ADHD medication

[MVA50]

Dear friends,
I am a father of 9 years old son diagnosed with ADHD, I want to hear about your experiences about medication prescribed by doctors for these kind of kids, if you are in simillar condition like me.
Are you happy with the effects of medications for ADHD kids?

[Janjan]

Hey!

My son is 15 and was diagnosed last year. He now takes medication which is helping with his concentration and impulse control but he has had some side effects. The medication is gradual release so he takes one tablet in the morning and it lasts 8 hours. His appetite is affected, he doesn’t eat much if anything at school. He has a big breakfast and tea to make up for this! He is also extremely fatigued when the medicine starts to wear off after school making homework completion very difficult. He also had headaches and stomach ache when he first started the medicine and when the dose given was increased. This has settled down now as we have found a dosage that works for him so it’s really only the tiredness and loss of appetite. In his case the medicine is worthwhile as he really was struggling at school. If you decide the medication route your consultant will start at the lowest does age and adjust to find the right balance for your son. Hope this helps!

[MVA50]

Dear Janan
Many thanks for your comments. I really appreciate it.
Although they have prescribed some medications but still I have not yet decided to start them.
So any kind of common experiences could help us in taking right decision.

[Bre-RO]

Hi there @MVA50 

Thank you for reaching out to our online community about your sons ADHD diagnosis. It can be a lot to process when your child receives a new diagnosis. How are you and your child feeling about the news? 

I'm happy to see you've had another parent share what worked for them. When I was diagnosed with ADHD, it was helpful to chat with others who had been through it too.

One piece of advice I received was that every person reacts differently to medication and doses. That alone was helpful for me and allowed me to find what works for me with the support of my doctor.

ADHD Support Australia might be a helpful website to check out as well - they provide resources and workshops for parents.