I have an 11 yr old boy that was diagnosed with ADHDin kindergarten. We have tried numerous meds,most "worked" (lessened his symptom)at first- but as timewould progress, we would up the dose until we were at the highest dose and it still would stop working- so DR. would switch his meds and we would start all over.
I knowthis is going to sound terrible- I love my son SOOO much- but at this point, my husband and I can hardly stand to be around him. He acts silly like a 5 year old all the time, NEVER stops talking, repeats everything 100 times, doesn;t listen, and is very very hyperactive- he is very hard to deal with. I know this is not his fault, and he is so sweet- he tells me he loves me all the time. Even he senses the tension he is causing in the home- I am so aggitated and nervous all the time- either we are going to have to find some way to deal with his MASSIVE behavior issues and hyperacivity- or my husband and I will both be on meds ourselves.
Any suggestions would be appreciated
ellima01

Mine is similiar, try giving him a mountain dew or some other loaded with caffeine drink (should calm him) as well as maybe finding out about food allergies, found out some of what was going on with mine was a milk allergy. Take a close look at his diet and what foods he craves, you may just find some of the answer in that. There is another post on here about allergy testing, its a good read, and MGDAD and I both whole heartedly believe in what food does to our bodies and our kids. Good luck and hopefully everything will work out in the end. If you go way back on here, you'll see that I too was at my wits end with my daughter!

Has the doctor ever mentioned adolescent bipolar disorder? To me, he sounds very manicky, rather than hyperactive. My 11 year old is bipolar and ADHD (primarily inattentive, however) and she was a lot like you described your son, before medications. Its a whole new day for the child I have after meds, though!

as far as the adolescent bi-polar,my DR. is veryleary of bi-polar meds with children,I know you said it is working wonders with your child (and that's wonderful!!), but I am a nurse,and my sons DR. tells me that most children do not do well with those types of meds (just like with antidepressants) he thinks it is to early for us to look at that as of yet- But I have considerded he may have some manic tendancies- as well as craving foods that have alot of sugar and artificial things.

TY for the good wishes, and of course I would never argue with your good doctor :) its all up to y'all!

FTR my child is prescribed the same meds as I am, off-label for her age. Not surprising, then, that they work for her, since they work for me, ya know?

Have you tried any therapy of counseling? Alot of times kids are more willing to listen to someone who isn't their parent (because as we all know, parents are stupid). Here it's been a combination of medication, play therapy, and tactics suggested at home that seem to be helping my son (ADHD/Aspergers). You may also want to try a developmental pediatrition, just to get a second opinion.

i know how you feel my son is 8 and yet sometimes i cannot bear him in the same room cause if he is there then there is stress. yes i know it isnt his fault but it doesnt make it any easier to cope with. My son is only with me at weekends and midweek yet i feel so guilty because most of that time he spends being told off or screaming and shouting. He never seems to learn from anything be it punishing for bad behaviour or rewarding good behaviour. nothing works. I feel so sorry for him because he really believes no one loves him even though we all tell him several times a day. we are always cuddling him and telling him we love him. It is so hard at times though. i feel so guilty for constantly telling him off. I love all my children unconditionally.

I know exactly what you are talking about rach0074, there is nothing worse than dreading the time your going to spend with your child. I come home after work for an hour to relax, get my head together and then go get my daughter from daycare. I never know from day to day what kind of miserable, nasty, mean, rude mood she's gonna be in, or if she's gonna be almost manic and so happy it suprises the crap out of me. Some nights are so hard and stressful that I think "my God, what have I done in my lifetime to reap this", and I feel so BAD for her cuz she just cant seem to control it, sometimes when we try to talk about what she's done, she seems oblivious to the fact that she's done it! She will actually say that she doesnt remember it. Sadly, she's a good liar too though, so I dont know if its genuine or if she really has no clue. We've done the therapy and counseling but it seems to be food allergies that rule her. We've tried to eliminate milk (which is the easiest) but she hasnt been able to go an entire week without finding it somewhere. I did notice though that the first week without it there were noticeable improvements, now I have the joy of trying to figure out if its gluten that is affecting her too, which takes 3 LONG WHOLE MONTHS compared to the two or three weeks for milk. Her biological dead beat dad is bi polar, so that too scares the crap out of me, and then theres puberty which could also be affecting her. WHY CANT THEY COME WITH A PRE WRITTEN MANUAL????

Her biological dead beat dad is bi polar, so that too scares the crap out of me, and then theres puberty which could also be affecting her. WHY CANT THEY COME WITH A PRE WRITTEN MANUAL????Well, there is somewhat of a manual with regards to biplar disorder: its hereditary. If the deadbeat dad has it, then chances are good tha the child has it, especially if there is already a definitive DX of ADHD. There is an enormous one-way comorbity between ADHD and BP. Mood swings of any type with a history of BP in either parent should always be investigated.