KYLE SCHMIDT: I’m Kyle Schmidt, and I went to college with Shannon. I realized that if I went on like this, I would never become the adult I wanted to be, so I’ve deciding to try something new. I finally did, when I couldn't figure out what else to do; I was desparate. Thus the benefits of Ritalin are much like Adderall. His daddy, his grandparents, his teachers, his church workers, even my sister-in-law who only sees him a few times a year. When it works properly it helps improve concentration, overcome distractions, and enhance your decision-making ability. That you need to disrupt your budget and your meal planning by trying the Feingold Diet, the GAPS diet, or going gluten free. In times of me being sad, lonely, and unmotivated, ive taken ritalin or other stims and its only made me more depressed once the high wore down. For me, these are the essential partners. His ped referred us to a psychiatrist that works at our peds office twice a week. Ritalin is one of the trade names for the drug known as methylphenidate. My psychotherapist had been encouraging me to investigate Adult ADD. ADHD Medication Changed My Life. Usually I haven’t finished one idea before the next idea is already in my head. Some forums can only be seen by registered members. Being a single working mother, his sleep schedule does not make for an easy night or day. Throughout her life, Shannon Heffernan had trouble focusing because of ADHD. The winter wore on and with changes in schedules (read: snow days), the progress he seemed to be making was up and down. Ezra has been so sweet, compliant, calm, mannerly, and responsible this morning!! July 17, 2013 BigTyRuss bigtyruss, DLPA, healthy, lifestyle, love, muscles, Supplements Leave a comment. We would have to repeat instructions over and over, threaten discipline, then follow through with discipline – from the time he woke up until the time he went to bed. He is also learning to read, tell time, and understand his place in the world (such as how where we are in the day or week fits into the daily or weekly schedule, days of the week, months of the year, etc.). It gives me hope! I went home to print them out again, but I realized I had somehow deleted the file. (laughter). So glad to hear that about your adult child. Some days were fabulous. That ADHD is a made-up disorder. Together with my psychotherapist, the Ritalin changed my life. So, for the first time, she decided to take Ritalin – a well-known pharmaceutical used to manage ADHD. I normally hate Sunday mornings but this one was one for the history books (even if we are still late for church). I love that you tried alternatives & that there are more people now to help parents through this process. This is her story. How a Dinner Date Changed My Life Forever Singing a New Tune You Throw, Girl: ADHD Role Model Wins Gold in Rio Pandemic Anxiety: 10 Expert Coping Strategies 2 Comments & Reviews Elsa_Ball says: April 28, 2017 at 3:57 am. Thank you for speaking out about your experiences with ADHD meds. What is DLPA? Now I could become that person I wanted to be. SHANNON HEFFERNAN: Okay it’s 8:15, I’m running late again, I need to be out the door in ten minutes. Learn how the right treatment, … But for Ezra’s sake and our family unit’s sake, I wish we had done this a year ago. Ezra, sit down and eat. I remembered that my mother once told me that I had ADHD as a child and that my teachers begged her to put me on Ritalin… When he was first diagnosed by an inpatient behavioral therapy team (which included a developmental behavioral pediatrician) in October of 2014 (at age 4), they recommended we speak directly with the DBP about medication management. I can say things like, “You can watch these videos on my phone until the big hand gets to the six, then you have to give me the phone,” and he will get upset when I take the phone instead of giving him the chance to hand it to me. No. However, his play therapist mentioned that because SPD and ADHD both have to do with differences in the brain stem, often children with SPD respond well to ADHD medications. Ritalin has changed my life. This was his idea. I was diagnosed with ADHD in the third grade. When she was 23, she realized she couldn’t live that way any more. RITALIN RUINED MY LIFE - Topix it saved my life when i was on ritalin seriously i was about to kill my self, i was an inch away and marijuana saved my life, i suggest using that medication if you have. But I feel that the possibility that confused, overwhelmed, and scared parents scared of giving their children ADHD medication could be helped by Ezra’s story necessitates that this be shared. We were EXHAUSTED and overwhelmed. He will sleep for a few hours and then is up for the day, until about six am, and then he wants to sleep again. Our son is now 25 & has been on ADHD meds for 17 years & has not progressed to other drugs so that debunks that myth. You may have to adjust dosages and times and play with it. Special Needs Survival Series: Parents Share Their Tips and Advice -, […] Our ADHD Medication Success Story […], Eating out with a special needs kid (it's kind of a big deal!) etc. While some of this may be attributed to his maturity and age (age 5 is a game-changer), he is asking deeper questions. I also know that efficacy can change with growth phases and adjustments may need to be made in the future. Every. HEFFERNAN: Hi Laura, this is Shannon. Yes, my mouth has always been my biggest challenge and has caused me tremendous social/professional problems. You know ADHD's classic symptoms. They don’t know what causes ADHD and they can’t tell why certain things fix it. Sparkle on beautiful people! I can do what I see other people doing all the time. After I made my phone call, I was strip searched and put in a cell. Posted by Author Brian Mendler Posted on July 9, 2014 October 26, 2017 0 0. And they want to help. HEFFERNAN: I kinda recall that when I called you, you laughed. My first week at work I was supposed to drop off some notes, but I took a bus going the wrong direction and was 30 minutes late. Single. etc. A month ago I was struggling to be around him because the fight was just so constant that I was miserable. Thank you for this. I could not agree more. And I believe that Prozac paved the way, in terms of acceptability, for the use of Ritalin in children, though there are many other factors as to why Ritalin took off. In February of 2015, we decided to start him on a non-stimulant option (Tenex, short-release Guanfacine). (swallows pills). One time I heard him playing at 1:30AM, and he was up and completely dressed in clothes for school. Other brand names can include Concerta, Methylin, and Metadate. My son is three and I know I am going to have to seek help. HEFFERNAN: I’m sitting here with my first dose of Ritalin and I’m feeling a mix of things. I question the medication…how often? The outbursts are still there, don’t get me wrong. Ritalin is a stimulant used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. That the only reason kids these days are being diagnosed with ADHD and SPD is that they aren’t getting enough exercise and playtime. No, not every time. Six months ago, I went on anxiety medication as […]. But when he doesn’t have the Med he is uncontrollable!! Now I could start. You’re not gonna believe this, but I’m calling you from jail. View beautyinhistime’s profile on Twitter, View beautyinhistime’s profile on Instagram, View beautyinhistime’s profile on Pinterest, Legalism and Grace: How I Left the IFB Movement and Chose Grace, Encouragement and Resources for the Military Wife. So we didn’t give you … sometimes we would think, “WellM she’s just being lazy,” when you were younger. I have hesitated in writing this post for a month now. Today we decided (with his doctors) to give medication a try. (Especially about the whole “it will turn him into a drug addict” comments that I see elsewhere online.). So she starts going through her bag and she finds this little can of condensed orange concentrate. It’s like an ocean trying to get through a garden hose – it just doesn’t work. One of our biggest issues is with sleep. How ADHD medication Concerta (Methylphenidate) changed my life. No. Ezra, if you don’t eat, xyz is gonna happen. It also wreaked severe havoc on his sleep (see also: How to keep sane when your child won’t sleep). We decided to wean him off of it at the end of the school year (mid-June). It's just the way life is for some kids. While his mean speech is still a factor, he has improved SO much. At the doses you give it … The most dramatic being the letting go of the idea that I was a fraud. I … The short version is that our 5-year-old has been diagnosed with adjustment disorder, ADHD, and definite sensory processing differences. As your son grows, you may find the dosage or medication needs tweaking. A thrill of hope {my #oneword365 recap, end of the year highlights, and top posts of 2015} -, […] after a year of deliberating and trying everything else, we started him on ADHD medication, one of the best parenting decisions we’ve ever […]. ... they change the chemical balance inside the receiving cell, making it more or less likely to fire in its own turn. I feel like I am the walking dead, everyday I see my life right in front of me but I am not there. So if your doctor suggests ADHD medication for your child, my advice is to try it. We are now giving him Concerta (methylphenidate XR) in the morning and the plain Ritalin in the afternoon and at dinner. He can hone in on projects, ADL tasks, eating, and playing in ways he NEVER has been able to up to this point. At some point, it got so serious that I got a panic attack during dinner. But now that I’m 23, I don’t feel so grownup. Only 2 or 3 angry outbursts, helpful and sweet attitude, ate all his lunch with very little prompting, transitioned smoothly between the different activities, and remained fairly calm. This can lead to a pretty bad cycle of getting sad, using ritalin to make you feel better, getting sad again and so on and so forth. Here are a few of my recent status updates: Putting Ezra on stimulant meds is one of the best decisions we have ever made. When I first started taking Adderall, my life changed almost immediately. Thank you for sharing it. Thank you so much for sharing!! I plan on getting a doctor’s opinion on ways to help Jack. What’s the pills and what’s just me hoping something’s different? Ate everything on his plate. I’m felling excited that this might alleviate some of the chaos that I have dealt with my whole life. We requested an additional occupational therapy day for him (which kicks in next week). I found that it truly changed our life. It was frustrating that I had to remember and keep track of pills in order to remember and keep track of things. He is STILL on methylphenidate multiple times a day. I decided to seek a secondary medical opinion through our pediatricians office. We all have things that we want to change about ourselves. Once fall came, he seemed to be doing very well in school. But, do you know other ways it can show up in your life? He prescribed us Quillivant XR (liquid extended-release Methylphenidate, the most common ADHD medication, well known as Ritalin). Success/Celebration. We told him we were going to wait because neither of us felt comfortable with medication management. LAURA GORDON [voicemail message]: Hello, you’ve reached Laura Gordon, please leave me a message and I will call you back. Nothing gets me angrier than misconceptions and myths […]. I was nervous to write this (gosh two years ago now?) GORDON: I remember when you came back afterwards, you had like two days where you were like really worried that you actually were a shoplifter. It is nice to read a positive one for once! The other night, I put his plate in front of him and instead of us saying, “Ezra, please eat. While in a perfect world I’d be on no medication, I have to recommend Adderall for anyone whose suffering from ADHD, because it has changed my overall quality of life for the best. We have tried just about every alternative therapy I know of with no real progress. In children, the average half-life of Ritalin is around 2.5 hours, but it can range anywhere from 1.5 to 5.0 hours. The act of going through his activities of daily living (ADL) (grooming, eating, getting in and out of the car in the morning) was just a fight that never seemed to end. Ezra just spent nearly an hour working on this picture of our family. Not only did he continue waking early (as had been his norm since toddlerhood with an average wake time of 5:30 AM), he had days where he woke even earlier (like 3:30AM…for the day), or in the middle of the night (for weeks on end). It may sound strange but I’ve been feeling like I’m working faster because my brain’s slowed down. At home, we are in a constant battle. How Ritalin Saved my Mind. Adderall has ruined my life. too much? A year has passed since I started and my life has changed completely. After struggling with my memory, motivation and focus, my doctor prescribed me 30mg of Ritalin LA for the days I have to work/study, having breaks on the weekends. It takes some experimenting. But, although this may seem surprising, it had never occurred to me as an adult that I could have ADHD, partly because, like most people, I didn't know that it was possible to suffer from it after childhood. Now, I find that I am holding my breath due to hypervigilance, expecting an outburst when he’s doing these things, but instead he works at it for a few minutes and either figures it out, or asks kindly for help. We noticed an improvement the very first day. Worrying about not if, but WHEN one of them will get set off into an anxiety attack or a meltdown. It affects the parts of the brain and central nervous system that control hyperactivity and impulses. But more than usual. When I graduated college, I started doing research for a Chicago theater. Not even one outburst all morning! Asked for seconds. I remembered that my mother once told me that I had ADHD as a child and that my teachers begged her to put me on Ritalin. Fighting him to sleep is a battle that drives me to tears most middle of the nights. And he won’t tell me anything, he is basically just saying, you know, “She’s gonna have to pay the price.”, HEFFERNAN: I was so mad because I was sitting there inside the cell and he hadn’t into my bad and gotten onto my cell phone, it rang, and was just telling everybody who answered, “She’s in jail for shoplifting, she’s in jail for shoplifting.” And I’m thinking, all my friends are gonna think, “What’s happening?”. It truly is a game-changer – at least it has been for us over the last 3 years!! The average half-life range is anywhere from 1.3 to 7.7 hours in adults. This boy has had SUCH an amazing day so far. The reports from school were decent-ish (definitely better than before therapy), but home life with him was still very difficult at times. because I was afraid it wouldn’t stick, but it HAS! But ADHD medication might just change your child’s life. It’s my third day on Ritalin and I just finished a project for work in half the time it used to take me. We have an appointment in a few days, and I trust my son’s doctor. Based on these half-lives, Ritalin can stay in the body for anywhere from one to two days, which is a relatively short time. What a great success story! This supplement could change your life! Ritalin and the Hyperactive Child - NYTimes.com (Love that term–sanctimommies.). Sometimes, he will even do what he’s supposed to do without being told. I wanted it to work so much that every time something went right I thought, “There, that, maybe that’s the Ritalin.” I wondered, “What is Ritalin doing in my brain right now?” So I looked it up. My first few days on Ritalin, I couldn’t tell if it was making a difference. Our own family has become much more outspoken about them as well because they changed our lives. That’s the sound of me getting ready in the morning. Ritalin (methylphenidate) is a nervous system stimulant that’s commonly used to treat ADHD in adults and children.It’s a brand-name prescription medication that targets dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain to reduce common ADHD symptoms.Though Ritalin is a stimulant, when used in ADHD treatment, it may help with concentration, fidgeting, attention, and listening skills.According to the Centers for Disease Control an… The first two are not issues. He still gets frustrated and mad and aggressive, but he comes down off of his little fits within just a few seconds, maybe a minute or two, instead of having a longer, more drawn-out ordeal. I kept detailed logs of how it was affecting him, including his wake times, times he was having emotional fits, and how he did in therapy. How to keep sane when your child won’t sleep, love songs to help you through a rough spot in your marriage, When you're "too tired to be a good mother" - hope for exhausted moms, Confessions of an introverted wife (married to an extroverted husband), ADHD Hack: the only four rules we have for our ADHD child, Songs for Military Members and Military Wives, Accepting grace means letting go of your own goodness. I have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD. But the improvement is undeniable. After reviewing Ezra’s extensive history (including OT reports, his behavioral plan from inpatient therapy, and IEP evaluations and progress reports), he gave us the exact same treatment plan as had the DBP we had seen: medication management. Ezra, do we need to set a timer? I felt so embarrassed. That if you were only more consistent, everything would be better. So, to anyone out there reading who is on the fence about medicating your child with ADHD or SPD, let me say this. "One study shows if you don't treat them with Ritalin you see more drug use in later life, and another study shows exactly the opposite. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. I felt unsure of our options because Ezra still lacked an official “sensory processing disorder” diagnosis. Just because something works for one child, doesn’t mean it will always work for another. And she decided to record her experience of how the drug might change her. I don’t think this means we shouldn’t try and get to better places in our lives, I just think it means we can’t forge our passports to get there. Saturday night was a later evening for bed (we went to a parade so he fell asleep about 9:45 PM), but he slept until 8:30 AM. A recent study that has appeared in the journal NeuroImage:Clinical, reports that subjects who had been treated with methylphenidate (Ritalin) before the age of 16, had significantly lower levels of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) as adults, compared with subjects who had started methylphenidate therapy after age 23, and subjects who had never taken … not […], Pursing self care and asking for help (in which we make some changes) -, […] about our diet, caffeine levels, how much sleep they have had, and if/when they have taken their medications. Parenting classes and behavioral therapy are also incredible tools for both the child and the parents, so don’t rule that out just because your sister is ignorant. HEFFERNAN: I’m heading out the door. How Massage Therapy Has Changed My Life with MS Medically reviewed by Heidi Moawad, MD Whether you have MS, care for someone with MS, or both: Massage therapy is a key component to self-care. I was close to being ready to start him on something else then, but I held back yet again. We tried different dosages and several different times of administration, and nothing seemed to make it better. Again, thank you! It’s astonishing how much bad publicity and clearly wrong information is out there. I’m felling excited that this might alleviate some of the chaos that I have dealt with my whole life. Glad I’m not the only one speaking out, either. It’s the same thing with ADHD meds. Our son is 5 and we had struggled for 2yrs about meds and we trust his dr so much we finally did this same Med almost a year ago and it has made a world of difference! Beautiful in His Time is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Ritalin wasn’t a success or a failure, a beginning or an end. (True story, both of these incidents happened tonight.). Sometimes I think just when you hit that “sweet spot” of efficacy, the kiddo grows and changes and you have to adjust again. And by everything I mean EVERYTHING. He’s also telling long, drawn-out imaginative stories with intricate detail that are riveting and fascinating. How did the appointment go? My parents put me through all kinds of medication; ritalin, adderal, concerta, the whole cornucopia of ADHD meds. We have found that the combination of therapy and medication has been the most helpful. There will still be days where everything goes to crap and you wonder if you’ve made a mistake. Mostly because I am attempting to be more guarded in what I share about our kids on this blog. We may need to tweak our son’s again, but we are still with methylphenidate. At school, he is more manageable due to the routine and the other kids. Adderall has also changed my life as I was diagnosed at age 54 with ADHD inattentive type and general anxiety disorder. Also, on the weekends, he sleeps even later. 5:24 AM is the earliest he has woken up in the last month. They aren’t a pediatrician or a psychiatrist. Dose total @40mg daily which is pretty standard. His play therapist and OTs believed that sensory processing problems were definitely a big deal for Ezra. Appetite loss is one of the biggest side-effects of stimulant medication, but we have seen the opposite. Because I can tell all the naysayers, the sanctimommies, and the people who don’t believe in modern medicine that we tried just about everything else before taking this route, that we waited a long time, and blah blah blah blah blah. Sarah, I am glad that you also have found success with the meds. I think we as parents need to be supportive of each other! The three biggest side affects are appetite suppression, sleep disturbances, and tic. While the summer was definitely trying, we got through it. It makes my life interesting. Since taking Adderall I have reduced citalopram by half the dose daily and could not function without my daily dosage of Adderall. Because they are doctors who devote years of their lives to intense study and practicum. Ezra started inpatient behavioral therapy and occupational therapy while we waited for our appointment. Everyone who has direct interaction with Ezra on a regular basis has noticed a difference. I’m thinking that everyone was gonna think that you were just this terrible person now. I have heard many Ritalin “horror stories” over the years and Russ was probably even more anxious about the possibility than I was. I take Concerta which is a long acting Ritalin type drug... and it changed my life. He can sit and eat, play, listen to what’s being said, learn! I went to court for the shoplifting case. The policeman stood outside and answered my cell phone. They (your Facebook friends, the people who write sensational blog posts, Dr. Google, your extended family members who just don’t get it, etc) are going to tell you that French kids don’t have ADHD. We cleaned the basement together, we only had to tell him once to get dressed, we went to the children’s museum, straight from there to Panera, straight from there to therapy. Walking out of the courtroom, I wanted it to be a symbolic new beginning. etc.” for a long-exhausting HOUR, he simply sat there and ate. Maybe your special needs child just needs you -, […] start questioning everything. I knew we were about to enter a very tumultuous time for him (transitioning from school to summer camp to time at home with a very-pregnant me, then back to school then new baby). My son is 8 and has ADHD, SPD, and anxiety. I have no words. Ritalin has changed my life (psychiatrist, pill, medication, hyper) User Name: Remember Me: Password : Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! I had never realized ‘til just now that I was operating in an abnormal way. Managing Your Sex Life With ADHD. I felt that, whether helpful or harmful, it would be hard to judge the efficacy of medication management with so many other factors at play. That you need to spend hundreds of dollars on essential oils, supplements, or other alternative approaches. He’s saying, “May I please…” and “Thank you” and kind things, unprompted, without having to be reminded at all! It’s like when you’re in a room and the sun is setting and you don’t realize that the room has gotten dark and someone comes in and turns on the light, and you think, “Oh wow, how was I reading in the dark?” This is so much better. Great article. The difference was dramatic. But I’ve learned that it doesn’t quite work that way. by Beth (Idaho Falls) I have been taking adderall for 6 years now, since then, I have been numb to every emotion in my body. Your story just helps because I have felt so ashamed and like I have to defend myself as a mother as to why my son is on an ADHD Med. We SOOO needed a day like this!!! My son takes ADHD stimulant medication and medication for sleep. Okay, here it goes. When Laura tried to call me back, she got him. We also felt like we needed to give the therapy he was undergoing a longer chance to work to see if that could stand-alone as an option for him. WHAT A DIFFERENCE between this summer at home on medication and the last two without it. Our son is only on 3ml twice a day. And so she comes to class the next day and she’s found her book and we’re like “hey Shannon, where’d you find your book?” And she’s like “it was in my freezer, where my orange juice is supposed to go.”. They prescribed him Ritalin (5 mg twice a day), and I have been so worried. -, […] over the last year, the combination of the right medication and a bit of maturity has done WONDERS for Ezra’s behavior, and we have been finding out that […]. This story previously aired on "Crosscurrents" on November 3, 2010. He’s talking to us about God and absorbing the things he has learned in church. He is still going to struggle because these things don’t just go away with meds and therapy. The security guard didn’t show up and so the charges were dropped. Oh shoot, I gotta go back, I gotta get my bus pass. (Not to mention, caring for a newborn – who was by far the easy child in the home.).