Kids and meds....

I would suggest getting a second opinion. I am always leery of doctors that want to dish out the drugs - especially if they keep upping the doses without getting to the root of the problem. You may also want to take him to a psychiatrist to see if there is a mental issue and a naturopathic doctor. Sometimes kids are allergic to certain food additives or they have sensitivities to chemicals that make their symptoms worse. Best of luck to you.

Hobbymommy, 38, is a discussion leader from Mesa. She is a happy stay-at-home mommy to a 3-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son.

Couple of questions..

What kind of dr. is giving you the meds? Has your son been evaluated or tested for any of his behavioral issues?

I have a son who is autistic who had sever behavior issues. He never slept and he had some of the most violent outbursts and meltdowns I have ever seen. (I'm not saying you child is autistic just saying I know how bad it can be) We had him evaluated by the school district (its free) and he was admitted to the developmental preschool.(They know how to work with behavior issues) We also had him tested for Celiac disease (gastrointestinal disorder) turns out he has it and we took gluten out of his diet and saw a totally different kid. We also chose to have him take Melatonin (sp) to help him get to sleep. He now sleeps through the night. All of this is done with the guidance of our pediatrician & our developmental pediatrician. Before he was diagnosed with autism I was told he had ADHD and that he needed meds. now he is in a mainstream school with no ADHD issues. The moral of this story is if you feel like what you are doing isn't working then find another doctor. Look for resources from your school district and other moms. If I were you I would have him tested to get an official diagnoses then decide what path to take.

Hope this helps. Good luck!
Steff

I agree with scheduling a preschool assessment for your little one. If you feel your child is easily distracted, you might ask if his evaluation can be done one-on-one otherwise he might be in a room with a bunch of little kids. I experienced the same with our son.

I wondered the same about our son last year only to find out that he had hypoglycemia. It's like dealing with Dr Jeckyl & Mr Hyde. I had considered ADD, too, except our pediatrician was not inclined to think he has it because our little boy takes 1 afternoon nap a day plus sleeps about 10 hrs a night. He also told me that children cannot be fully assessed for ADD/ADHD until they are about 8.

Has your Dr ever done a sleep study on your little man before putting him on meds? I noticed that our son, with all the rest he gets, always has pink circles under his eyes. His Dr said that it's due to his allergies, but I am going to ask to have him tested because our little guy snores! Little people aren't supposed to snore according to a report I saw on TV. It was about a mom who thought her son had a number of biochemical issues and it turned out that he was horribly sleep-deprived. They performed minor surgery to correct his nighttime breathing and she said her sons is now a totally diferent child - like somebody flipped a switch.

I am not advocating any extreme measures or surgery; however, I agree that your little guy might be helped with some alternative testing. There are pediatric counsellors who are qualified to administer various behavioral assessments.

I wish you peace and the best of luck.

Mouse_tales is a discussion leader in the East Valley for arizonamoms.com. She spends most of her days juggling her duties as a (bio & step) mom, wife, and business owner. Her three little kittens range in age from 5 to 13.

It's really hard to diagnose ADHD in a child this age, but they can diagnose other conditions. If you are concerned your child is not getting the proper treatment BY ALL MEANS see another doctor. You have a right to get a second, third, fourth opinion. You should not feel like the doctor is not addressing your concerns. Make a list of your questions and don't let them push you out until you have answers. These type of issues in young children can be addressed with proper medications/treatments if they are diagnosed early and correctly. I hope other moms here can jump in and share some of their experiences with this.

Susan is mom to Alexander, Isabel, David and stepmom to Eric. Make sure your email address is current, we'll be giving out great prizes DAILY in September after our site makeover! Don't miss out!

Second and third opinion if needed. Follow your gut - if it is telling you that its something else, listen to it. I was once told my son had a stomach virus at the ER, when we got home something told me that it was not a virus and I took him back - he had internal bleeding from a fall on a hockey stick. Had I waited and followed the initial diagnosis he probably wouldn't be here today because we almost lost him anyways.

I agree with previous posters - get a second opinion.

It sounds like you are not at all satisfied with the treatment your son is getting - it only works for a short time, it has not been fuly explained to you, the dosage is upped without further testing, and your doctor has not explored other options with you.

If you feel the problem is rooted in behaviorial problems (just to note, it could be the other way, some physical problem could be causing behaviorial issues), I would suggest a behaviorial psychiarist. Not a psychologist in this case, because psychiatrists are also licensed MDs, and can order a battery of tests and prescribe medication as necessary or not. I would check out Children's Hospital, and/or Banner Desert (they are getting their children's hospital up and running now), and see what kinds of specialists they have. And I would definitely go with a pediatric psychiarist - behavior issues often manisfest themselves differently in children than in adults, and I'd want someone with the expertise in children.

Agreed. Try a second opinion and perhaps a naturopath. I would also see if your child can test into one of the "early intervention" programs that all disticts offer and maybe some occupational or behavioral therapy.
I would be leery of too much medicine for such a young child, but it does sound like a special and trying situation. I wish you luck as you advocate for your son.

Brooke Romney is an unbalanced mom of three young boys who constantly has too much to do, and too little time. She writes the Mom Beat column for The Gilbert Republic.

Your son may have ADHD but it sounds much more severe than that. And the medication CAN help but only if you're consistant in giving it to him. I know morning meds don't make since to you but if he gets the meds in his system on a regular basis there is a big possibility you will see him go to sleep better and easier. I too, would seek a second opinion. Maybe even call your insurance company and go to a completely different office. Good luck to you and your son.

Paz

My 13 yr old son just graduated from 8th grade w/ Honors, received a congrat letter from Pres. Bush. Teachers GUSH over him at conferences, and he almost never gets in trouble at home. This is because he is on meds.

He was diagnosed w/ "Night Terrors" at two and was put on Clonazepam(Klonopin). The dynamics of a household change greatly when everyone is getting sleep. (He has successfully stopped taking this one in Dec '07, yea)

For ADHD he takes Metadate.

PLEASE do not let the anit-drug people dissuade you from doing what is necessary to save a child, household and marriage! Do I love having to give my child drugs, NO! But teachers LOVE him instead of wanting him out of their classrooms! He loves school and is very, very successful! He gets straight A's and never has homework because he is so focused at school he gets it all done there!

With meds, you must be consistant, and sometimes you have to try a couple before you find the right one and sometimes there are initial side effects that go away.

My son is a true success story, and he was a child who was asked to "unenroll" from three different day care centers!!

I hope this helps.