Turning kids into zombies isn't the solution.
It is very important to remember the effects that ADHD have on a kid who is struggling with the everyday stuff. My son is 11 and we have resisted the idea of trying concerta for his ADHD, we have found that medication helps him be more calm, and at peace. Try to imagine what you would feel like if you had jolts of electricity going through your body every 30 seconds that seemed to interrupt your thoughts, memory, and just about everything else. That is what kids suffering from this disorder feel like. A trial of something like Ritalin could be an important step for your child's life. The thing is, the medication will only help with the feelings/physical issues. You must remember that this child has been dealing with these feelings a long time, he will need to be helped with the issues of organization, follow-through and over sight by you and his teachers. Address this now for the future.
My neighbors dog bit him during time with the dog. They took the dog to the Vet. and the dog put on Ritlan. The Vet said it would shorten the dogs life span. You decide! I am a woman and I would NOT put my child on this drug.
NO
NO
NO
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NO
Think about this... from what I've heard if a child takes Ritalin, they are unable to serve in the military because they had been prescribed mood-altering drugs.
Ritalin (and Paxil, etc.) are vastly overprescribed in this country. I don't know what your child's problem is and don't read anything into this, but in most cases it's nothing a little discipline wouldn't cure.
Since you asked, NO!
Don't do it. I can only reiterate the reasons already presented.
I am absolutely certain that my dear husband would have been a candidate for Ritalin if it was available when he was a kid. Until he became ill a couple years ago, he absolutely could not keep still.
I am ever so thankful that it wasn't available. Instead, the nuns in his grammar school took him out of the classroom and gave him real work to do, like helping in the school office.
It amazes me that schools seem to want to make kids (especially boys) sit still as punishment for misbehavior when they should be making them run laps around the schoolyard.
I haven't had a lot of experience with children on Ritalin, but the one I saw was turned into a zombie by the drug.
NO HE DOES NOT NEED RITALIN! FIND A NEW DR. THAT'S AT LEAST 50 YEARS OLD...
So you have to make a serious decision about your life and your son's health and you go to a political web site to make your decision? Good choice.
I was perscribed Ritalin at about that age, and I feel that it was a mistake. Sure, I have always had a little more trouble focusing my attention on what someone wants from me (i.e. a teacher, etc), but my ADD also came with a great benefit in that I can focus intently for long periods of time on things that are important to me. My recommendation would be to work with your son to work on techniques that allow him to get by without the medication (structured study times, copious notes, an appointment/schedule/homework book, whatever it takes).
Using Ritalin made it so that I functioned un-naturally and as a result it wasn't until I was about 20 that I finally learned to control myself.
There are some extreme cases where Ritalin is necessary, but I think it is one of the most over-perscribed drugs on the market. People have been growing up learning to live with ADD for thousands of years without Ritalin and I see no need to change that.
Teachers of course are big fans of the stuff, since it makes your child more easily controlled, but is that what you really want?
I've found ADD to be a great benefit, and I've seen that most of the highly successful people that I've worked with have ADD and have simply learned how to properly utilize it. Out of the top three troubleshooters at my last tech job (QA Engineer & Level 3 Tech Support, all three of us had moderate to severe ADD.
Not only do I view it as an advantage, but I don't view it as a disorder at all. With the number of people being "diagnosed" with this disorder, it would seem to me that it is just a way of learning and a part of your mental makeup. The problem is that the schools just don't want to take the time/effort to learn how to teach kids with ADD, they just want to drug them into normalacy.
In the end it is a decision for you and your wife to make, but I would suggest a lot of study on the situation before you decide to resort to chemical means to change the thought-patterns and behavior of your child. Hope this helps in some way.
My hyper 4 y/o grandson acts like a monkey. He just started a Christian private kindergarten. Two times sitting in the room with the teacher while everyone else went outside to play checked his act.
I don't know your circumstances but a second opinion is your right and some kids require medication but little boys (even at 10) are not made to sit at a desk all day quietly when they have the whole world to explore. :')
What are the long-term benefits of drug therapy? None demonstrated, I believe.
What side effects are there with long-term use? Short stature and low self-confidence, I believe.
What dosages have been shown to improve alertness, and what dosages are associated instead with sedative effects?
What other treatments have been shown to be effective? Consistent training and close supervision, I believe.
In order to develop self-control, an ADD child needs more instruction from teachers and parents,but when they are given drugs to control the condition they actually tend to get less instruction than other children.
The literature available from the doctor's office is just drug company advertising. Research is often funded by drug companies. You can easily find something on the internet to back up any opinion pro or con on the matter.
Take it from a former ADHD kid and Ritalin user, the only thing Ritalin does is make him lazy so he doesnt interfere with the class. It's only there for the teacher, who probably isn't teaching a class interesting enough for your child anyway.
Homeschool your child if possible, or see if you have a curriculum completion based private school. I used to study hard so I could finish the day's work and then read the rest of the time. Your child is possibly too fast of a learner for the other kids in his class, I know I was.
My oldest of 4 daughters is ADHD and Bi-polar. We went through a long period deciding to use the ritalin after seeking alternatives, ie, the Feingold diet.
THANK GOD we started her on it, as her life has dramatically improved.
I strongly suggest you go to someone who is trained to give a proper diagnosis through a series of tests and multiple visits.
Clearly it is overprescribed in the U.S. , but if your child can improve school and social wise, it will be well worth it to him and your relationship as a family.
Just say NO!
For all those who say not to medicate, do you have a child with ADD/ADHD? Because unless you have, you are in not much of a position to shun these drugs unless you have LIVED with a ADD child.
Karate and football helped my 10 year old nephew greatly. he has done a complete 180 over the past year.
I've heard food dyes and sugard affects some kids too. I personally notice a change in my 5 year old daughter when she has red food dye (as in Kool-aid).