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[5SOXFNZ]

Hi all!

Not sure if this is where to post this or not but feel free to move it if it needs to be!

I just came from an "end of year" conference with DS's teacher. I could go on and on about how wonderful this school has been (small Catholic school!) and how all his teacher's have been through this whole process. This meeting was to recap his progress since our last meeting in April and also for us to meet with his teacher for next year.

Anyway...his teacher mentioned that she feels his medication is not as effecive as it was when he started it in October. We know that as they grow, dosages need to be modified, and frankly have been questioning this very thing ourselves. My question is this...do I try to modify it now, with three weeks of school left (and then 9 days in Disney) or wait? (We have an appointment on June 29th with his doctor.) (as an aside, he also has mild Tourettes and any increase in his ADHD meds will make his tics emerge quite strong for a day or two then they subside to almost non-existant...we have noticed the tics emerging here and there which is a small sign that the meds are too low of a dose)

TIA for your opinions!

[Sandra Bostwick]

Originally Posted by 5SOXFNZ

Hi all!

Not sure if this is where to post this or not but feel free to move it if it needs to be!

I just came from an "end of year" conference with DS's teacher. I could go on and on about how wonderful this school has been (small Catholic school!) and how all his teacher's have been through this whole process. This meeting was to recap his progress since our last meeting in April and also for us to meet with his teacher for next year.

Anyway...his teacher mentioned that she feels his medication is not as effecive as it was when he started it in October. We know that as they grow, dosages need to be modified, and frankly have been questioning this very thing ourselves. My question is this...do I try to modify it now, with three weeks of school left (and then 9 days in Disney) or wait? (We have an appointment on June 29th with his doctor.) (as an aside, he also has mild Tourettes and any increase in his ADHD meds will make his tics emerge quite strong for a day or two then they subside to almost non-existant...we have noticed the tics emerging here and there which is a small sign that the meds are too low of a dose)

TIA for your opinions!

Hmmmmmmmmmm. I haven't seen your child in action, so I can only give general impressions on medication management. You really need to speak to your doctor and your child's staff to get the right advice.

It sounds like you are looking to adjust the dosage of the same medication? If the tics get worse for a day or two before a med change settles in, you could always plan any changes for the week-end.

You are about four weeks away from your Disney trip, so your next Dr. appt. is very close to when you leave. The stress of a vacation, let alone one that involves a theme park, can be pretty taxing. You definitely don't want to be messing with blood levels then!

If you decide to increase, can your doctor move up the appt. or give you a phone increase so you are not making changes right before you leave?

WHenever a parent needs to make a decision, I ask them to draw a line on a piece of paper and write their thoughts down. Maybe one column could be the pros of pushing for a med change now. The others could be the cons of pushing for a med change now. THen just weigh the options.

I know I have not actually said anything, but I hope that helped a little bit.

Have a magical trip, whatever you decide!

[5SOXFNZ]

Thanks Sandra!

The trip is actually the "least" of my concerns.
Our doctor's appointment is scheduled the day afte we get back but what I'm wondering is if we will really shoudl just "coast" through the summer at the current dosageor "even bother"(for lack of better terms" to up it and get him through the last three weeks of school. Of course, any change I make would be through his nuerologist, just wondering if it's worth calling and trying to get in sooner rather than later.
Thanks for the advice about writing out the pros and cons. DH and I will sit down together and do this in the next couple of days.

[Sandra Bostwick]

Originally Posted by 5SOXFNZ

Thanks Sandra!

The trip is actually the "least" of my concerns.
Our doctor's appointment is scheduled the day afte we get back but what I'm wondering is if we will really shoudl just "coast" through the summer at the current dosageor "even bother"(for lack of better terms" to up it and get him through the last three weeks of school. Of course, any change I make would be through his nuerologist, just wondering if it's worth calling and trying to get in sooner rather than later.
Thanks for the advice about writing out the pros and cons. DH and I will sit down together and do this in the next couple of days.

I'm so happy to hear that you'll make any changes with the neurologist.

Please let us know how the pros and cons list works for you.

My philosophy is that any decision made by a parent with love is good! Of course, we might still look back one day and go in hindsight.

Good luck with those last few weeks of school.

[Happymommy]

Oh my gosh--- we're going through the same thing. We started med in March, and the doc started at the lowest dose, but was pretty sure it wouldn't be enough. Made a huge difference for Aidan, but still room for improvement-- our doc wants to see him again, and probably increase the dose on June 11th. I'm wondering if I should bothering increasing at that point with only 4 days left of school, or should I wait until end of August to increase. Though the medication does help for sports, we won't be starting football until mid august. We don't know what to do either (sorry, I'm probably no help, but wanted to let you know we have the same dilemma)

[Sandra Bostwick]

Originally Posted by Happymommy

Oh my gosh--- we're going through the same thing. We started med in March, and the doc started at the lowest dose, but was pretty sure it wouldn't be enough. Made a huge difference for Aidan, but still room for improvement-- our doc wants to see him again, and probably increase the dose on June 11th. I'm wondering if I should bothering increasing at that point with only 4 days left of school, or should I wait until end of August to increase. Though the medication does help for sports, we won't be starting football until mid august. We don't know what to do either (sorry, I'm probably no help, but wanted to let you know we have the same dilemma)

Seems like alot of parents are going through that right now!

[mechurchlady]

It is better to do it before the trip because the kid will be tired from the trip and the trip may make subtle temporary changes in the kid. It is better to do the visit when the kid is his normal self than do it when the kid is just back from an exciting trip.

[Aspiemom]

I so know how you feel. My son needs his meds "upped" a bit. I'm not afraid to call his doc and try to get "squeezed" in. Personally, I would want his meds changed before the trip. Preferably 4-5 days before, get his used to higher dosage. My son is 10 and going through the beginning hormonal changes meaning..lots of changes in the meds.

[Sandra Bostwick]

Originally Posted by Aspiemom

I so know how you feel. My son needs his meds "upped" a bit. I'm not afraid to call his doc and try to get "squeezed" in. Personally, I would want his meds changed before the trip. Preferably 4-5 days before, get his used to higher dosage. My son is 10 and going through the beginning hormonal changes meaning..lots of changes in the meds.

Trying to stabilize 4-5 days before is a great idea!

I also love that you try to get the appt. with the doctor. I have quite a few parents who have tried to adjust meds on their own at one time or another, and I have to say there have been some consequences! It really is worth it to do everything through the doctor!

[BeckiO5]

Lois, Im so sorry I found your post so late. Some advice I may be able give being diagnosed with ADHD as a teen if doctoral and psychologists aren't as helpful for you, have you tried seeking help from The Landmark School in Beverly, MA? They are quite resourceful. I actually almost finished High School there. If his problems continue to college, Landmark College in Putney, VT does wonders. Erick and I both met there. The majority of students there have ADHD or Dyslexia and they helped me a lot.

[BeckiO5]

Also different meds have different effects, and some work, some don't (sorry to be blunt). Psychaitrists tried a number of Meds on me and some worked better than others. I think Concerta and Ritalin LA worked better than others, but everyone is different. I wish you luck helping your son with his ADHD and Tourettes.

[5SOXFNZ]

Becki, Thanks for the advice on the schools!

Just an update...we ended up leaving Jacob on the same dosage through the trip and summer. On the trip he had a new tick emerge but with-in 3 days of arriving home it had subsided. Just the stress of the trip/waiting/excitement we believe.

Jacob has started 3rd grade and has been doing amazing. Most days he is fininshing his work ahead of the class (he was always the last before, or had to have extra time) We asked him what he thought was different this year and he (in all his 8 year old wisdom) said "I think the work in 2nd grade was just too easy, now in 3rd grade the work is just right!!" His new teacher is the mother of an ADHD boy and I think that is an incredible help, she is awesome with him! We have some issues after school while doing homework but we have a system in place where he gets to "chill out" for a couple of hours before doing the homework now and that seems to be the fix! I'm amazed at how much diference a few months can make!

[BeckiO5]

Lois, how wonderful Jacob has a teacher this year who is a parent of a child with ADHD! Those always help. Here is a kind of software if Jacob ever has difficulty doing outlines in school that Landmark introduced to us (we used the Adult Version called Inspiration) and they make a Kid Version that my teen brother who also has ADHD uses quite frequently for his homework called Kidspiration. Here's the link. Kidspiration - The Visual Way to Explore and Understand Words, Numbers and Concepts | inspiration.com. There are also other programs out there which we frequently use here called Kurzweil and Dragon. Here are the links for those as well: Kurzweil Educational Systems. Dragon NaturallySpeaking Speech Recognition Software. Both Landmark schools use them, and I know some other schools are starting to use them for students with learning difficulties. I thought I would pass along some of the things that helped us that might help your son.
Lois, both Erick & I come from families with all 3 children on each of our sides having ADHD or some from of Learning Difficulty that we don't mind sharing what has helped us and may help others too.

[EmpressLizBunny]

just a coment on the dragon software i love it and have used it since elementry school(it has realy improved since 1995) but to use it in school u will need an IEP or 504 acomadatiuons as it isnt widly used in mainstreem schools i have aspurgers syndrome not add/adhd but went to school with many such students and my 3 best frieds in hs had turrets(i went to a special ed school they all also had emotional disabilities) i personaly believe the longer ones med are out of balence(and therefore people make alowances they usaly wouldnt) the harder it is to adjust to the exptations when meds are corected

again im not a profesional or an add/adhd adult but these are my takes on how things are

[Sandra Bostwick]

Great tips, everyone! I like those sites.