I never want to have to put my son on a stimulant, but I know how much he suffered in school before his medication. He’s currently on Intuniv and is doing so gr8. He wanted so badly to be still and participate in class but he really struggled and he hated it. Intuniv is a non stimulant, much diff than Adderall or Ritalin. Maybe when he is older he will be on one of those but currently he’s 7 and started out on Concerta and it was a big fail. We hated it, he was mean and groggy and losing more weight. We quickly changed to intuniv and it’s everything to my son. He never misses a dose (not that I’d let him), he’s very responsible about it. He knows it helps him.
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Everyone is different. Not everything works for everyone. You have to try to find what works best for your child - no matter how long it takes. Good luck to you and your child.
I was diagnosed in 3rd grade for ADHD. My mother never dealt with that before and listened to her friends and family and chose not to medicate me. I failed at every turn struggled worse than I ever should have. I got tested again as an adult and put on medication and finally I am thriving better. They also said I had a severe math learning disability and if I would have been medicated I would have probably done way better in school and math. At first I was mad at my mom because who might I have been if I wasnt labeled the bad kid all thru school? But I understand she was new to it all and didnr have the resources nor could she know what would have been.
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My question is why are you asking about medication if you’re so against it? My son is ADHD and needs medication. He is both types combined. Very hyper ( like obnoxious monkey high on dope type of hyper) and has no way of controlling himself. It could be the end of the world and the child wouldn’t calm down. I didn’t want to medicate at first so tried therapy and he non stop smacked me in my face in front of the therapist. Constantly in trouble at school, never was able to pay attention to anything for more then a minute at most. He finally came home crying bc he hated himself and was tired of always being in trouble. That’s when we decided it was time to try medicine.
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Try coffee, it has the opposite effect, it calms the child down. When my son was in second grade the teacher told me about this.
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I was diagnosed with ADHD. I hated the medications and will never ever get back on them. One thing that calms me down, and did as a child… Coffee.
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We dont medicate our grand. Easily distracted, doesnt stay on task. We are learning little tricks to keep her on task.
ADHD Is for hyperactive kids who can’t focus. EVERYTHING gets their attention.you might as well punish him for having brown eyes. They often are disorganized and have messy rooms and desks. My 2 sons had the problem and so did i. I could read well but it affected my math. Having to do 30 long division problems about did me in. I also need music in the background so I cld concentrate. Otherwise the cricket stomping in the corner distracted me. I could not study for long periods of time. I had to take breaks to run up the wall, especially doing pencil heavy tasks. I manged to be able to go to college and get 40 hrs to a master’s degree but I had to control my environment and take breaks.
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Limit the amount of sugar he eats. No cerial for breakfast. Find something he will eat in the morning that is good . My son loved cerial and it was a mess until I found out what to much sugar will do to children
We use a compression vest for our son and try to avoid red dyes. We have used cbd oil in the past. It helped but, not knowing the long term effects. We stopped.
Can’t spank the adhd out of him, medicating him will help him from getting into trouble why would you be against that?
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My brother says being on adhd meds as a child is the reason he struggles with drug addiction as an adult so we dont agree with the meds either… I’ve also heard that a bottle of mt. Dew works but it’s not really healthy… we make our 10 yr old work out. When we walk the dogs in the evenings we all do lunges and squats and frog jumps as we walk and that helps a lot and is a fun family activity. We also have talked to his teachers about letting him stand in the back of the class or take a walk when he starts getting bad. Ask the teachers if you can send a yoga ball to school with him to sit on to help him concentrate better.
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Change diet, no red dyes, no screen time or maximum of 30 mins, lots of activities, reading, good nutritional meals, no sugars, no sweets. My step daughter was a zombie when on her meds and after switching 3 different meds and same results all with needing to watch her closely for depression in exchange we decided she is perfect the way she is… diet has help tremendously
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Plant based diet and absolutely no red food coloring, or artificial sweeteners, and no less than 32oz. of water a day. A half a can of soda or a cup of coffee a day. It works if you stick with it. It takes a couple of weeks to notice the difference, but you will. Do your best to avoid artificial preservatives, and food coloring and that alone will help.
Brain health…dont punish him he cannot help the way he is hyper and implustive
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No artificial food dyes or processed food. Healthy home cooked meals
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Does your child sleep soundly? Frequent congestion? Runny nose? Snoring? Tossing and turning? Some children diagnosed with ADHD suffer from sleep apnea? enlarged adenoids that disrupts sleep and causes fatigue during the day is shown has hyoeractivr. This is diagnosed by an Ears, nose and throat Specialist. Also, if the chid is gifted and talented or not stimulated in the classroom some acting out begins.
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Why are people so against ADHD meds. If he was diabetic would you question the treatments that would help you feel better?
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Yeah you cant beat adhd out of someone. My parents tried that and giving me medication, I still have it as an adult. Honestly ask the school if they have teachers who help with this, I had one and they would also help on test. Also put him into a sport.
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coffee or Coca-Cola helped me. I have ADHD
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There is a chiropractor in my area that people I know says works wonders
Adhd meds have been hugely helpful. Please don’t spark your child. That won’t help. We work closely with her medical team to keep her on as low of a dose as necessary & adjust where needed. It takes a bit of work to find the right med for some but once things are right, the difference is incredible.
My son was diagnosed in 1st grade with adhd. He was on meds but I realized they didn’t work. Low dose didnt change a thing and the high dose made him sleepy. So i just stopped. I am also against the meds, mainly because of the side effects like depression, suicidal thoughts and addiction. So far nothing has helped. He is smart but lazy. Has a very short attention span. Still looking for other options. 
Has it been considered that perhaps he is TOO smart for the work he is being given in class? If he is a top student despite not paying attention, it should at least be considered that perhaps he is bored and needs more challenging work, and then he would be more focused. Its something to consider and at least store in the back of your mind before going straight to medication, since it seems you would prefer to pursue other avenues first.
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If you’ve tried everything and nothing is working. Then maybe stop being selfish and let the child strive from being medicated and given a chance to focus and especially rest… living with a chaotic mind/body is exhausting but your not letting him rest…
If they had some serious medical condition that needed medication would you hold out and not medicate just because you dont like it…
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My daughter did very well without medications after I changed things in her diet like no artificial sweeteners, no red dye 40, limit sweets. Those simple changes made a huge improvement in her behavior.
My son has adhd, his old school literally forced my hand into medicating him by saying he take the medicine or not come back cause he was energetic and couldn’t always stay focused. But my husband and I decided we didn’t like the different meds they tried. One zombified him and another one was fine till they tartrated the dose up. He became sick a lot and had stomach problems. When I got him checked by another doc they said it was eating his stomach lining and giving him ulcers and yanked him off immediately. We said NO more!! I changed schools, and eventually went to homeschooling (due to bullying not the adhd) he’s excelled a lot since with school work and is really doing great. Cause we just work on thinks together, different techniques like if he gets frustrated we stop and take a break, if he gets in the down phase we do things to lift him up, when he’s got a lot of energy we do things to let him get his energy out. He’s become amazing at learning to control it better himself then any medicine they could give him. The only thing is he does have trouble winding down enough to fall asleep a lot of nights cause the way their mind is constantly going. So we give him a 5mg gummy melatonin gummie, and it helps relax him and get a full night’s rest. It’s all natural, safe and even recommend by lots of doctors now. Which I’d rather him have that then the different chemicals they’d want to give him if they were to put him on something to sleep. I don’t agree with medicating young children cause honestly their still growing, their brain is still developing and all those chemicals and side effects no no! That’s why I felt helpless when they were twisting my arm to and just got him out of there and so glad I did!! Their not really themselves on the meds. I’d rather have my son be hyper or whatnot than to not be himself. But I know everyone is different and feels differently about it. That’s just my opinion and how I feel. But there are so many ways to work with them. Also the video game thing, you know how most say they are bad for them or to much screen time ect? I actually had a adhd specialist tell me that with their brains and how they work different, the game or screen time, tv ect is actually stimulating to their brain. Which I’ve noticed my son is a lot calmer when he’s played his game or something and took some time to just chill out. But you just have to find what little things work for your son and helps him, as all kids are different. Best of luck!!
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My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD since she was three… i never considered medication till she was in 4th grade, she went from a straight A student to lower Ds. She herself noticed and spoke to her teacher at the time then set up a meeting with me. My daughter was beginning to get distracted quicker so we spoke to her dr and started her in medications… she only uses it on school days. Shes now 12 Gets blood work done every 6 months just to make sure the medication dont affect her organs. Shes also very active. Plays soccer, basketball, volleyball, shes in the drama team and a cheerleader in her current junior high. She takes her medication once a day in the morning and wears off by 3pm, after that she has practice so when she gets home shes tired has dinner does her homework and gets ready for bed. The Medication she takes calms her down enough to where she cn focus in class and remain a straight A student and very social but does not cause any drowsiness. Talk to your doctor, maybe some Occupational therapy can help… and if you do choose the medication route please keep in mind that it will be a process of trial and error. Every child reacts different with every medication… you have to play around with diffrent combination to find the perfect one that helps you kiddo.
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Change of diet , take artificial color and flavorings out of their diet. It’s a little more time consuming and and a little more expensive but worth it.
I got diagnosed with ADHD and I do not recommend medication I recommend lots of activities, they just need to get out that energy! I don’t even remember middle school or the beginning of highschool when I was on meds, complete blur
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I would never drug my kid . That shit is a joke. Take it from someone who knows
My son has it n me n his father refuse to medicate too. For the love of all, DONT PUNISH THE KID FOR SOMETHING THEY CAN’T CONTROL! That shit pisses me off so much 
come school, he’d get more class time to complete tests/assignments, and homework too. If he’s too hyper n can’t sit still, he’s allowed to stand for a few minutes. Constant reminders to pay attention to class, homework, etc
U get them evaluated, follow what is suggestions some need medications, other kids may not . I had 2 children both with ADHD both required medications
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unconventional method: CBD oil/vitamins. I have a friend use this with their child who was diagnosed with ADHD. And I used the pet-friendly CBD oil for my dog who is very anxious. It’s not a popular choice but you should really look into it. yes I’m fully aware majority are against this but this is MY advice NOT MEANT TO START AN ARGUMENT
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A chore chart with desired behaviors and gold stars plus extra rewards for earning a majority of stars in a week (or day if he can’t wait that long). Put on some that will be easier to achieve so he will ALWAYS have SOME gold stars on the chart.
Medication is a life saver for my son and family.
If your child had any other condition, say diabetes, would you give him the medication he needs to thrive?
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You can’t punish the ADHD out of your child. That’s not how that works.
Play therapy helps. But my son still needed medication.
ADHD is so much more than “just having energy”
For some kids, their thoughts are “too loud” and “too fast” is how a child would describe them. Some have anxiety along with it because they struggle to focus and it ends up frustrating them too much because they don’t feel like they have control.
I absolutely get not wanting to medicate. I didn’t want to either. But, I had to. Because it was what’s BEST for him to help him thrive in school and lessen his anxiety.
He takes Vyvanse. It’s one of the more mild medications with almost no side effects showing. I hope you find a solution that works for him and you.
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When he has fist leave the room so he can have tantrums on his own
I got diagnosed with adhd, and I had to quit the medications because I didnt feel like myself anymore after I started taking them…So I started going to the gym and be active(and focused on what I ate, an example: more vegetables, less carbs). Just to get it all out, and I started making myself some rutines through the day, and these changes worked for me… I have the type of adhd wich mainly affects my mental health, like its 1000 thoughts at a time and I never get to think 1 of them through before 5 New Comes flying by and Its Kind of loud… Like a washing-machine sound before its finished(If that makes sense lol) 
Now I have a son that its going to be evaluated to see if he too has adhd, and I have taken the “cirkle of security class” and Its really helped me meet my son where he is in his feelings, and understand him better…
I highly recomend that class(its for all parents, diagnose or not) 
Im not against Medications but I Just think its Worth trying everything else first, whatever thats best for YOUR Child is whats important(not spanking ofc, thats doesnt help any Child). Activities, changed diet, rutines to make it predictably(cant plan everything ofc, but with the things that can be planned), Acknowledging the childs feelings by talking to them about it after they calmed down after a tantrum…
Hope you guys figure it out
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He or she needs a project , support. A mentor and someone to believe in . Smacking is only. Attention n boundary. Pushing. Busy parents need to. Find brilliance that they can. Trust. THEIR. Child with. Amen
We tried sports musical instrument ( both we still do) diet modification any natural supplements I could research ( not cbd oil ). After testing we chose to use medication. We have a good dr and it took several different meds to find the right one for him. It’s been a huge difference.
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I had it as a kid and grew out of it later on after I left school … the trick is to make things fun … I count concentrate to save my life but to help me concentrate at school my parents put me on a slow release Ritalin… worked wonders for me coz I wasn’t getting in so much trouble and wasn’t annoying my friends so much . Try and take yourself out of the picture about medication . Ritalin is a stimulant not a suppressor it speeds the brain up so that it thinks befor it acts and not the other way around and doesn’t make you cloudy or anything. Hope everything works out 
Martial arts training had helped my son
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This is probably pretty controversial but I’m the same way when it comes to medication and I will say this. Almost all the kids that test for ADHD are just highly intelligent and are usually misdiagnosed. I firmly believe that Diet also plays a huge role
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My oldest now 13 was dx in kindergarten as adhd and a few other things. He had to be medicated but he was hospitalized 1x and outpatient another due to the meds. I finally was able to get a dr to listen to me and he is med free for 2yrs now and an a/b student!
I was diagnosed with it at a young age and I grew out of it. Give them time
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My daughter is on medican and it is a life saver because she pays attention to the teachers and listens better at first when she went into kindergarten she couldn’t write her name let alone pay attention to anything the teacher was saying. Cause her brain was 90 to nuthing So now that she is on her medication she now’s how to write her name and is doing a hole lot better in school cause her brain is slowing down so much to help her focues in school and at first I was so not for the medican but I can see a difference yes she’s still active but not like she was
My son was diagnosed at 4. ADHD, Hyperactive with impulsive type so to say he’s busy and distracted easily is an understatement. He is also highly intelligent. As a combination it is tough but we started by getting his gut health right (a good probiotic and no/low sugar), removing all artificial dyes from his diet and at different points gone both dairy and gluten free. Removing the dyes and limiting sugar helped. We have a regular routine of essential oils and vitamins, he takes 5 mg of melatonin every night. We also limit screen time to just a couple hours each week. He is a grade ahead of his age group at the advice of his teachers and still in the gifted program for his grade. He is on a competitive soccer team that has practice twice a week and games every weekend. He’s in PE based education program. He sees a therapist and has a 504 plan.
Guess what, all that and He STILL needed meds. He will tell you he feels more in control of his own body on meds, he feels like he can talk to people on meds, he likes feeling like he can get his work done, he likes how he can hear what his teacher says, he likes how he’s a better friend on meds.
Guess what good news is… Meds don’t make you a bad parent! They don’t make you a lazy one. They make you one who is trying to help your child become their best. I have a better relationship with my son because of meds, I was so frustrated with him and his behaviors. Now we’re find ways his ADHD is a gift instead of a curse. Don’t be afraid to be the advocate your child needs.
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Why are you against giving your child medicine ? I had ADHD while in school and the meds are awesome!! I loved being able to focus. Would you refuse meds if your kid got cancer? Of course he is smart. But not smart enough to urge his brain to focus!!!
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why would you punish your child for a condition they might have? work on your parenting because thats just shitty
My son is ADHD, he can’t take most medicine for it because he has a Tic disorder (like tourettes) and the medicine would make his tics worse. I tried cbd oil for his tics and they actually went away after a few months. His behavior also was much better, he concentrated better. The main thing with him is just reminding him to pay attention. Getting his teachers on board is tough because they’re over loaded with students whom all need help. Ultimately I recommend trying cbd oil as a natural remedy. We used Palmetto Harmony company, make sure what you get is 100% natural.
I had ADHD growing up and 1 thing i want to say about taking medication from experiance is that i never felt like myself. I also never learned to think before i act so i was an adult acting like a 13 year old. Now i feel some small medication would help me focus because i still deal with that issue to this day.
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I’ve read that some parents have replaced the medication with a cup of coffee with a small bit of sugar and some milk helps the same was that medication would work without the side effects. The caffeine works the same way Adderall would work on an ADHD individual. Also my sister in law removed red food dye from her kids diets and that also made a difference.
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Spanking doesnt work for ADHD, they are freaking ruthless. Talking works for my son. He was on adderall and it worked well. If your kid is a boy dont let them put him on Risperdal, it will give him boobs!!! My son is just not getting to the point where they are going away and it’s been 7 years
There are non stimulants for ADHD, I don’t think they work as well. Myself and my child both take adderall. My husband says adderall makes him sweat too much and he got by on running. He threw himself into running as a child and became an elite marathoner in his adult years. I run too, it helps with my anxiety but not my focus. Adderall changed my life and more recently my daughter’s life. If you create a strict routine and you keep your child very busy, you might be able to get away with no meds, which is great, but you need to know, beyond all doubt, that your child is better off without them. Otherwise you’re allowing them to carry this huge weight on their shoulders that doesn’t need to be there, all because you have it in your head that these meds are bad. If you need them, they aren’t. They are a gift. They have allowed my child to sit long enough to learn. Meds are not bad. They may actually prevent these kids from finding other ways to medicate. The search for that next dopamine fix is real. And it’s powerful. You might think you’re protecting them, maybe you are… maybe not.
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I am very leary of medicating for anything … from headaches to sleeping. I was against using meds for my ADHD child because he has a huge personality and I didn’t want that to change, and I didn’t want to introduce more chemicals into his little body. As he got older, his teachers said he was having a harder time paying attention, even with classroom accommodations, which was really affecting his grades. I reluctantly talked to his pediatrician about meds (she thinks like I do about meds). We tried the meds (which broke my heart, but I had to try). It was like night and day! He was able to focus, listen and learn. He even commented the next day how he now understands math class! I’m tearing up now just thinking about that amazing day. He only takes the meds on school days, and not on weekends or vacations. The teachers say he’s still his same awesome self and not muted. You have to make an informed decision that is best for your child. Please know that punishment doesn’t work. They’re not doing things on purpose. Understanding how ADHD affects your child can go a long way. Understood
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I waa diagnosed with “ADHD” as a kid… I was a big girl too as a kid… I was put on FOCLIN for it and i lost all weight because it kept me from eating and being energized… I was a zombie the whole time with everything.
We tried many things, none of which worked. My child is on Adderall and is doing extremely well. She only needs to take it when she is going to school. She seems happier overall and more controlled when she is overwhelmed.
My girls were diagnosed at 8 and 11. . And prescribed dyanaval. .I liked their grades I didnt like their reaction to the medicine. I decided to take a step back and have patience and help them with whatever they needed to to get better grades rather than medicating them.
You’re spanking him for having adhd?
My son got diagnosed at 5 put him on meds changed meds a lot tried different sports and activities at age 14 he had a meltdown at school so bad he was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance the Dr. at the children’s hospital told me my son was extremely addicted to his meds and I should consider winging him off slowly. My son had to detox from his ADHD meds it was the worst thing I did toy son I gave him those pills so he could sit still and not cause chaos at school so that he could have normal life I am not going to lie the pills worked great but I stole my child personality his ability to feel emotions I didn’t want to deal with it and I took the easy way out. Me personally I have learned there are so much more methods of treatment now then there was back then.
After withdrawal of the meds and a long stay at a children’s center my son had to learn how to love life without the meds it was heartbreaking seeing him suffer so much my family did counciing for 2 yrs once a week and I quit my job to be able to be at school anytime he or they needed me he did 4 yrs of behavior therapy to be able to understand what was appropriate behavior and had anger management class for the same amount of time he’s 17 now and we’ll all I have to say is if someone would have told me that what I was giving my son was addicted I would really think about it and say no not to make me or anyone else more comfortable my son is who he is and there is another way to help him with out drugs
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consider a good naturopath
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I would NEVER put my son on medication dor “adhd” that is just a way for schools and socitety to calm kids down. Let kids be kids. They aint doing good in school? Try actually helping them with there homework sit down and do extra practice…
Stop medicating kids for being kids!!!
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My son has ADHD…I tried medicine once only…did not like the side effects…he wasn’t himself…instead I followed child development rules… don’t say don’t run because they only hear run . instead say please walk…
Don’t give a bunch of choices…only 2…like would you prefer milk or water…
Don’t say.this, this and this has to be done…do one thing at a time…
Now every child is different…it took awhile for me to get it right for my child…he definitely had lots of energy…spent a lot of time outside…good luck
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The us is only country on the planet that even identifies this as a thing. Try diet changes. Less refined sugars and frozen meals. More fresh vegis and natural sugars.
Please research alternatives over meds and make it a last resort
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caffeine counter acts the adhd, i have it and i would drink a monster and get tired