Wonder if others have strategies that work for a 15 year old boy with inattentive ADHD. Great child just has problems when it comes to school-getting organized and doing homework.

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Hi, Mushtodo here, I guess I'm feeling kind of down today. I need a counsellor who works with ADD/ADHD and the coping skills of everyday living. To talk and to develop the communication skills so my grown children can understand me. They rever back to the way things were and how they coped with me. It's like they could care less and have their own walls of protection up. I hate being cut off when I'd like explanations or details to incidents that just happened. I hate being "brushed" off and being told it doesn't matter. So is that the OCD that kicks in? Then there's routine. I need someone to help me with a daily routine. Some can do it themselves. I'm not brave enough to do this myself just yet. When I get like these moods too I just type my thoughts to get it all out. I don't have $ to pay for any of it either. I'm told I'm also grieving in all of this too. So take care all we are all in this together. I guess this was a down day today hugs mushtodo

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My 6 yr old son has been on Adderall XR 5mg since Nov....he weighs about 45 pounds. At first it worked well, helping with his impulsiveness at school, but I noticed he was more emotional than usual. So, his dr suggested increasing it to 10mg to help him control his emotions. It got 100x worse...he became "depressed", crying over everything & said his "heart hurt" & he didn't like himself. It only took a couple days of that before I took him off all together. After a couple days being off medication, it was obvious to everyone that he needed to go back on. So, back to the 5mg he went....but it hasn't seemed to be helping as much as before. I'm so scared to try different meds/doses because of the bad experience we had the last time.....not to mention the cost. Every time we try something new we'll have to purchase a full month's Rx. If it doesn't work, it goes to waste. I just don't know what to do...at this rate he will have difficulty as he starts 1st grade in the fall if we don't get a better grip on this. Any support would be great!!

If at all possible, could you ask your doctor for some samples? It can get expensive, I know! You also need to realize that what works for one may not work for another. I tried a different med for my anxiety disorder and all I did was cry...I went back to the ole one, and before I knew it, I felt good again. You can't be afraid of the medicines...just talk with your son, look for changes, and if they occur, then he's not on the right one. When you DO find the right one/or combination thereof, you will know! It will just feel "right." Hope this helps! :D

To parent of 6yr old on Adderall - My sister had a similar challenge with her son. At five years old he was very impulsive and couldn't sit still. On the advice of a friend she started taking him out for a morning jog with her before school. It turns out that jogging has a very strong positive effect on him. Now he is seven and they jog every morning before she takes him to school.

Yeh i'm 22, and I've found excercise is CRUCIAL in keeping myself together. Also to avoid depression i take drug holidays on the weekends usually - non medicated days. Doc says it helps the brain chemistry rebuild stocks of neurotransmitters (neuroadrenalin and the other one). Works for me :)

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Hi, Brat here. I'm 3rd yr university student , high ADHD. Taking Ritalin and Strattera. Female and over 40. Went back to university and I', almost finished my BA and looking forward to graduating in November this year after I finish off a few credits over the summer. Studying has been very hard and takes a lot of effort. Social ties had to be cut as there is no time for going out. TV cable had to be cut too so I haven't seen TV in three years. I study for 8 hours a day and I am looking forward to having free time again. What gets me through episodes with depression and frustration is gardening and I am very glad to see the snow finally clearing. I appreciate reading all your comments here and thank you for sharing. I also want to add that I encourage each of you to keep going and don't give up. - Brat

That is fantastic news in that you are moving forward and achieving your goals. Congrats.

Thank you. I appreciate the positive reinforcement. I find this is a goo place to get advice and encouragement.

If you have any tips about getting organized and completing assignments it would be most appreciated!

Hi Brat! You don't know HOW good it is to see another female in here posting who (although JUST entering her 40's), as opposed to ME, who is 48...but I feel ya! I didn't get diagnosed until 44 (which explained a WHOLE lot about WHY my life has been what it was!) I'm an elementary teacher AND a grad student myself...also deal with panic disorder and GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder). It's VERY hard for me to NOT feel like a failure at life in general, my own family just doesn't "get" me...and if they don't by now, chances are they NEVER will (especially my mom), so that Serenity Prayer is always in the back of my brain, floating around in my gray matter somewhere! I won't bore you with the REST of the details of my ADHD, but here lately (last couple of years or so), I've been hit with so many things...so much so, that for the first time in my life, I am afraid of going back out there to work (my last mistake was doing something I've always wanted to do (try out kids at the jr. high level). Needless to say, they ate me for lunch and were horrible the day I got observed. So, I was forced to resign back in December (sounds better that getting "terminated.") Anyway, my dad passed away in Feb., and then my ex had a stroke at 45 in May (I always thought it would happen, but NOT this soon--he had 2 vices...a 2 pack a day cigarette habit, and was a functioning alcoholic...in addition to high cholesterol and blood pressure) We have 2 daughters, 14 and 16, and can I tell you...it has turned THEIR world upside down! At the moment, I'm contemplating a return to grad school (again!) and going into counseling, which will allow me to return to the school system. Yes...even taking classes scares me! My focus issues are REALLY bad...but I'm gonna suck it up and maybe by the time I finish (about a year from now) my self-confidence will have returned and I'll kick butt and knock 'em dead! Just wanted to let you know you are NOT alone!!! : )

I'm a guy thinking about trying to get into CBT counselling for self esteem issues. It's so hard to actually ask for it though.

All the best.

CBT? I say Go for it!. CBT worked well for me. It was a lot of work, and keeping a journal helped. I know we all respond differently but I found this totally worth the effort. For me it was about finding alternatives to thinking processes that were not getting me anywhere. I was stuck in a loop of always imagining what other people are thinking, and assuming they thought the worst. Breaking that pattern made a lot of difference. - Brat

to 48 with GAD - Thanks for the positive feedback. Much appreciated. Sorry to hear of the loss of your Dad and for the challenges you've been having at school. Be proud that you haven't let anything stop you, and give 'em heck! good teachers are very difficult to come by so don't give up, the schools need more people who are passionate about teaching. Cheers. - Brat

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I wanted to share a recent discovery about anxiety and food. When looking forward to a meal I would begin to feel anxiety about when I could start eating. Sometime I would eat an extra snack just to prove to myself there was food available and not because I was hungry. I found a pleasant side effect of taking Strattera was that this was switched off like light switch. I haven't had anxiety about food since I started taking it. I have no idea what the connection is or why, but it has been six months now so I don't think it is a placebo effect. Hope this is helpful. Cheers.

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