My youngest is on Strattera. The only side effect she has had is vomiting if she doesn’t eat enough with it. It’s not habit forming either. I also have her in therapy. It helps her be able to vent her anger and her frustrations.
Meds were my last resort but mine is on guanfacine. It has helped emensly. We continue to have some issues but after what feels like 1000 appointments he was also diagnosed with autism.
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My son has adhd and is currently on medication for it. If I had it my way, he wouldn’t be on anything but it is effecting his schooling and daycare. The pros are he is able to focus, he’s more calm and it helps with his anger outbursts. The cons are that once they start to wear off, his symptoms are worse. He doesn’t have an appetite and he starts to get super angry again over the littlest of things. Having a child with adhd is so hard and I feel for you mama.
We chose not to meditate our son. We had really strict rules. Do well at school or this will be taken away etc
We did have a pool and a bike to wear off extra energy. Saddly if we don’t put hard rules in when they are young they will not do well on the adult world. I am happy to say he has finished college and university. We were told by councilors etc if he made it to grade 8 just be happy.
His ADHD was at the very high level but so was his intelligence. It’s hard work but it pays off. Best of luck.
I have ADHD and am not medicated. My husband and son (16) have ADHD and are both medicated. (Vyvanse) They perform much better than I do.
If taking ADHD meds was an option for me, I’d be on them too.
If medication can help the child is school, why not try?
Have her in activities that burn energy. Helps specially after school for homework time.
My son has to have it to even function at all period. He has adhd and autism and its the only thing that can bring him to surface so he can be successful . Its too much to explain here and im sure no one would ever understand unless you wore my shoes . If you think its best then do it . Don’t listen to those who don’t have experience in it . Take care of your family any way you can .
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My kiddo is 7 and is on a non stimulant medication. It’s made all the difference in the world in his focus and his school work. I held him back in kindergarten because he wasn’t ready for first grade. This year, without a doubt in my mind, he’ll go to first grade with no issues. His teacher has told me he’s made an entire turn around.
I held off on getting my son on medication as long as I could. He started off on Straterra and then we added tenex. Which worked for awhile. With hesitation (from myself) we decided to switch to Medadate and added Zoloft for anxiety. And it seems to work well for him. He is able to focus in school and have no behaviors. He is on an IEP as well. He does still struggle sometimes but because he is able to sit still. And it is quite easy for me to tell when he needs a med adjustment. We really haven’t had any cons of medication. He eats and sleeps well and no major behaviors in school. And he is still able to be as active as ever and not in zombie mode as some people talk about.
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My son is repeating kindergarten this year and he has a iep because of ADHD. He says he feels better when he takes his medicine. The ADHD runs in the family though. I have no problem with medication except is causes him not to gain weight. I’d say try it. It can’t hurt!!
I tried everything before putting my son on medication but he started having behaviors at school and I had to. Since he been on medication he is doing so much better at school… He is on Quillivant and it’s a liquid that I give him once a day and it last 12 hours I’ve seen a big difference in him for the better
Try changing their diet to reduce the amount of sugar intake. It will help significantly and they will not have side effects from medication. You would be very surprised if you really look at the ingredients in most foods, they all have significant amounts of sugar.
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My daughter is dyslexic and had trouble focusing in school because of her struggles. Two months on Ritalin and her teacher has noticed that she has been able to hold her attention longer. Her only complaint is her stomach feels a little off and she says she can’t stop talking. I personally have not noticed any positive changes at home, loses things, unorganized, has no sense of time. So I think there are some more things as a parent I have to work on at home when she can focus. Good luck!
We tried everything with my daughter before we did meds. I’m glad we did because it made a big difference
Concerta and IEP were our saving grace during my sons earlier years. He graduated high school and went on to becoming a diesel mechanic. Now at 21 years old he chooses to, no longer take meds, but has found other ways to cope and function successfully with ADHD
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My oldest (28 now) has it. I didn’t medicate her because I didn’t like the idea of it. Once she hit high school, her grades got so bad I finally broke down and did it. I’m glad I did because she wouldn’t have graduated otherwise.
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My son has it . He is on aderall . He is not zombied . And functions very well on it same kid just less behaviours and calmer … I was against it at first but it bc works for him … he also needs routine and structure
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Young one - I’ve had a career working with children with special needs. The pros - some can help the child focus - the con - if dose is to high - kid loses interest in everything (zombie like some times)
Is she SDC all day or do they mainstream her for elective classes(PE, Art , music) ADHD children have a different way of learning - might be visual, audio, or “hands-on” . You also might try getting her involved with another activity she’s interested in( dancing, sports, extracurricular activities are good. )
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My kids were on Vyvanse it’s new and worked wonderful
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My son was diagnosed in kindergarten and started on an iep right away.
The school should have services for him. And if you don’t agree with them…do not sign it.
If you think she should be doing better, request an iep team meeting and ask for more services. I ended up putting my son in a therapeutic day school. He had more issues than adhd tho. Mine was medicated. He took intuniv and that worked really well for him.
Ritalin and the other stimulants worked for a bit, then didn’t. Mine is grown now, so I have been thru 13 years of ieps and meetings. Push for what she needs! And don’t back down. I wish I knew then, what I know now.
My daughter was diagnosed in 6th grade. She refused meds. In 10th grade her anxiety over being able to pay attention became all consuming.
The anxiety took over her life and depression is added to the mix. I was able to convince her to try meds a year ago and she admits that they work, but now we have so many other battles that the attention is the least of the worry.
With that said, I’m an advocate for meds. You can start with a low dose and see how things progress. (My daughter doesn’t take her Adderall on the weekends because she doesn’t need to focus.)
CBD…it’s worth a shot!
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I’m scared to shove my kid on meds. I’ve seen a lot of kids on meds needing more meds to counteract the first one’s side effects. That and or they aren’t the same kids anymore. I’m so afraid it would make my little guy just a robotic zombie 
I’m in the same boat as you all are my son also has ADHD and can’t stay focused on anything and I tried the liquid and refused to take it. Now I just don’t know rather to give it to him
Tried to hold out as long as I could but long story short has lots of trauma, developmental delays, anxiety, and many diagnoses. My daughter was on Concerta for a long time but due to max out dosage we switched to focalin (acts similar to Concerta) and has been working amazing along eith an IEP. Also takes fluexitine for high anxiety and the combo has made all the difference
My child did so much better on meds. She wanted to try without them. She’s older now. But she’s not doing well in school so we are going back to meds. Every child reacts different to each med so it will take time to find what works for your child. Good luck 
Yes. My son and I are both taking medication to help manage our adhd. It’s literally life changing.
Honestly, look up how the medications work. There is a huge stigma attached to adhd medications because they use scary words like "stimulant ". They basically help the brain make and retain something that it naturally has a hard time doing on it’s own. No different than what insulin is to a diabetic. It’s a parents choice whether to medicate or not, but it’s irresponsible to do either without first researching what adhd is, what it affects, how a neurodivergent brain is different from a neurotypical brain, medications available, and how these medications actually work.
I had my son who is now in his early 30’s diagnosed when he was in 1st grade. I tried meds but he lost his appetite and said he felt funny , so I went another route. Now my son was a well behaved boy for the most part he just had to much going on in his head . He had a hard time watching a movie and sitting still so I gave him a puzzles to do while watching movies, he didn’t like to sleep much so I allowed him to read and do puzzles and watch calm shows as long as he was good quite and didn’t wake his sister ( they had separated rooms . As for school I had a meeting with him and the team at school abt what was expected of him and them and myself, I told them to call asap as he became a issue and I would come get him , then I had him do home school, I made it less desirable then his school and added extra house work. We also developed a single for on the play ground for the yard duty to give him that reminded him of what we had discussed. It took only a few times to have him realise he had the power to control his outcome by slowing down and adjusting his behavior. It takes a team and alot of consistency from everyone to make it work . He now uses medical marijuana and CBD and says it helps alot . I wish I would have had CBD to try back then I think he would have benefited from it . I dint knock meds if they work but the side effects can be stressful.
We are on Vyvanse. It’s a life changer, now straight a student
Only downside is his appetite is curbed. So he’s lost 10 pounds in the span of 6 months. So we just don’t medicate on non school days.
My son takes adderall. I tried to hold out on medication until he stayed back in 1st grade. It got to the point where I dreaded going out in public. He was so fresh all the time. It took a long time to get the right medication & dosage & we just recently upped his dosage again. He’s 16 now & a freshman in high school. He graduated 8th grade with honor roll. The pandemic & no distractions def had something to do with that though. Medication was definitely a life changer for us.
Get re-evaluated to make sure it’s just ADHD. As someone who works with this Population daily - ADHD rarely travels alone and is usually accompanied with another diagnosis- whether it be learning disabilities, emotional or behavioral problems, anxiety, depression etc. not trying to scare you but if more then ADHD is going on then only treating the ADHD will not work
There is multiple medications. My daughter had been on 3 different types before we settled on the one she is currently on. If her meds was changed I wanted to be able observe her and her reaction to the meds or dosage. Don’t be afraid to watch your child. You know your child from wake up to bedtime. Not all meds do the same thing. She was on one med that made her clingy and reserved. That med was a big no. Another made her sad and droopy and we tried another. And this current medication has gotten her out of her room and social. We will see how it goes for another month.
Both my children are on medication for ADHD/ADD and do way better in school due to being on the medication. I was against medicating for the first few years of their diagnoses but their education is very important to me so I tried it and it made a huge difference. If you want to give it a try and your dr thinks they will benefit from it then give it a try. Might take a few dose changes to find the right dose and medication not worth it in the end for some who have had it help.