New to ADHD

[crispygriz]

Hello I am new to this forum. Please forgive my mistakes. My son is in the process of most likely being diagnosed with ADHD. We never took ADHD seriously because he doesn't have attention deficit. He is incredibly impulsive, angry, inpatient and hyperactive. Our life this summer has been awful. My husband and I have both been in tears and we feel like our family is falling apart. I wanted to know if anyone else has a child with impulse control and violent tantrums. My son can't stand waiting for anything. Some days are ok and some are so bad I am just wasted. I feel afraid to go anywhere some days in case he does damage or hits a kid. Would love any advice. Especially about meds. My son is 6. Thank you so much.

[Maverick_Mom]

Oh, my -- yes. Been there, done that, have the guilt and the frustration and the feeling of being a terrible parent because I don't understand why my child is this way. (My son also has Asperger's and a seizure disorder.) We have not gone the medication route because we have gotten conflicting information from various doctors on medicating for ADHD when a child is already on a medication for seizures. I am so weary of conflicting information and often feel like I'm in this on my own. So no words of wisdom but lots of empathy. I will say that being able to homeschool my son has probably saved both him and me from losing our minds. ;)

[RamonaQ]

Hello! Welcome!!!! I am sure you will find support here as there are many knowledgeable, great moms who parent ADHD kids.

 

:001_smile:

[momtotkbb]

You just described my middle ds at 6 until almost 8 when we finally decided to go the meds route. I can only say that for him and for us it has made a tremendous difference in life, in his ability to learn, etc. Things aren't perfect --he still has moments at now 12 years of age ---but it is considerably better. I didn't think he had attention issues --until I sat in the room w/ him for the testing and watched him drop his pencil, fall out of his chair, rock in his chair, etc. ---but he could still answer all the questions correctly --he is gifted and has LD and SPD to go w/ it so the combo created a little boy that was frustrated, angry, impulsive, and a constant body of movement.

[Ottakee]

Are you seeing a pediatric psychiatrist or just a pediatrician? I ask as some of what you mention sounds like it goes beyond ADHD.

 

Have you ever looked at early onset bipolar? These kids can be ADHD to the MAX (super hyper), rapid mood swings, can be violent (but not nec), over the top reactions to things, very impulsive, etc. Bipolar in kids looks a lot different than it does in adults.

 

http://bipolar.about.com/cs/kids_diag/a/red_flags4.htm Here is one list of symptoms

 

http://www.bpkids.org/learn/library/about-pediatric-bipolar-disorder Here is another one

 

I mention this because IF ( and I am not a doctor) there is more than just ADHD going on, the meds for ADHD can make things much worse instead of better.

 

If possible, I would suggest consulting with a top notch specialist in bipolar and ADHD in young children. They should have the training and experience to help figure out what is going on, what meds might be indicated, do test to rule out other medical issues (thyroid, blood sugar, anemia, heart issues, seizures, etc) that can go along with these things or even mimic them but need very different treatment.

 

Hello I am new to this forum. Please forgive my mistakes. My son is in the process of most likely being diagnosed with ADHD. We never took ADHD seriously because he doesn't have attention deficit. He is incredibly impulsive, angry, inpatient and hyperactive. Our life this summer has been awful. My husband and I have both been in tears and we feel like our family is falling apart. I wanted to know if anyone else has a child with impulse control and violent tantrums. My son can't stand waiting for anything. Some days are ok and some are so bad I am just wasted. I feel afraid to go anywhere some days in case he does damage or hits a kid. Would love any advice. Especially about meds. My son is 6. Thank you so much.

[Geo]

Hello I am new to this forum. Please forgive my mistakes. My son is in the process of most likely being diagnosed with ADHD. We never took ADHD seriously because he doesn't have attention deficit. He is incredibly impulsive, angry, inpatient and hyperactive. Our life this summer has been awful. My husband and I have both been in tears and we feel like our family is falling apart. I wanted to know if anyone else has a child with impulse control and violent tantrums. My son can't stand waiting for anything. Some days are ok and some are so bad I am just wasted. I feel afraid to go anywhere some days in case he does damage or hits a kid. Would love any advice. Especially about meds. My son is 6. Thank you so much.

 

Sounds like my son. There is NO doubt my son is adhd, but he probably has other issues as well (asperger's, sid?)l. We are awaiting a thorough evaluation coming up at the end of Sept. He had horrible tantrums/meltdowns. I had a consult with a new ped about it. After an in-depth discussion he felt fairly confident that the anger, opposition and meltdowns were anxiety...separate from adhd.

He is currently on Zoloft and he's soooo much better. No tantrum/meltdowns in 3 weeks! :hurray:The adhd is still an issue (to put it mildly) and carries it's own problems, but the anxiety is what was affecting the entire family, we were all traumatized by it. He must have been suffering terribly. If your son has anxiety issues, medication for adhd will just make the anxiety worse. First things first. It's very important that you find a Dr. that will listen carefully to your concerns and see how he thinks you should proceed. An evaluation is still in order, but your son may be able to benefit from appropiate medication until that can happen.

 

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:...I know what you're feeling. It can get better.

Geo

Edited August 19, 2010 by Geo

[crispygriz]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. I will definetly look into anxiety! I appreciate your tips.

BC

[sheryl]

Hello I am new to this forum. Please forgive my mistakes. My son is in the process of most likely being diagnosed with ADHD. We never took ADHD seriously because he doesn't have attention deficit. He is incredibly impulsive, angry, inpatient and hyperactive. Our life this summer has been awful. My husband and I have both been in tears and we feel like our family is falling apart. I wanted to know if anyone else has a child with impulse control and violent tantrums. My son can't stand waiting for anything. Some days are ok and some are so bad I am just wasted. I feel afraid to go anywhere some days in case he does damage or hits a kid. Would love any advice. Especially about meds. My son is 6. Thank you so much.

 

 

Hi and welcome.

 

Yep, my 11 yo dd is add and adhd. You summed it well. Some days are good and others not...no rhyme nor reason (old fashioned saying). :001_smile:

 

Some days she can NOT exercise self-control and the least little thing will set her off. Other days she's an angel.

 

She's on adderall (morning, regular) and risperdal (night).