ADHD Meds

Hi all,

 

Wondering if anyone has experience with ADHD meds. I do not have it but my husband and daughter do. The problem is that since my own benzo nightmare I am radically against meds, especially any that affect the brain/nervous system so it is really bothering me that they take ADHD meds, my daughter specifically because she is a child and can't decide for herself. It's up to us to decide. I haven't found  any real info stating that there are huge problems with ADHD meds the way there are with benzos but I can't help but think how so many people still believe benzos are safe and I know they aren't. So it's hard for me to trust the doctor's opinion or the articles that say they're okay. I'm terrified of my husband or child blowing out their nervous system as well. I am still in the thick of withdrawal so I don't know if my concerns are rational or not.

 

I'd be interested to know if anyone takes ADHD meds or knows someone who has taken them and if there have been any significant problems.

 

Thanks!

Pickl

Hi, my daughter was on stimulants.  I too am like you, very leary of psych meds (ALL meds, frankly) and didn't want her on anything.  She grew tolerant to the dosage within months, mind you she was on the lowest dose.  We decided to see if she could function without, and she is somehow managing, but it is a struggle. 

 

I do not know what to do, but for now we have not put her back on.  This is indeed a hard place for us to be give our experience with these drugs. Best wishes on whatever you decide.

 

I taught K-2 for 35 years.. In that time I had only 2-3 kids on ADHD meds, none at my recommendation.  I’d pursue all other interventions first. You may be interested in reading this from projectcbd.org, which is an excellent and reliable source of information on this subject: https://www.projectcbd.org/cbd-for/adhd-and-add

Hi all,

 

Wondering if anyone has experience with ADHD meds. I do not have it but my husband and daughter do. The problem is that since my own benzo nightmare I am radically against meds, especially any that affect the brain/nervous system so it is really bothering me that they take ADHD meds, my daughter specifically because she is a child and can't decide for herself. It's up to us to decide. I haven't found  any real info stating that there are huge problems with ADHD meds the way there are with benzos but I can't help but think how so many people still believe benzos are safe and I know they aren't. So it's hard for me to trust the doctor's opinion or the articles that say they're okay. I'm terrified of my husband or child blowing out their nervous system as well. I am still in the thick of withdrawal so I don't know if my concerns are rational or not.

 

I'd be interested to know if anyone takes ADHD meds or knows someone who has taken them and if there have been any significant problems.

 

Thanks!

Pickl

 

Just my personal opinion as I take ADHD meds on a PRN basis. I would never suggest those meds for a child unless it's the last resort.  I can only regulate my own intake because I don't like meds either and I'm very careful.  A child is not able to do that.  ADHD meds are powerful and since they work so well they are addictive but a person may become tolerant to it.  I'm not a Dr. and I don't know what your daughter struggles with.  On the other hand I have known people... close friends who have said that their child was not doing well in school... their child was failing at grades and ADHD meds were a God-send. I think we ALL are different and no two people or experience is the same. We all need to have wisdom in knowing what is best in every given situation and make informed choices.  You are a good mom for looking into this!!! May YOU make the best choice for your family... your daughter. 

Well said, Raquel. 

I taught K-2 for 35 years.. In that time I had only 2-3 kids on ADHD meds, none at my recommendation.  I’d pursue all other interventions first. You may be interested in reading this from projectcbd.org, which is an excellent and reliable source of information on this subject: https://www.projectcbd.org/cbd-for/adhd-and-add

:thumbsup:

Thanks everyone for your responses. It's a very difficult and unclear decision. Her behavior is one thing, but her school work off the meds is nothing short of horrific. I don't want to switch from one type of substance to another. It's either something or nothing IMO. In my experience a lot of things labelled as non-addictive actually are, at least for a sub-set of people. Not sure what I'll do but thanks for feedback.

Thanks everyone for your responses. It's a very difficult and unclear decision. Her behavior is one thing, but her school work off the meds is nothing short of horrific. I don't want to switch from one type of substance to another. It's either something or nothing IMO. In my experience a lot of things labelled as non-addictive actually are, at least for a sub-set of people. Not sure what I'll do but thanks for feedback.

 

You have to make that choice.  There are pro's and con's to either choice and you have to weigh the consequences.  I am sure you will make the best one for your child... 

 

Just my personal opinion as I take ADHD meds on a PRN basis. I would never suggest those meds for a child unless it's the last resort.  I can only regulate my own intake because I don't like meds either and I'm very careful.  A child is not able to do that.

 

It's good to hear this - ADHD meds help when nothng else does - for "inattentive" ADD, and something akin to narcolepsy. It's important to NOT "nap" @ the wheel.

 

Brain damage, from a stroke. 2004 began with Adderal, but it "stuck on" too long - insomnia been a lifetime problem. 2010 switching to Ritalin, a short acting - more apt to sleep, easier to sense when it was wearing off, etc.

 

YOU'RE UTTERLY CORRECT - A CHILD cannot "do that". On account of that, kids are given "long release" ADHD meds. Not every day is the same with ADHD, some days I only needed 20 (about 4 hours apart, but sweat etc, sometimes sooner.) Others upwards of 40, cold weather "uses it up" ...

 

Since I got "sucker-punched" by Xan, and beginning a taper - few days I'm over 20, most about 15... So far no "jitters", fast pulse etc. Unless I try to "delay" the Xan dose, hoo boy.

 

Didn't want to "necro-bump" an old thread, but I guess very few folks with ADHD also have insomnia - and then Px benzo's... I've never had Anxiety though, things might go different for someone else.

 

Thanks

LC

 

 

Just my personal opinion as I take ADHD meds on a PRN basis. I would never suggest those meds for a child unless it's the last resort.  I can only regulate my own intake because I don't like meds either and I'm very careful.  A child is not able to do that.

 

It's good to hear this - ADHD meds help when nothng else does - for "inattentive" ADD, and something akin to narcolepsy. It's important to NOT "nap" @ the wheel.

 

Brain damage, from a stroke. 2004 began with Adderal, but it "stuck on" too long - insomnia been a lifetime problem. 2010 switching to Ritalin, a short acting - more apt to sleep, easier to sense when it was wearing off, etc.

 

YOU'RE UTTERLY CORRECT - A CHILD cannot "do that". On account of that, kids are given "long release" ADHD meds. Not every day is the same with ADHD, some days I only needed 20 (about 4 hours apart, but sweat etc, sometimes sooner.) Others upwards of 40, cold weather "uses it up" ...

 

Since I got "sucker-punched" by Xan, and beginning a taper - few days I'm over 20, most about 15... So far no "jitters", fast pulse etc. Unless I try to "delay" the Xan dose, hoo boy.

 

Didn't want to "necro-bump" an old thread, but I guess very few folks with ADHD also have insomnia - and then Px benzo's... I've never had Anxiety though, things might go different for someone else.

 

Thanks

LC

 

Yes... I was diagnosed with ADD as an adult and given Adderal.  I RARELY take it anymore. Only when I'm in a place that requires my attentiveness to be safe or my focus to get something important done and then even when I take it I only take half a dose.  It truly helps me.  Since I am tapering off a Benzo right now I am careful as to what goes into my body.  Even food and vitamins effect me on this taper. 

I have a prescription for ritalin which I use as a PRN. Since beginning this benzo w/d nightmare I have gotten rid of my pills.  I feel like they will only make the tapering process worse, and its too easy to rely on them to help with the fog and fatigue of benzo w/d. It feels like a vicious loop that I want out of.

I don't blame you at all.  I would have preferred to have been med free myself but since I have PTSD from a three time sexual assault which almost killed me I have to sleep, I have to function or my panic disorder kick in.  Sometimes you have to do what you have to do to survive.  I feel good about my progress and the fact that I will be Benzo free in two months.  Doesn't matter how I get there as long as I do!! 

I was concurrently prescribed Adderall and Xanax, taking both as needed with decreasing frequency over the course of about 10 years. I used both very infrequently over the past 3 years.

 

In my opinion, taking a bit of this and a a bit of that to pull myself up and down, and other various directions, had deleterious on my overall mood and mental health. The Adderall bottle says amphetamine on it. How can that be acceptable to give a child? I'm 39 now, have sworn off both medications and am dealing with issues, even though I used both sparingly.

 

I'll add that my parents forced me to take Ritalin roughly from the ages of 14-16. It was mostly during school, especially during testing. I remember spitting it out often on my to the bus stop. They were trying to be good parents and I love them, but I still resent them for making me take a drug as a child. You never can shake the idea that it messed you up a bit.

 

Think about your own feelings regarding benzos and other drugs that you fear may have messed you up. Now think about how you would feel later if a loved one forced that on you as a child.

 

I believe that is why the op is here... to figure out what to do with a child that has been diagnosed.  She's a really good mom for asking questions and weighing options.  She is the one who will make the best choice for her child but you are right... it's a powerful med.  I couldn't imagine being on a full-dose daily.  I was prescribed 20 mg a day.  I have only taken 5mg on occasion so I regulate it according to what works for me.