My son who is 9 had ADD. For the past years he has been on several meds from Ritalin, Adderall which made him worse. I finally got his Dr to have him on straterea which seemed to help but now he's getting worse. His behavior is getting bad to the point it's affecting him in school and his classmates. My son is very emotional and yet has anger issues to where when he fights with his older sister it's physical. It's hard for me to teach him anything from right and wrong to good behavior when he doesn't understand or won't understand. This is the first time he has had a problem in school normally he's really good but his unattentiveness is getting the best of him. It's to the point to where he can't learn because he can't sit still. I have explained his condition to his teacher thinking and praying she understands but it feels like she is getting frustrated with him and I don't know what to do anymore. The only time he's good is when there's food or when he chooses to be good. If anyone has any ideas I would greatly appreciate any of them.

Thanks

It could be the medication. Not all meds work for everyone, so maybe something different will help. It could also be that he has a co-morbid condition. Apparently ADHD gets lonely and likes to bring along friends (OCD, ODD, Asperger's, etc). Most everyone seems to start out with a ADHD dx, and then progress from there. That's where I started with my son, and now we know it's ADHD and Asperger's.

I would suggest you talk to his dr. about your concerns and bring up other conditions. See if he was evaluated for those back when he got his ADHD dx (mine never was, so it was a wasted year of trying to deal with ADHD when that wasn't his only problem). And talk to the school about getting an IEP in place so he has help from that end as well.

Mostly just hang in there. It does get better. :)

You might check into guanfacine (Tenex). It can help with ADHD symptoms (except not so good with attention) and defiance.
http://www.peacehealth.org/kbase/topic/detail/drug/hw164961/detail.htm

Shire will be marketing their long acting form at some future time:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-05/pn-ing052307.php

My youngest is on this with a stimulant and it works very well for her. Everyone is different in what works or not.

Hi Hope, and welcome. Your son sounds exactly like me when I was younger heh. Is his doctor a specialist in ADHD, or a general practitioner. I am no medication expert, but personally I only lasted so long on certain medications, adderall being one of them. My specialist finally prescribed me dexadrine, and once on that, I was able to function in school, though I was still a bit fidgety. ADHD is a long process, and something you will have to continually deal with, but it can be a good thing too. I think the co-morbitity issue is also a viable one. I was only diagnosed with ADHD, and it was not until later on that I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression problems. The best idea I could think of would to be speaking to your sons doctor about other possible issues, and possibly trying a different medication. But, and I keep repeating this as in other posts, make sure its a specialist at least in neurological disorders that has some actual understanding of ADHD. That was a big problem for me in childhood, and it was not until we found someone who actually understood the disorder that I really got the help that I needed. I hope things work out for the best:)