[Galetre]

My 12 yo son has Asbergers and ADHD, recently diagnosed. He had an extremely tough time in school last year with several suspensions, failing grades, calls home nearly every day, and may be held back. I have an appointment for him to see a psychiatrist about adhd meds this week, but I'm feeling very apprehensive about putting him on meds. He's so young, and I'm worried about long term effects of medication. Please share your thoughts and experiences. I need some other viewpoints. Thank you.

[walkingthecow]

I am sorry to here about your son. I think you can get non addictive medication. Maybe try googling it and see what some of the sites say about the medications for youth. I hope things work out OK.

[Galetre]

Thank you. I've been waiting in this appointment for a month and a half. Ive done a lot of research, but still dont feel confident either way. I'm having a lot of anxiety with the appointment this week. Hopefully the doctor will be helpful.

[Nammu]

My grandson is on medication it has done wonders for him. He is 9 and started medication halfway though his first grade. It improved his ability to concentrate and his performance in school improved remarkably. He is able to move on with his friends. At first they had weekend breaks from the meds but he much prefers taking the medication because he can think more clearly. My daughter was very Leary at first but it has made a world of difference. My grandson still struggle s in school and gets 1 on 1 help with some classes but his social skills are awesome.

[Galetre]

Thank you for this positive view.

[June55]

Try it for a few months, it takes some adjustment of the dose along the way, and see if it helps.

[Willcat]

I hope you find a solution.

[*Beth*]

I so well understand your reluctance. That said, please don't allow your son to struggle and suffer when there is good treatment for his disorder.

My own daughter had severe GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) when she was of school age. We put her in therapy, which helped some, still, she would be so terribly anxious about going to school every day that she threw up every single morning, despite continuing to do well academically.

When the time came when she was so anxiety-ridden that she was unable to attend social events (she was around age ten) due to her anxiety, her pediatrician suggested medication. The medication gave her a normal life. She continued with therapy and was better able to use the "tools" she learned in therapy when the medication helped to free her mind from the prison of anxiety.

My daughter is 37 now and teaches in university. It gives me chills to think of how her life might have turned out, had we not properly treated her illness.