Any "inattentive" kids on meds? What is working?

[bunny]

Are there any ADHD inattentive kids using meds with success? Currently I'm working on an official diagnosis, and treating naturally, but I'm really curious what is working for others in the way of medication?

I'd also just like to hear about anyone else's experience with the "inattentive child".

Thanks!

[JulieinSC]

My son, who is now 13, has been successfully using stimulant meds, for school time only, since he started 3rd grade. He has had the best luck with Ritalin (name brand only) and Metadate CD. However, each kid's experience with meds can differ widely.

I've discovered that many people have little or no knowledge of the "inattentive" side of ADHD. Consequently, such kids are often labeled as lazy, not working up to potential, etc. which can be devastating for the kid's self worth.

Many of the books I've read concerning ADHD also only focus on the hyperactive/impulsive side of ADHD which is equally frustrating. My favorite books are " Driven to Distraction" by Hallowell and ? and a wonderful book by Sandra Rief "The ADD/ADHD Checklist". When my son was in elementary school I gave these books to several of his teachers.

Good luck!

[brookesmom]

bunny

My daughter was just dx with ADD-innattentive. We are starting Concerta in the fall after school starts. I am really hoping this makes a difference for her. I have also found that not as much information is available about these types of kids. My child is not hyper but has been labeled lazy and unmotivated for 3 years! It took me that long to convince teachers that she needed to be referred. This fall we are also undergoing testing to see if she has any underlying LD's. All I know is that my child cannot go on like she has been. Crossing my fingers!

[bunny]

Thanks for the replys so far. My ds had an "ok" year at school (2nd grade), did get all good grades, but missed many recess' because of unfinished work, and had very frustrating homework sessions with me. It is SO HARD to keep him from becoming frustrated, distracted and overwhelmed His report card reflected all poor marks in organization, self motivation, stays on task, etc...

I visited with the school psychologist after school ended, she is yet to send me an official report, but she did recommend that I have him further evaluated by a physician. I'm working on finding a good Dr. (I really don't know where to begin).

My biggest goal right now is to keep ds enjoying school. I have this bad feeling that if things don't change for him, he will go from loving school to hating it. He's such a good, smart kid!

I have 3 nephews (two inattentive and one combined) who are all extremely intelligent, yet barely finished high school because in the end they just didn't care anymore. The one that did the best ended up on meds in the 11th grade, and was so grateful for it.

This is kind of scary to me

I've been reading like crazy... thanks for the book suggestions!

[AnneM]

Hi Bunny! My 16 year old son is add-predominantly inattentive and has done well on Concerta for the past 3 years... We tried straight ritalin to start with but we didn't find that this suited him at all ...

I know that self-esteem issues are especially big with the inattentive add'ers ... my son got depression at age 13 which was believed to be due to a mixture of self-esteem issues and hormones! ... That has been successfully eliminated thank heavens ... but I still keep an eye on him in that respect.

I also agree with the others that these are the kids who get labelled "lazy and unmotivated" ... my son definitely can come across that way ! ..

[vickilyn32]

My DS is 14 and was diagnosed during 2nd grade. He has been on Adderall since. We tried concerta for a while, and it was terrible for us, and strattera did nothing for him. We are now back on Adderall XR and it is working great. I also believe that my DS has dysgraphia, and am trying to get him tested for it. He only takes meds for school, and has been in cubscouts, boy scouts, played drums in the school band, plays football, basketball, baseball, and runs track without any problems. He only runs into problems in school when we get teachers who dont understand about adhd inattentive. They feel that because he can do everything else, he should have no problem with schoolwork. They do not understand that he is not hyper, or impulsive, but can not focus on things he finds boring. I have seen a big diffrence with the adderall. He also hyper focuses on things he enjoys. I also noticed that he is always the one getting hurt when the kids play. Not because anyone is being rough with him, but because he does not notice things around him and will run into things or trip over things when he is playing a game or running around.

[brookesmom]

We got a list of physicians from our school learning specialist. We ended up going with a pediatric neurologist who practices both general pediatrics and specializes in ADHD. She has been great and a wealth of information. This is great for our family because she can monitor all aspects of our daughters growth and development. This is also helpful in case our other daughter begins to have trouble. Ask your school for a list of reputable physicians.

[Mayleng]

Another really good book is "Taking Charge of ADHD" by Dr. Russell Barkley. Really informative.

[TexasMom]

My son is almost 11 and has done well on concerta, although we're trying strattera because of sleep issues. He's mostly inattentive, and positive reinforcement has helped a lot in school. In 1st grade, if he complete his work 4 days out of 5, I got him pokemon cards. In 2nd grade, it was a dollar for each math paper he completed. You'd be amazed what bribery can do for completion of school work! ;D

[bunny]

Thanks for the input Madison.
My DS has no problem with reading and memorization, but more in completing work and following the directions. He continually misses recess, and brings home unfinished work from class. This past year (2nd grade) he came home with good grades, but low reports in organization, self direction, etc. He really began to stress about homework and school. I figure that I need to address these problems now before school gets more demanding and he starts to hate it.

We have a doctor evaluation appt on Friday, and I am very interested in what he recommends. I will definately do lots of reading and research before filling any prescription.

Thanks!

[TexasMom]

Bunny, how did the visit go?

[bunny]

The doctors visit went OK

We talked about DS, and he looked over the connor's tests from school psych, as well as report card comments. He did'nt offer to do any additional testing. Told me that he didn't want to rush into meds since DS is still young (7 1/2yrs), and grades are still good. He suggested trying out the new teacher for a semester, and work on behavior modification things. If we still feel that there are attention issues affecting DS with school and homework, he would then try Straterra on him.

I have really been waffling about whether it would be better to start him on meds now and try to get proper dosage worked out before school starts, or wait longer, even though I feel like I already know this is just how DS is.

My husband said he isn't crazy about starting meds, so I decided to go ahead with the plan to wait a semester. I'm also going to try and get DH to work on homework with DS more often so he gets a better idea of the magnitude of frustration for both DS and myself. I think that DH only sees a small percentage of what is really happening. Hearing about it is never the same as experiencing it ;D.

So, overall, I think that we are on the right track. I'm not so sure if further testing is really necessary... I already know how DS is, it's been getting more pronounced every year of his life (although I didn't recognize it as ADD until this past April). I will explore more options with the school psychologist (last years is retiring, and I'm waiting to see who gets hired), and I will also work more with the teacher this year.

Any words of wisdom would be appreciated.