Going to medicate 3 1/2 yr. old

[bransmomma]

After many meetings and completing tons of paperwork and forms the psychologist diagnosed my 3.5 yr. old son with ADHD yesterday. Over the last year I've known he was ADHD just from his daily behavior so it wasn't a big shock to hear it yesterday. She wants me to take him to another doctor to get him on medication. We are going in a week. I'm really nervous after reading some posts on this site as to the side effects of medicating for ADHD. Is there anything I should be aware of before I go to the appt. next week? Should I ask any specific questions? Anyone had their child dx and on meds at 3 or 4 that had a good medication they didn't react badly to? I just hope this doesn't make my son a zombie or cause additional problems.

[mom2tj]

bransmomma said:

I'm really nervous after reading some posts on this site as to the side effects of medicating for ADHD.

I dont want to start a debate but there are lots of us how medicate and have great results with no sice effects..... you read alot of side effects but if there was a poll about how many have good results you might be suprised... there are good effects too. dont be stuck on his age I feel its better to get it under controle before school starts I wish we would have!!!!!

[geewiznit]

If I were you I would do a lot of reading in advance on the various medications so that you can discuss them intelligently with the doc. Once you do get a prescription, be sure you understand the possible side effects, and understand how (and how soon) you'll be able to tell whether it's working, whether the dose is too much or too little, etc. I also think it's helpful to actually schedule a follow-up telephone call to discuss how things are going, so both you and the doc are prepared to review things at a specific time. Don't be afraid--while the process can be nervewracking, it also feels good to be actively trying to help you child.

[Honeysmom]

We started medicating Honey at 4. One of the main concerns we had was that he was to little to swallow a pill so we had to get him somthing that could be sprinkled on food. He started on Adderall XR. It did work quite well for a while, but he developed a tic and some moodiness so we decided in the long run it was not worth it for him. I am not against meds, I take Adderall myself.

Don't feel bad about decided to use meds. You have to do what works best for him and the rest of the family. One of the main factors for us was that Honey was so implusive he was a danger to himself. Since winter started he has been spending a lot of time in the house so things have been better in that reguard.

It is wise to be scared to medicate him. That way you won't let your guard down and keep asking questions. I agree that you should do as much research as possible before hand so you have some info going in there.

Also, since he is so young, it will be very important to watch his weight very closely. Many stims. cause weight loss and at 3 1/2 yrs old he probably is not too big to start. I would also start with a low dose and work my way up IF needed. At his small size a little will probably go a long way. For comparisons sake 5 mgs of Adderall XR was not enough for Honey, but 5 mgs with 5 mgs of regular Adderall was too much. So it can be touchy.

Good luck....Becky

[dfp]

I second the idea to schedule a followup call with the dr. soon after starting the meds. For sure you will have all sorts of questions you didn't think of initially, and being able to get a hold of the doc will be great. Because I couldn't get hold of the doc, I ended up asking all my newby questions to the old ADHD.com board and fortunately, all the smart people there (many of whom are HERE) gave me lots of wonderful answers.

Good luck. You're a great momma for trying to help your little boy.

dfp

[bransmomma]

Thank you everyone for sharing your personal stories and advice. I guess once the doctor tells me what med he wants my son to take I will have to do some research on my own and read up on it. This website is so helpful and it is nice to know I'm not alone. 6 more days until the visit. I will probably have more questions for everyone after that. I just want my son to be able to be happy and not so mad and crazy all the time. I hope the meds will slow him down a little too.

Thanks!

[Anna]

We started Conner on meds right around 3 years of age... It was the BEST thing we could have done for him!!! He's on Adderall XR. We started off with regular aderrall at the lowest dose possible, and slowly worked our way up. Conner has really high metabolism, so he's on a really high dose for his age, BUT we have no real side effects... He eats everything in site (To be safe, we make him it RIGHT before giving meds)... He sleeps through the night now... and he's POTTY TRAINED!!

One thing I can suggest about meds and kids as young as ours... USE applesauce and pudding, or if they are ketchup addicts like my Conron use ketchup! *ugh* We just hide the actual pill inside Conner's choice for the day and he takes it right down!

(((hugs)))

Anna

[bransmomma]

I went to the doctor last night and he said he only see's about 1-2 kids this hyperactive a year. He gave us something for him to help w/ sleep. Risperdal or something (info at home) and another pill to take in the morning called Focalin. Has anyone heard of Focalin? I would like some information on it. I am going to start him on it tomorrow morning. I had to pay $275 out of pocket for the doctor's appt. too which doesn't help my financial situation but I'm glad we got meds.

Thanks.

[Anna]

Never heard of that one, but I'm sure others here have! You may want to start a new post with Focalin as the subject to generate more responses!

Conner sounds like your son... He's also one of the most EXTREME cases our doctors have seen! They say because he has it this extreme now, that we have a much higher chance of having a secondary issue/disorder as he gets older...

Oh...since you mentioned in your post that the doctor gave him meds for sleep...Here's what our therapist recommended for Conner...

1. Take ALL toys out of his bedroom
2. Clean off the tops of all dressers
3. Make sure nothing is in the room that can increase his stimulation (for us, that meant taking down a few pictures that Conner would look at and talk about as he lay in bed)
4. Rearrange the bedroom

I have to tell you that I was really upset about taking all his toys away. (We let him have ONE noiseless toy at bedtime, but if he played for more than 10 minutes, we took it away)... But I have to admit... it worked wonders!!! He wasn't screaming and staying up quite as long!

Anna

[Brocksmom]

WOW meds at age 3 & 4 I always thought the docs wouldn't do anything until at least 5 or 6. Glad you guys are getting some sort of help earlier.

[bransmomma]

Thanks everyone. A year ago I couldn't find anyone to even see my son since he was so young. I kept pushing because I knew there was something going on w/ him- he wasn't the typical toddler like everyone told me. I finally got doctors to agree.

[finnmom]

Bransmomma

Hi, I´am kind a late-raiser in here, sorry. i´am glad to see you´ve got some help for your child

I´ve seen many member´s talking about risperdal and focalin, so you might like to shearch it from medical-section. I bet there are many to help you with that! You could also try our shearch-engine, it´s right in the top, where you can see your name and message-situation there are some symbol´s below your name, shearch is the 3th from left.

Good luck to you, keep us posted, how this goes. It may take some time, but so it´s for all of us, try and error. Keep your head up and remember that you do this for your child´s best!!

Marja