ADD/ADHD Treatments

I have been suffering from anxiety, practically my entire, life. It has prevented me from getting a college education, a decent job, friends and marriage. I'm now 41 years old and totally alone. All I have is my anxiety. I need some relief. Please help me feel normal. I haven't experienced that yet.

I think it is safe to say that any parent of a child with ADHD knows that the child struggles without medication. Anyone who feels otherwise obviously has no clue what he talking about and is a complete idiot in my opinion. My son was very young when I noticed that he "different." In Kindergarten at the age of 5, his teacher felt there was something "wrong," and he wasn't going to make it to 1st grade. She told me that academically he was above average, but there was just "something" else that made him unable to cope with school. I found an EXCELLENT doctor (very important to find a good doctor!) who was the head of our Children's Hospital Behavior and Learning Disabilities Clinic. He diagnosed my son with ADHD. His analogy for taking medication was this--a person who has trouble seeing doesn't make the decision to have bad eyesight. He just has it. When dealing with it, he has a choice. That person can live in a fuzzy world and plug along just fine. He will make it through life, but might miss out on some things because he can't see the fine print. OR, you can give him a pair of glasses. And his world will open allowing him to see all that the world has to offer. ADHD medicine is like the glasses. Why make a child plug away when he has the chance to see the world? My son is 14 now, and doing incredibly well. I have always been completely open and honest with him about his ADHD. I told him that this is a world where most people do not have ADHD, and it is his responsibility to try to fit into the world rather than for the world to accept that his behavior is acceptable (blurting out answers in school, cutting in line). He fought me on this for ages because he felt he couldn't change because of his ADHD--I told him he made a choice not to change, and I didn't accept that choice (toughest battle of my life). And guess what? HE DID change, and he is so incredibly happy and well adjusted now because of it. And the medication absolutely made it possible. My experience is that the medicines lose effectiveness over a few years, so they needed to be changed often. He has taken Adderall, Focalin, Concerta, Strattera, Adderall XR and now Vyvanse. All had their own set of side effects--mostly no appetite and insomnia. He ate absolutely nothing from breakfast to dinner, so accomodated that by eating dinner late and letting him eat until he went to bed--sometimes at 10pm. The doctor said to take Melatonin for sleep--it is over the counter and sold in the vitamin section of the grocery. It puts you to sleep, but doesn't keep you asleep like the prescription sleeping pills. No side effects--I even use it and love it! My only serious problem was with Straterra--my son became completely psychotic and I had to take him off of it after a week. Know your child, know the changes in the medicines. Know that when he gets grumpy in the early evening, it is because the medicine is wearing off--not that he is behaving badly. And this is the most important--I kept my son involved in the entire process. HE knew what ADHD was and how it made him different. HE made decisions about his treatment. When he said he didn't want to take his medicine, I said OK (and I called the school to let them know in case his behavior/grades slipped). He lasted 2 days until he realized he couldn't do it. Now he takes his medicine. HE is responsible for the visits with the doctor--answering questions about problems, grades, side effects. I obviously ran the show when he was little, but gave him control as he got older. At 14, he is happy, well adjusted, good grades and fully capable of managing ADHD on his own. I obviously stand on the sidelines in case there is a problem (which with ADHD there usually is!), but I really don't worry about it too much anymore. I hope it continues, and that this info is useful for someone else! Good luck!

Hello I'm taking Budeprion SR, medication and I feel that for the most part is has stoped my nerveness but it has cause me to toss and turn at night. To the point where I have to take something to put me to sleep.

is add defferent from bi-poler? I have a child who is onStrattera is has no desire to live. He is 15 yr. male. He says he would not commit suicide by doesnot want to live with all his emotional pain. Nightmares everynght. failing all classes. Was honor-role-gifted student.He now fails school is a waste of time. loner, interverted, only tells me some of his struggles. He is a sad, sad, teen.

side effects from lipitor

Sleep apnea can cause ADD or be misdiagnosed as ADD. Some sleepy kids become whirling dervishes trying to wake up. If allergies are causing it a sleep study in a hospital clean sleep clinic may not show the extent of the problem out in the real world. Omega 3 can also help. I notice a lot of ADD people grow up to develop Bipolar disorder and I think that is mostly due to Omega 3 deficiency. Hope this helps someone. God bless.

I am currently on cybalta and although I find it works rather well with my general anxiety and ADHD...It raises my heart rate and wondered what the stats say about Lexapro and who should not take it.

Sulphur is the element S, whereas Sulphate is the ion SO4, not sure if that helps

Hi there. Shire stopped making dextrostat 5 mg a yellow round pill. Barr is now putting out their version which is NOTHING like the Shire, it's awful. For anyone who was on Shire's dextrostat, what have that replaces it? Adderrall? Dexedrine Spanules? Anything but made by Barr! Anyone?

RE: Comment posted by Anonymous 2/8/09 YOUR position is as bad as the position you rail against! DO NOT impose YOUR idea of how people should behave on others! LET THE INDIVIDUAL MAKE THE CHOICE! BTW, being on or off medication has NOTHING to do with a search for the meaning of life unless your doctor treated Jack Nicholson in the Cuckoo's Nest and is over-medicating you into a zombie, which is a separate problem. Many people (especially young boys) probably are rushed into an ADD/ADHD diagnosis and drugged before behavior modification and appropriate skills can be given a chance to improve/develop/mitigate the symptoms. That too is a separate problem. HOWEVER, appropriate levels of the right medication can be blessing! I have lived for blocks of years on and off and on medication, so I speak from personal experience. Since I DO LIVE in this society and am not independently wealthy, it is NECESSARY for me to do some "drone" work to earn a living, pay bills, help my kids with homework, keep a schedule, etc. Those "drone" things are very difficult for me without medication. I do agree though that there are some things an ADD/ADHD person can do WITHOUT drugs that are not possible WITH drugs, but the opposite is true too: there are some things possible WITH drugs that are not possible WITHOUT drugs. For example, WITHOUT drugs I can wander the world for weeks on end as a photographer and capture amazingly creative images or work 36 hours straight on an interesting problem, but I can't keep to a schedule or be consistent about much at all. WITH drugs, I can more easily stay on track doing boring things (like work and paying bills) that allow me to earn a living, keep a home, be a present spouse, and parent my kids. So, if you are independently wealthy or have the extremely rare job (mad scientist or crazy artist) that allows you to do whatever strikes your fancy -- GREAT, you can afford to "have people" to handle your bills, make excuses about not following your schedule and do all the boring stuff you forgot or will never get around to doing. If you are NOT so blessed and NOT appropriately medicated, you may find it extremely difficult to perform the "drone" functions that life requires, which may lead to broken relationships, constant job hopping, frustration, self-loathing, and the statistics show, probably crime and poverty. So, if you want to get through high school or college, have good relationships and go to work like most people in this country, a properly measured dose of the correct medicine can be a godsend that allows you to take care of the necessary without entirely muffling the creativity and intensity which are hallmarks of ADD/ADHD persons. OK. I'm off my soapbox now. Thanks for listening. :) Time to get back on track at my "drone" job and earn a living.

I Have been dignosed with ADHD since I was a child. I still have problems.Reading alot, at this time in my life I would like to go back to college.And the adderall helps alot. Thank you, Aloma

what can u do for a ADHA child when u cant afford the treatment?

what food is good for ADD children? I only find what not to give them. Thanks