Putting kids on ridlin (legal, children, adults, drugs)

[FarNorthDallas]

Originally Posted by Kuharai

Oh, and I still have to multi-task or I lose focus quickly. A constant distraction is the best thing to keep me focused on my taskings.

This is true for my son, too. He only takes medication on school days. If he needs to "take in" learning while off medication he sits at his computer playing World of Warcraft and I read aloud what he needs to know and he retains it. If he sits there and does nothing while I read to him, he can't remember a thing.

[yankeegirl313]

Ok, My sister took her son up to doc. to see about ridlin. He told her no....to give him a cup of coffee with cream and sugar.

[SuSuSushi]

Originally Posted by yankeegirl313

Ok, My sister took her son up to doc. to see about ridlin. He told her no....to give him a cup of coffee with cream and sugar.

Don't laugh. Starting around first grade for my son, I used caffeine on him instead of Ritalin. It works in many cases, it's cheap, and your kid doesn't end up a zombie.

[yankeegirl313]

Originally Posted by SuSuSushi

Don't laugh. Starting around first grade for my son, I used caffeine on him instead of Ritalin. It works in many cases, it's cheap, and your kid doesn't end up a zombie.

REALLY?????? Wow.....I am just amazed at this. Any more stories about this?
Hell, I`ll fix my son a cup of coffee in the morning, if it will work!

[SuSuSushi]

Originally Posted by yankeegirl313

REALLY?????? Wow.....I am just amazed at this. Any more stories about this?
Hell, I`ll fix my son a cup of coffee in the morning, if it will work!

It certainly didn't "cure" my son, but a small cup of coffee in the morning (which he loved) and a can of caffeinated soda in his lunch worked well enough that I didn't have to medicate him. Here's a link that explains how it can work for some:

Caffeine and ADHD

[FarNorthDallas]

Yes, mine has coffee in the morning before his school medicine kicks in. Really though a pill is easier to regulate and monitor and much longer lasting and more dependable than coffee. They are both stimulants, Ritalin and caffeine.

[SuSuSushi]

Originally Posted by FarNorthDallas

Yes, mine has coffee in the morning before his school medicine kicks in. Really though a pill is easier to regulate and monitor and much longer lasting and more dependable than coffee. They are both stimulants, Ritalin and caffeine.

I think far too many children are medicated when they don't truly need it. Everyone looking for a quick fix for their kid or their student. Reminds me of the South Park episode about Ritalin. I chose not to subject my son to drugging and spent a lot of time helping him learn to meditate, concentrate, and self-regulate. It worked, and I'm glad I did it like I did.

[okpondlady]

I cannot begin to tell you what it means to a person that has been labled "lazy", "unmotivated", "disorganized", ect, their whole life to finally find SOMETHING that is actually wrong. I have ADHD. I was 35 when I was diagnosed after my oldest child was referred for diagnosis at school. Before I was tested I would drink a 6 pack of Coke or a pot of coffee, it calmed me down, allowed me to rest at night (believe it or not) and I could get things accomplished like washing a meals worth of dishes. When I take Adderal it is like a fog in my brain clears. I can see what I need to do and I can do it. Without meds, prioritizing is like pulling teeth, and following through with a plan is almost as bad. It just don't work for me.
My oldest daughter's 3rd grade teacher was MY 3rd grade teacher (one of the benifits of living in a very small town). After having her in the class for 2 weeks she took me aside and said to me "Teaching A. is just like having you in my class all over again. But this is 30 years later, we know better now. YOU WILL have this child tested. You WILL do better for her than your mother did for you, if you want her to have a future. I TOLD your mother, when you were in 3rd grade there was an attention problem. She told me to blow it out my A$$ there wasn't anything wrong with HER child. There isn't anything bad about it and she will be a functioning adult IF she is treated, but without it she won't go very far." It took me awhile to figure it out, but I did have both of my daughters tested and they both have the same symptoms I had. My oldest was medicated with various treatments, Ritalin having settled down to being the best for both of them. My younger child most people don't even realize she is on anything until she forgets to take it one day. Boy they see it then. Life is SO GOOD on Ritalin, for us.
And then there is my friends children. Her 5 year old is, to her, "A typical boy." Her husband will not allow her children to be tested, muchless medicated. One day we were over at my house, he was zipping around, into everything, struggling to get his speach out in coherent sentances because his little brain just speeds tooo fast for him to express himself. I said to her, lets try something. I will guarentee you, he will be better if he has ADHD if he has 1 pill. She gave him 1. Within an HOUR he was calm, pleasant, more coordinated, could make complete sentances coherently. She was shocked. I wasn't, I know what he feels like to be in such a tizzy that you can't hardly get a complete sentance out, muchless get a project done. From that day on she understands the difference. If you TRUELY have a child or adult that has ADHD, you will know and understand the difference. It is not "medicated to your eyeballs and being a zombie". My daughter needs her Ritalin to function in school and at home as much as she needs her glasses or would need insulin if she was diabetic. It just isn't an option for us.

[sweetmichelle28CT]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

The child needs to be thoroughly tested and evaluated before she just "decides" to put him on ritalin. My son had to repeat kindergarten and was tested by school and evaluated by his pediatrician.
My son was on ritalin for years and he was by no means a zombie or anything less than normal acting. I will say it affected his growth, so that he did not get tall until after he went off it in high school.
There are children who are just behavior problems and who don't really have ADD or ADHD. In my son's case, he was never a behavior problem, but could not easily filter out outside distractions in order to concentrate. For example, he knew the answers on a test, but took too long to finish the test, so therefore would fail it.
The medicine was a blessing. In early high school, he decided to not take it any more. He struggled, but by then had learned coping skills on is own and made it through college too.

That is something I can just never understand. If a child knows all the answers to the test, then why are teachers failing them just because they take a little longer to complete the test??

[yankeegirl313]

Well.......all I could get down him was a half of a cup of coffee,and that was pretty weird doing that.
He said it tasted funny. Hhmmm.. I may have to get those flavored creamers, or something.
I don`t see how this would work for a 7 hour period anyway. I`ll try anything!