 | I have been reading some of the parents comments on this board, mainly referring to the "Alternative Drugs to ADHD" message board and had to write in to voice my own opinion. I realize that I can't make anyone change their mind but perhaps some will stop and think. I have a son who is ADHD and is four years old. He has had problems socialbly since he was 2- and in daycare type facilities. As a single mother (with great support) I too have had to come to terms with him being ADHD. I have tried medication on him from Ritalin (which I did not like) and Pycnogenol (which is a natural remedy) he is currently on Adderall. One of the things that was presented to me was the fact that what if he gets into kindergarten and no-one likes him? I started seeing a path of that socially unaccepted behaviour in daycare. I was not going to have my son NOT have any friends and not grow up without any, all because I would not stand to watch him be put on a stimilant. Rather I understood because if my son was on medication then he would be able to focus and LEARN what was right and wrong. Others around him would want to play with him. Kids are cruel anyhow. That was not my only reason to put my son on medication. There are many reasons. Children who are medicated are 90% less likely to be addicted to drugs when they are older. Think about your child not being socialby accepted, think about his mental state, think about his self-esteem. Most people who are on drugs don't have a positive attitude, because they don't think they are worthy. That is how a child would feel if they are not givin the opportunity to be accepted. I am not saying all children should be medicated, all I am saying is think about what is going inside your child. Think about his future. Think about him/her. I would not have it any other way with my son. No, he is not drugged out, he doesn't lay around the house drooling and not able to function. He is normal, both in personality and physically. He is also on an antidepressant to help with his moods. My son has never expericenced any sleep deprivation or loss of weight. I have always made sure he ate first before any medication and supplemented his diet with nutritional drinks. I am also not saying that we have all of his kinks worked out because we don't. We still experience behaviour problems and we do go to counseling. He is still growing and learning. But the good thing is that I am taking care of it now rather than when he becomes a teenager and the problems really start. And by that time it would be too late. With as many opportunties to help my son, there are plenty here. I hope that people who do have children with ADHD have the ablity to be open minded in their childrens future and weight the positive and negative. |
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