ADHD/meds

oh, all those dx were from when he was removed from birth mom 4 yrs ago. The doctor said, she cant really tell whats going on due to his overwhelming anxiety dadfor2

Your son sounds a lot like my daughter. I usually don't think, bi-polar, because it is not in her health history. Your son has not been there that long yet has he? My daughter was 8 when she moved in, and the first year was very, very chaotic. She would tantrum, and throw and kick things. She was on medication for ADHD, and to curb her aggression. My caseworker has said that anniverseries of trauma can cause acting out, and my daughter is definitely on a schedule, related to her history. She still has rough times of the year, but they are not as extreme as in the beginning. She was weaned off of all meds except her adhd medication. Even that she is not taking in the summer. But will probably need during school. She still has some anxiety, and trouble sleeping at night, and my doctor also said to use benadryl when needed. I think she was worse when she was 7. Her fostermom said it took a long time to figure out her meds. SO, of course every child is different. But do not despair just yet. You seem to be doing a great job. Things may even out with the proper treatment and time.

The first thing I would do is get a good assessment NOW from a therpist who has experience and training treating children with trauma-attachment disorders. This will give you a current diagnosis and treatment plan. Many children are misdignosed with ADHD, etc. I'd want to consider and have ruled in or out Sensory-Integration disorders as these can mimic ADHD. I'd also want ruled in/out Bipolar Disorder as if that is going on the child does need proper medication treatment. Finally, if your child has RAD, your child need attachment-based treatment (see attach.org for therapists in your region) and see my website [url]www.center4familydevelop.com[/url] for some checklists and information on these conditions you may find helpful. The trauma-attachment disorder must be treated with therapy and attachment-based parenting methods for the child to heal. Regards,

benadryl -While often given to children, it prevents them from going fully into rem sleep, so I wouldn't use it too often. Also, they develop a resistance to it overtime and then doc's recommend using harder stuff. Clonidine-my son was on this at four and when he moved in had to be very slowly weened off this to prevent drop in blood pressure.(he had been allowed access to the meds in previous placement and had o.d. on them and had to be revived twice in the hospital. Then put back on them. He also has hep b and shouldn't have been on it). It made him really tired, so being knocked out, he wasn't a problem. A lot of adult drugs are used on children without a lot of research to the long term affects. Even if they've decided it works for behavior, what does that medicine do to a child's sytem over time? What does it do for bolle pressure in adults and will that med damage the working of that system later? Those are certainly questions to ask before longterm use.

I really think that before you begin considering medications and effects and changes in meds, you need to get an accurate and current diagnosis. If the previous assessment was old and if it was done by a mental health professional who is not very familiar with treating children with histories of maltreatment, you may be getting very bad advice. You will be able to find someone who can help you at [url]www.attach.org[/url] Regards,

hi dr art, i checked out your website, it was very helpful. I will look further into the RAD stuff, he does seem to fit some of what your symptoms were. it seems the clonidine is working a little. He gets it in the AM and PM, and then after a week we started to give him it in the noon time also. The kid still has tons of energy, so it hasnt slowed down at all, but his full blown tantrums dont go into an all night affair anymore. He seems to go to sleep much easier, and does get angry and definate at times, but not like it was. He seems more calmer, but still cant sit still. I heard that some kids who were put on clonidine makes them tired. WEll, my child doesnt seem to be tired at all.....lol. We did stop the benedryl the minute he was put on clonidine. again, i think its only a temp drug to help with his anxiety a little so they can figure out whats really going on with him. I dont think anyone could of dx him with anything the rate he was going. BUt we will see. regarding RAD, how come there doesnt seem to be many therapists that deal with this? when i looked at the website, there are only a few. just wondering. thanks lucyjoy, i didnt know about the weening off of meds. He isnt tired at all, he does sleep better at night, it takes him about 20min to fall asleep vs 2 hours....lol. other then that, he still is as active and hyper as ever, but doesnt throw the tantrums for hours at a time. Its only a temp drug, so they can try to figure out whats really going on with him. but more will be reveiled im sure. thanks dadfor2

You are right. there are very few therapists who are trained to effectively treat RAD...probably because only 1 to 2% of the population is adoted and so relatively few children have RAD. Meds are ineffective for RAD and many many children with RAD are misdiagnosed with ADHD and other conditons...hence the need for a thorough assessment by a trained and competant therapist. Regards,

Dr. Art... Can you tell me what RAD is? Also...I noticed you said that when someone is diagnosed with ADHD and they start taking the medications...then the seem to stop working, that usually will indicate a misdiagnosis...is that correct? I am having a heck of a time trying to get my son on a medication that will help him...he has been diagnosed with ADHD, and for over a year, we have been playing the RX game. He started with 16 MG of Concerta, then 32 MG, then 54(?) MG...all of which he seemed to "outgrow" We tried Stratterra when it came out on the market, he took the max for his weight, and it only made him very tired...it didnt seem to help much at all. A few weeks ago his MD put him on Ritalin, but that seems to work less than the Stratterra did. I've got a call in to the Dr to try Adderall, but I am really starting to question the diagnosis all together. What are some other things that mimic ADHD? I just want to do some research. If the adderall doesnt do it, we are going to see a psychiatrist...but I'd like to go with as much information as I can...I feel like we have messed around with is long enough!

It sounds like you are on the right track but also if the behaviors continue you might want to have a nuro workup done. I did not want to medicate my daughter for adhd and behaviors if it was something else. I was (as well as the school) seeing severe tantrums that lasted several hours very aggressive. Went to the Nuro dr. and he ran tests saying that she has a brain injury more then likly caused after birth given her history. It did not really change medications BUT it did change how therapists and the school worked with her and the approach they used. Because of the change of how people approach her and explain things to her she does not get as frustrated and understands what the want better.