AimeeM Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 OFF of her ADD medication! Seriously, I thought it was going to be a huge struggle. Given, her school is specialized and set up to deal with students, medicated or unmedicated, with attention problems, but she is absolutely SOARING off of the medication. Sure, she's a bit more hyper, but every single teacher, and her headmaster, has mentioned how much happier she is, that she laughs more, that the temper tantrums have ceased, that the moodiness and back talking have simmered to almost non-existent. Once she is focused (and it does take a bit longer to get her to that point now, but eh), she is finishing her work more quickly AND with better quality than when she was ON her medication. She no longer has to stay in after school tutoring to do her homework - she is finishing it easily at home, in about an hour, after school. I am so glad I forgot to give her the meds that day, and I'm so grateful for the astonished, but happy, immediate feedback from the school staff ("I'm not sure why, but Autumn was in such a great mood today!"). Her grades are actually UP, because she's more pleasant and easier to work with, and (dare I say it) the meds actually appear to have been "dumbing her down", so to speak - she had not zest or enjoyment on the meds, so it makes sense that now she's more willing to ask questions, enjoys being there again, and is doing better. She had been on high doses since mid-grade 2. She's in grade 7 now. The school staff actually seems to much prefer hyper, but happy and pleasant, Autumn to low key, focused, but moody Autumn who hated school. Just a happy dance :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Wow-- really happy for you and sort of sad too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Good news! A local gymnastic coach once told me that she found that some of her gymnasts started winning only after they had safely weaned off of their medication. They were much more powerful and expressive in their routines. Obviously not true in every case, but I found that interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Wow, what a pleasant surprise! It's great that she feels better and the medication os no longer needed! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted April 3, 2014 Author Share Posted April 3, 2014 Wow-- really happy for you and sort of sad too! Why sad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 I guess it seems like there has to other children who don't have this revelation and are not getting this new life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted April 3, 2014 Author Share Posted April 3, 2014 Good news! A local gymnastic coach once told me that she found that some of her gymnasts started winning only after they had safely weaned off of their medication. They were much more powerful and expressive in their routines. Obviously not true in every case, but I found that interesting. It's so odd to me. In the beginning, the medication helped her so much. For the past two years, however, we were noticing massive mood swings and attributed it to hormones... until we missed a couple doses and got such great feedback, lol. My only "concern" is high school. Unless she learns how to self-control the ADD/ADHD tendencies on her own, without medication, I'm afraid she may have to go back on, if she wants to attend the Catholic high school. The school she's in currently is only K-8, and is a special needs school exclusively dealing with dyslexia and ADD/ADHD... I'm not sure how she'd fair in a neurotypical rigorous private high school, where they may be more concerned with academic results, and not pleased with her newly found enthusiasm (lol), even if she is more pleasant for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted April 3, 2014 Author Share Posted April 3, 2014 I guess it seems like there has to other children who don't have this revelation and are not getting this new life Oh, I agree. Although I have a few issues with dd's school, the one thing that is unrivaled is how supportive they are of our decisions regarding Autumn. They actually seem to lean anti-medication, if anything, but will not advise either way. They were thrilled to hear she was off the meds. Children who attend neurotypical schools often, unfortunately, are pushed to continue because it makes children seem more compliant. I'm not sure how common it is for the medication, over time, to cause massive mood swings. We didn't start seeing negative behaviour from Autumn until her last two years on the medication (and then it was always "oh, she's in puberty"). I wish every child attended a school that was supportive of their parents' choices, and cared more about the child's passion for learning, and enjoyment in school, than they did with end results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 I'm glad she's feeling so much better. Fortunately there are many medications to try if she needs something new. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Maybe she did need the meds before but now after puberty not as much or maybe a different medication would be a better option for her in the future if she needs it. I think that for meds like ADD ones, etc. that the kids try to wean off every once in a while (under doctor's supervision as some meds need a taper, etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Why sad? I also felt a bit sad that she had to endure all those years on medication. Though of course this might not have worked that well earlier. So all is well, I guess. Mostly a happy accident, but a bit bittersweet. I'm very happy for your DD! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted April 3, 2014 Author Share Posted April 3, 2014 I also felt a bit sad that she had to endure all those years on medication. Though of course this might not have worked that well earlier. So all is well, I guess. Mostly a happy accident, but a bit bittersweet. I'm very happy for your DD! It certainly did wonders for her (in a positive way), until about 2 years ago. Unfortunately that was right around the time that we were expecting puberty, so we mistook the mood swings for that, when it appears to have been the medication. I definitely do not think it would have went well to take her many years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SadieMarie Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 I remember my brother hating Ritalin. He said it made him sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 So happy for you and your DD! How wonderful for her to sparkle, and to be in a school that appreciates it. I'm not anti-med either, but very happy that you had a happy accident, and that your daughter no longer seems to need those meds. Yay!!! ...On the sadness, you know, I felt that a bit, too, when reading the OP... for the other kids who don't have happy accidents. I wonder if maybe hitting puberty affects many of them this way, only no one knows? My nephew is one who loses his sparkle when he's on his ADD meds, and it always makes me feel sad to see him, like our family has lost something precious. Maybe there are other med options he could try, or maybe he's outgrowing the need (not that I will bring that up, those would be fighting words with SIL!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted April 4, 2014 Author Share Posted April 4, 2014 So happy for you and your DD! How wonderful for her to sparkle, and to be in a school that appreciates it. I'm not anti-med either, but very happy that you had a happy accident, and that your daughter no longer seems to need those meds. Yay!!! ...On the sadness, you know, I felt that a bit, too, when reading the OP... for the other kids who don't have happy accidents. I wonder if maybe hitting puberty affects many of them this way, only no one knows? My nephew is one who loses his sparkle when he's on his ADD meds, and it always makes me feel sad to see him, like our family has lost something precious. Maybe there are other med options he could try, or maybe he's outgrowing the need (not that I will bring that up, those would be fighting words with SIL!). I will say that the extended release capsules made things worse, looking back. The meds where I could control the dosage (adderall - not extended release), worked better. We had moved away from adderall during the shortage, and didn't go back until recently. I do have adderall here now, and I've put her on 1/4 dose only when she comes home from school SOME DAYS, because I did notice that with stopping cold turkey, she couldn't control her eating, after having been on the meds for so long, and will eat herself sick - she isn't used to feeling hunger at this point. Do you think you could mention THAT to your sister? Moving him to a medication where she could be in control of the dosing? If he only needs a little bit, one pill, if he needs more, he needs more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphus Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Ds is also 12, and has been off for over a year. We just couldn't trade his happy personality for better academics, and since we homeschool could choose that. Yes, his math work is perfect medicated and he never skips words reading, but he was so subdued, and then emotional and sick feeling during wear off, we just couldn't do it any more. It's the major reason he really can't go to public school, I wish we had access to a school like yours (I've read other posts by you about it). It's not for everyone, but I'm glad you (and I) got our happy kids back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted April 4, 2014 Author Share Posted April 4, 2014 Ds is also 12, and has been off for over a year. We just couldn't trade his happy personality for better academics, and since we homeschool could choose that. Yes, his math work is perfect medicated and he never skips words reading, but he was so subdued, and then emotional and sick feeling during wear off, we just couldn't do it any more. It's the major reason he really can't go to public school, I wish we had access to a school like yours (I've read other posts by you about it). It's not for everyone, but I'm glad you (and I) got our happy kids back! I'm so happy for your son. I kick myself for not doing this sooner. I am terribly worried about high school for DD. She isn't very happy at home, on or off meds, so we want her to have the Catholic school option, but they simply will NOT be as accommodating as her current school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 I have three kids with various degrees of attention issues. One kid is functionally disabled unless he is on meds - I don't say that lightly. It makes a tremendous difference. Very few side effects. One kid did fine for a couple of years but developed huge side effects that make it impossible to continue meds. One kid completely changed from a hyper, impulsive little monkey to a laser-focused, intense, anxious ball of worry with just a tiny dose of Ritalin. ADHD is real. ADHD is not a large umbrella term for every attention issue, though, and medication can make things worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Will the Catholic school listen to you if you go in with information from the current school re how dd learns best? Can the current school draw up what would essentially be an IEP w/o the goals and such, showing how different light accomodations may be helpful? Are there any other B&M schools around that might do a better job of meeting your dd's needs? Could she not have done well at home b/c of meds, and the new-found changes may mean home could work for high school, perhaps with some supplementation in areas with which you are not comfortable, or in which she needs more than you can give her? (Co-op? Tutoring? Online for a class or two? Homeschooling coupled with an apprenticeship or volunteering?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted April 4, 2014 Author Share Posted April 4, 2014 Will the Catholic school listen to you if you go in with information from the current school re how dd learns best? Can the current school draw up what would essentially be an IEP w/o the goals and such, showing how different light accomodations may be helpful? I could ask, but in general they haven't a great rep for working with children who aren't highly motivated and independent workers. Since it is the only Catholic high school in our area (encompassing, say, 3 cities) it is very large and I'm afraid she would get lost in the mix. The Head of her current school does talk to the head of whatever high school his children go to, and does follow them through high school, helping where he can... but as I said, this particular high school doesn't have a great rep for accommodating those who need extra help. They do have a special class for those with mild learning differences, but the key word here is "mild". Are there any other B&M schools around that might do a better job of meeting your dd's needs? No. Public school isn't an option that, at this point, we're willing to consider. While there are a ton of private schools, many more than willing to accommodate her needs, all are faith based, not our faith, and have a statement of faith we can't sign. For example, there's a university model classical school where she could sign up for as few or as many subjects as she wanted, and homeschool the rest, but the SOF specifically excludes Catholics. Our state (i.e. our public schools) do not recognize dyslexia as a special need. Could she not have done well at home b/c of meds, and the new-found changes may mean home could work for high school, perhaps with some supplementation in areas with which you are not comfortable, or in which she needs more than you can give her? (Co-op? Tutoring? Online for a class or two? Homeschooling coupled with an apprenticeship or volunteering?) It could very well be that she didn't do well at home because of the meds (considering she did very well at home the first year she homeschooled). She, however, needs to be around other children. She thrives in brick and mortar, frankly (and I don't say that lightly - I wanted it to work at home very much). She abhorred co-op; she felt like the odd man out. The Catholic co-op is comprised of academic homeschoolers, and that's GREAT, but my dd is a converse wearing, jeans loving, Harry Potter obsessed child, with dyslexia; the other girls made fun of her Latin translations, wear long skirts, and often aren't allowed Harry Potter, don't play soccer, etc. The other co-ops... same problem as the other private schools (SOF that we can't sign). An amazing co-op or hybrid program would be the only way she could thrive at home, and we just do not have that. I've tried starting my own, but it seems that most other older children are already heavily involved in the other co-ops... almost no bites (and I tried twice). The bites we did have, the parents had such drastically different approaches to education, that it caused quite a bit of tension and then cliques breaking off and going their own way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Aw, sorry to hear that. Thanks for your patient explanations. Hoping it works out for you! (and sorry for the whole Catholics aren't welcome crap.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.