As I said in my previous SharePost, my son's kindergarten teacher recommended that we have him evaluated by a pediatric psychiatrist because of what I'll call behavioral problems, for the sake of a better term. Basically, he was having trouble sitting still and keeping quiet in class. We weren't too surprised to hear what his teacher had to say. He runs everywhere in our house and frequently blows off steam by hurling himself on the couch or doing somersaults.

While I knew it was a good idea to get him evaluated, I had some trepidation. According to reviews on a local mailing list I belong to, the only doctor in our network tends to see Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder everywhere. If we go outside our network, diagnosis and treatment could cost thousands of dollars, which we don't have. So I made an appointment with the doctor and hoped for the best. His office sent out a form for Lawrence's kindergarten teacher to fill out. Bless her heart, she came over the night before the appointment, after the school year had ended, to go over it with us.

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Note: I published these posts in the wrong order on the HealthCentral site. I apologize for any confusion.

Posted: Jul 29, 2009

tags: add, add and parenting, adhd, adhd and children, adhd and parenting, adhd medication, adhd treatment, attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder treatment

So, as I said in my last SharePost, my son was recently diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I had my doubts about the diagnosis. Lawrence's behavior didn't exactly fit ADHD, and the doctor also is known for diagnosing ADHD pretty frequently. But I had decided to go with it for now and give the medication, Vyvanse, a shot.

Treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is, on its surface, somewhat insane. You would think that giving someone who's hyperactive a sedative is, to say the least, counterintuitive. But the brains of people with ADHD react in a completely opposite manner to amphetamines than people without ADHD. Amphetamines make us calmer and more focused. Strange but true.

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Posted: Jul 22, 2009

tags: add and parenting, adhd and parenting, adhd medication, adhd treatment, attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder treatment

My Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) wasn't diagnosed till I was in my late thirties. By that point, as you can imagine, I had developed coping strategies to get me through life, especially at work. So when my doctor asked if I would like to give treatment with medication a shot, although I couldn't imagine how it would help me, I agreed. We first started on Ritalin. I didn't notice any positive effect, as the heart palpitations I experienced were too distracting, and I discontinued the treatment after three days. We then tried Adderall, which had the same unpleasant effect.

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Posted: Jul 01, 2009

tags: add, adhd, adhd medication, adhd treatment, attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder treatment

A new study suggests that stimulants prescribed for ADHD may be responsible for a handful of unexplained deaths in children and adolescents. Researchers compared medical records and parent interviews of children and teens who died between 1985 and 1996, including 564 who died from unexplained heart-rate abnormality. When they excluded deaths that had other possible causes--such as asthma or congenital heart defects--researchers found that 1.8 percent of the group had been taking a stimulant medication. However, researchers say the link between stimulants and sudden unexplained death is very rare.

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Posted: Jun 24, 2009

tags: add, adhd, adhd medication, adhd treatment, attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder treatment

Terry Matlen has just launched a new community site on Ning for moms with ADD. Moms with ADD have special challenges, including having a child or two with ADD, too. Join her for support, connection and resources. http://www.momswithadd.com/

Posted: Jun 05, 2009

tags: add, add and parenting, adhd, adhd and parenting, adhd treatment, attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

(HealthDay News) -- Children who take medication to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) do better in elementary school than those who don't, a new study has found.

Of 594 children whose parents reported an ADHD diagnosis, those who took medication scored 2.9 points higher on standardized math tests and 5.4 points higher on reading tests than children with ADHD who were not taking medication.

Researchers used a nationally representative sample from the Childhood Longitudinal Study of children who entered kindergarten in 1998, and followed them through fifth grade.

The higher test scores were comparable with the progress expected during one-fifth of a school year for math and about one-third of a school year for reading, according to the study funded by the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.

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Posted: Apr 27, 2009

tags: add, adhd, adhd medication, adhd treatment, attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder treatment