ADHD

I got medicated as an adult, so I can't directly share my experiences relating to your question.

I wish I had been medicated at a younger age, since I can see so many problems I had in my life that were ultimately related to entirely unmanaged ADHD.
I also turned out fine without it, things were just more difficult.

Make sure you trust your pediatrician and that you're on the same page as them. That'll make it easier to feel confident that their advice is in line with your goals. They all have your kids best interest at heart, but there are different emphasis they can focus on which might not mesh with yours.

Talk with your kid and see how they feel. They might not be old enough to fully articulate things, but you can try to get a feel for if they're feeling volatile, struggling or things like that. Look at how they play alone and with others, and at how they engage with homework.

Start slow, and work your way up.

Related but not directly answering the question; i went off medication before puberty (parents decision, not mine). My medication (straterra) had appetite suppression as a side effect, and that change (low/no appetite to suddenly having an appetite) seriously messed with my eating habits long term.

Consistency is important, don't try to juggle off/on ADHD medications once they've started.

Hi, I'm writing as someone with ADHD who was not diagnosed until my mid-30s, and also as a parent of a child who is medicated for his ADHD. We both have inattentive-type (no hyperactivity).

My husband was also very nervous about medicating our son. Part of what convinced him was seeing the very positive difference it made in my life when I started taking medication. After some trial I found a dose that works well for me; it helps me to focus and stay organized, and I still feel completely myself. There are some side effects, for me mostly to do with appetite, but they are manageable.

Our son is a few years older than yours, and he's on a low dose (10mg) of his medication, which works well for him. It does help him keep on track with things like schoolwork, but by far the biggest benefit we've seen is in the social/emotional sphere. He is much better able to recognize and control his emotions, and he almost never has an emotional meltdown anymore (whereas before small things would set him off very easily). He's a happy, engaged kid.

The one thing we have to monitor with him is his weight gain. Because appetite suppression is a side-effect, his growth slowed down a lot. For a while we saw his doctor every three months (then every six) so that she could keep an eye on it. We try to feed him a good breakfast and a lot of food at/after dinner once his meds have worn off, since he eats very little during the day. At his doctor's suggestion, he also foregoes his medication one day a week so that he can have a more regular eating day. He's back on track with weight gain, which is good! (The meds also make it difficult for him to fall asleep at night; again, at his doctor's suggestion, he takes a small dose of melatonin -- this is over-the-counter in my country although I know it isn't everywhere -- which sets him up nicely.)

The good thing about ADHD meds is that they're not like SSRIs where you probably won't feel a difference for 4-6 weeks and then have to carefully wean off them. ADHD meds kick in 30-60 minutes after you take them, and their effect lasts 8-12 hours and then stops. It will be very easy to see whether they're effective for your son, and it's safe and easy to stop and try a different drug or a different dose if needed.

I hope that helps! Feel free to ask follow-up questions if you'd like.

I have ADHD. I also have a daughter with ADHD. I think being able to see it from the point of personal experience and from a parents perspective has been helpful in some ways. I was officially diagnosed at 28. I wish I had been diagnosed as a child. I have never been outwardly hyperactive but aside from that, the signs were clearly there.

Instead of outward physical hyperactivity, I have what I have heard called "inner restlessness". It feels like an inability to relax. I can't just sit and do nothing. It's an insatiable need to constantly feel like I'm doing something productive, every waking minute of every day. It doesn't sound that bad but in reality it's a tremendous source of misery. Humans aren't built to work constantly without rest but my ADHD brain will not let me turn it off. Meds help with this a lot.

One of the challenging things about having a child (or even maybe being a child) with ADHD is that physicians often like to focus on school performance as the primary barometer of "success". In fairness, that's somewhat understandable when kids are young and lack the self-awareness to analyze how they're feeling, much less communicate their feelings in a meaningful way.

The goal should be to help the child have a happy and fulfilling life with school performance as a component of that.

People with ADHD are significantly more likely to experience mental health issues throughout their lives, especially if they're untreated. That can often lead to "self medicating" (AKA substance abuse). As someone who experienced severe difficulty regulating their own emotions -- often a symptom of ADHD -- from an early age, and spent most of his 20's binge drinking as a form of self medication, I wish someone would have asked if I needed meds when I was a kid.

ADHD symptoms can change as the brain develops. It's perfectly normal to make adjustments to medications to deal with that and keep everything dialed in.

I think what's really important is teaching your son the importance of looking after his mental health and that having an ongoing dialogue with his doctor about his disorder is a positive thing.

ritalin turned my 12 year old nephew into a robot. they stopped it after a few months.

i told them to try a again with an ⅛ or ¼ of the dose, but the parents said they ain't gonna. 🤷🏻‍♂️

personally i think low dose modafinil or l-theanin / noopept would be the first route i'd try, but sadly that's not what the professionals prescribe.

I was diagnosed when I was about 5 and I'm 30ish now.

You should make sure your child knows what you think is going to happen with the medicine and that it's ok to talk about how it feels to them.

When I was that age, it made me feel like I was containing a part of myself. I didn't really understand that was pent up anxiety not literally part of me trying to bust out of my chest. My parents are super conservative which didn't help as it turned into "take your pill, you're not a good person or someone we want to be around."

This is assistance to help them succeed NOT getting rid of something undesirable. The way you go about this will be more important than the actual drug. A good doctor will help with dosage and brand.

Focalin, Ritalin, Adderall, Vyvanse, Astarys or any stimulant based medication gave me pent up feelings of anxiety or tightness.

Non-stimulant based ones only really target the executive function. So if they don't have the hyperactivity that can also be useful.

I stopped when I was 18 because "I didn't feel like myself" which people usually refer to as being a robot. This kinda messed up my 20's and I had to re-learn who I was and how to function in the real world which was rough.

I recently started up again and it really helps smooth out the edges of having to remember what I'm supposed to be doing or when I get stuck hyper focused on something.

I can't stress enough that this isn't a fix, not everything works for everyone, and the most important advice I can give you is to find healthy habits. We do not function as normal everyday people do and that's ok. Just gotta find what works and be consistent.

I, like another responder, always only diagnosed in adulthood and frankly I am happy that I did not get medicated until later. This allowed me to develop coping strategies that I still have to use but they are made easier thanks to the medication. One of the problems that ADHDers have is they think the meds solve everything, but it only works when you have the added coping mechanisms.

For what it's worth we have been doing the same for 2 out of our three kids, but one of them is so severely ADHD that we are considering getting him medication.

Also, if you are worried about stimulants, there is a non-stimulant ADHD medication called Atomoxetine (former brand name Stratera). That's what I'm on and, as an adult, I'm on the 10mg dose (the lowest they make). They started me on 40mg and I felt like a zero emotion robot and almost didn't go further.

I've been on three different ADHD drugs over the past 30 years. I don't know where I'd be without that, but I think I'm much better off than I would be without it.

I was on adderall for a little while back in school, but they took me off of that due to the weight loss (It was a good time for me though. I had hobbies and I was thin. Now I'm a lazy fat-ass).

I did NOT get medicated. The problem is that it resulted in a huge number of minor traumatic experiences: Isolated in class, because I don't keep up with topics of conversation such as trading cards, games, sports. Less successful even with the things I'm passionate about, sometimes due to trivial things such as missing training day or forgetting my equipment. Delaying things until they become a huge problem, then doing them in a painful adrenaline-filled frenzy. Pain from forcing myself to just do something such as homework or cleaning.

You did a great thing getting your son diagnosed so early! I can't even imagine where I would be if I had that asset in my life, to just know.

I suggest to go with the science rather than anecdotes of strangers. Is the diagnosis certain, and is the benefit of medication clear? Is it the best option? From what I read, it often is, but not always.

For my own child, as it so happens also 7 years old, I'm going to do it. There are significant problems at school that make the choice easier. But I'm also using other means such as fidget toys in class and a wobble cushion.

I don't have adhd, but my husband has what he categorizes as mild adhd. It is thanks to a mixture of meds and therapy as a child that he manages his symptoms as an adult without medication.