD and he was a "good kid" who was a few years later confirmed.
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Both my brother and I were diagnosed with ADHD, he was medicated, I was not. It wasn't a weird experiment by my parents, it was decided, as others stated, on a case by case basis. I agree with the posters who stated that a full work up and verification of the diagnosis as well as behavior modification. For me, my I learned better without medication because I would flip around, do random assignment questions and other disorganized yet effective for me actions. Instead of focusing on what class I was in, I would do something for another class. My headmistress told me to take ALL of my books to each class and when I caught myself dazing to "search the back pack". It kept me stimulated, quiet and was pretty good advice. My brother on the other hand could not get it done even with the modifcations, and thus was medicated and ultimatley returned to homeschooling for another year. Case by case is my opinion.-
case by case seems to be the consensus of this group
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it should be a case by case situation, and there should be more than just a doctor saying the child needs it. In my opionion behavior inventories/scales need to be filled out by both the teachers and parents, then they need to be compared to classroom observations etc. To many times doctors just write a script without investigating. I am all for medicating children when needed. I have seen how meds given to truly ADD students can make a huge difference in their lives.-
I totally agree. Where I live my children were first referred to a paediatrician who had me, my husband, the kids' teachers and the kids' daycare fill out a form that rated the child’s behaviours and action before he would make a diagnosis and we follow up on a regular basis.
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I was a really fucked up kid and teenager, no thanks to assholes like my father. Never did start taking medication until I was a little over 20 years old though, it all started after a really bad break up..Couldn't sleep and I was always sick to my stomach, this went on for like a year before I did anything about it.
But anyway, When I was around 15 or so, I was stuck in foster care for a little over a year and they had recommended I take medication but I didn't think it was a good idea. If I had to relive that time period, I still wouldn't think it was a good idea either.
But it's to be decided on a per-case basis by doctors and family and the person taking them has a say in it, too. My personal opinion is that their brain isn't fully developed yet, medication could make things better or drastically make them worse. I didn't want to take that chance back then.-
Sorry that your growing up years were such a downer. Hopefully you are able to work on healing now. Good luck to you in the future.
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I can see your point....sorry about your circumstances also. Anyway,glad you are seeing the benefit of it now as an adult. All for people using the resourses they need to enable them to be successful
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I suppose its better than shooting them, but only just!-
Shooting them isn't going to help. Then Riverstyxxx would be messed and in jail.
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I have two boys with ADHD the older one more serve than the younger. After exhausting all possibilities given to me we tried medication (Adderall) and the results were amazing.
My oldest son started medication a couple of months into grade one, I wanted to make sure it was really necessary and not just an inexperienced teacher (this was her first year teaching) and I thought she was over reacting. His kindergarten year was horrible and he hated school, he was getting into trouble all the time and I was getting calls at work at least once a week, which I thought was totally ridiculous. I thought he was just being a kid; I was used to his high energy, outspokenness and impulsive behaviour and it was his first year in this kind of environment which is why I waited a couple of months into his next school year. I was praying that I didn’t have to medicate my son but it turned out to be the best thing for him. He can now focus on his work and he doesn’t scare the other children with his impulsiveness and highly excitable personality. He now loves school and I have to say I have not had one call from his teacher or principle.
He is now in grade three and every parent teacher night since he started his medication has commented on how much of a delight it is to have him in their class.
Medication may not work for some but it defiantly has worked for my children. -
Is it true that ADHD increases the IQ ratio abnormaly high degrees?-
I have been told that ADHD children statistically tend to have higher IQ's but I don't know if that's a result of the ADHD brain chemical imbalance or it's an unexplainable co-existing thing. One thing, ADHD kids can get bored fast if the teacher doesn't keep it interesting and interactive. HIgh IQ kids get bored fast, too, for the same reasons. That's something to think about for a future article on my ADHD blog. FYI - the school counselor gave my daughter a high IQ rating.
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