DD (16) diagnosed with ADD - Advice?
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DD (16) diagnosed with ADD - Advice?
| Sun, 07-09-2006 - 9:33am |
I had my DD evaluated for ADD when she was younger by the school guidance office, but was not satisfied with their approach. All they did was observe her in a few classes and basically said, "Well she gets good grades, you really don't have anything to worry about" and felt she didn't have ADD. As her mother, though, I just KNEW she did so I had her go to a psychologist who talked to her and put her through a computerized test and found that she certainly does have ADD... now after all this time we find out. But I guess I'm thankful that we know before she goes to college. As some of you know, DD put us through a lot this past year... relationship with abusive BF, risky behavior, two traffic tickets in her first 6 months of driving, low motivation at school and job. But now what is the best thing to do with a teen with ADD? I know some of you have experience with this. My DH found out a year and a half ago that he has ADD and was on Strattera; well he was so much better and was MUCH easier to live with, but he quit taking it because he said he didn't like it. But the REST of us would like him to be on it! When he is off the meds, he becomes very irritable and negative and disorganized and misreads social cues. DD is that way too, but with the additional risk-taking, and low motivation. Her doctor hasn't returned my call yet on prescribing meds (we just found out Fri.). I recently had a bad experience with anti-anxiety meds (Lexapro) and am leary of side-efffects. Any helpful advice would be greatly welcome. :-)
Deb
Deb

Strattera i supposed to be a good ADD med. It was suggested for my dd since she has tourettes and strattera is not supposed to exacerbate tics. I have heard from another mom that it does indeed make her son's tics worse, so I think it really depends on the person. What works for your H may not necessarily work for your dd. The good news is that there are many to choose from and it's not like in the old days where it was one doasge fits all (as we now know, that doesn't hold true). They can tailor just about any med to fit the need. Make sure that when you DR gives you his/her suggestions you do your own homework. Make sure you read the information on any given drug, interactions, contradictions with other meds and side effects. Keep in mind that most basic and simple side effects go away within 2 weeks.
You've read my most recent post. Do you have health coverage that will cover a portion of the cost for your dd to consult with a naturopath? I am seriously considering it for my dd. There are a lot of natural remedies for ADD. I am not sure about bi-polar, but I'm thinking it's worth checking out. We've always tried to go the natural route in any situation, but sometimes it's just not enough or it doesn't fit the bill, so to speak. It took us 3 years to finally try a med with my dd.
Good luck -
When it comes to taking meds, I would suggest listening to what your DD says too.
Deb
Don't feel bad that it took you this long to find out - it's so different with girls. For years we suspected that ds16 might have ADD but were not entirely certain - he was an "active boy" but always got along well with his peers, an average student. Only one teacher in 2nd grade suggested he might have ADD and it turns out she "suggested" to many parents of boys that year that they might have ADD..... :|
As things began to get worse in the upper grades (as is quite typical) we found out he had "mild ADD" but we could not get him on board with meds until this year. We tried Concerta, Strattera and are now on Ritalin (10 mg.). He's in summer school and his teacher was his 9th grade Biology teacher. He remembers my son, and says he sees quite a difference in his classroom behaviour, and that he's doing well. He has no idea he's on meds. As for ds, he often cannot say for certain that a med is working. This is frustrating to me, as I have heard that if a med works, it really works. And as far as the "testing" we had done through the psychiatrist, it was basically a clinical interview and nothing more because that is all that is "required" to diagnose ADD. I am going to look into more specialized testing, but that is not covered by my insurance...
And as for my dd14, it did take much longer to diagnose her ADD and learning differences. I honestly would have never dreamt that was the problem with her, and neither would have any of her teachers. We and they all assumed it was "attitude" problems brought on by the teenager years and hormones.
Good luck. All meds have side effects. We tried the natural route but found that we did not have that kind of time. Concerta made my ds16 lose weight he honestly couldn't afford to lose, but he regained said weight in two weeks. Strattera made him sleepy during the day, also went away in two weeks. I understand it has the opposite effect on some kids. I felt bad about ds being on Ritalin but so far it has had no side effects (a first) and at least it has the longest history of use among children.