Hi, my son (7 years) is diagnosed ADHD without hyperactivity. From my point of view the symptoms are mild (maybe because for me its “normal”). My wife and I now have to decide wether we want to treat his symptoms with methylphenidat. My question: Can someone with medium strength adhd who gets medicated in his/her childhood write their experience in retrospective?

Thanks for reading, sorry for my English.

  • ricecake@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    18·
    7 days ago

    I got medicated as an adult, so I can’t directly share my experiences relating to your question.

    I wish I had been medicated at a younger age, since I can see so many problems I had in my life that were ultimately related to entirely unmanaged ADHD.
    I also turned out fine without it, things were just more difficult.

    Make sure you trust your pediatrician and that you’re on the same page as them. That’ll make it easier to feel confident that their advice is in line with your goals. They all have your kids best interest at heart, but there are different emphasis they can focus on which might not mesh with yours.

    Talk with your kid and see how they feel. They might not be old enough to fully articulate things, but you can try to get a feel for if they’re feeling volatile, struggling or things like that. Look at how they play alone and with others, and at how they engage with homework.

    Start slow, and work your way up.

      • ricecake@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        2·
        6 days ago

        Thank you for being uncertain. :) I mean that sincerely. Some people are too quick to dismiss doctors expertise, and some people are too eager to try to use medication to solve “boredom”. Trying to make sure you’re actually doing the right thing is great.

        Just remember: one of the effected things is executive function , or the ability to act deliberately and stay on task. You unfortunately see a trend of people who think “they don’t need medication, we just need to teach the better study skills/to focus/etc”, which is the one bit you can’t teach.
        And get them a bowl to put whatever that thing they keep misplacing in. They might not be able to remember where they put it, but they can learn to always put it in the bowl.