Good Day, you may remember my previous post in Feb. My son finally got diagnosed with ADHD. He was put on Concerta and I have personally been seeing a calmer boy than usual. He has now been more sensitive and cried a bit much now. Like last weekend we went for a nice 3 family photoshoot and the other boy scratched him on the face and he cried so much. This is unlike him, he usually retaliates. I am not sure if I should be worried or not. The other day he just started crying because he was thinking about his grand dad (who dies before he was born) and how sad he would reallt feel if he knew him. I am really not sure here what to make of it.
On the other hand I have not told the school that he is on medication , I am just waiting to here feedback from the school because they should also see some improvement, right?
We waited to tell our daughters school when we originally started her meds for the same reasons. We wanted to see if her teacher noticed without the knowledge. In regards to the crying it is fairly normal for the meds to make our kids more emotional. If it gets worse or too for him to handle make sure you talk to your doctor to see what he thinks.
We see the most improvement for our son in the school environment. The medication made it so much easier for him to get his work done.
I wouldn't hesitate about telling the school though. Teachers do their best for kids when they know what they are dealing with. And you may be able to get extra support for your child at school if they know of the ADHD diagnosis.
When we make medication changes or even when my son has a rough night due to lack of sleep, I always notify the teacher so that she is aware of why he may be acting a certain way and can help manage the day.
I hope you see improvement in school, in his studies and with his behavior. Has your son mentioned anything, or does he get a progress report of some kind from the teacher? I wish him success!
All I would say is, once he leaves school taking him off the meds and get him councillor who specialises in adhd to teach him ways to cope with it without meds because they have, a depressing effect over time, and I say from experience on being on meds it’s a paused button! Not a cure
Wow, Ben, so sorry to disagree with you, but i have to on this one. Kmom, I feel very strongly about NOT taking children off meds during the summer break. I am a retired psychiatric nurse & worked with children a lot. But my most memorable experience working with ADHD kids was when i worked a temp summer camp. There was a marked difference between kids on & off their meds. How they behave or cope is a direct result of how they are feeling physiologically & mentally. These kids are not put on meds just to be able to be calmer & focus in school. They still have to deal with life & they still deserve to feel better. A child should never, in my opinion, be taken off meds & then go to therapy. They would accomplish little, if anything. Meds +therapy, then, with dr ‘s & parents’ & child’s agreed, maybe can try off meds later. Give the kid a chance. I have been on meds 9 yrs with no increasing depresssion. E veryone’s different. Parents please remember, a child’s behavior is in direct relation to how they feel inside. Off meds in summer or wkends=child going right back to ADHD & feeling terrible.
Definitely, everyone is different on this issue. In the end, all of us should do what works best for our families and what our trusted medical professionals approve.
Different for sure. I worked at a summer day camp and after school with an amazing boy. On summer outings he and the teachers sometimes forgot his afternoon dose of medication. He was liked by his peers but he needed medication to understand context, to hear and understand others, and without medication he had very little self control. He knew and agreed that his day was much better with medication. When he was younger his parents made the choice to medicate him and in his case it made school and friendship possible.
On the very rare days that I am not able to take my Concerta, there is such a marked difference in my behavior that my entire family is affected by it. The constant spinning merry go round of thoughts, ideas, things that I want to say, etc goes so fast that without help I am simply overwhelmed and can’t say or do anything at all. I am currently on an extended release pill, and I can feel it click on and off each day, usually right at 12 hours.
When my doctor and I have had to alter my meds in the past it throws such a curve ball in my daily life - days & nights without sleep, frustrations, a ‘tweaking out’ feeling - I don’t know how else to describe it - I am on edge and will freak out on the first person who sets me off.
My heart goes out to those who are struggling with finding the right dosage amount or treatment plan that works best. A lot of times the waiting period that the drug needs to take effect isn’t given the time that is needed. I believe that thwere is a song that says “the waiting is the hardest part”…wonder if they had ADHD too…
