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.

  • soundimus@lemmy.worldEnglish
    7·
    6 days ago

    I was diagnosed when I was about 5 and I’m 30ish now.

    You should make sure your child knows what you think is going to happen with the medicine and that it’s ok to talk about how it feels to them.

    When I was that age, it made me feel like I was containing a part of myself. I didn’t really understand that was pent up anxiety not literally part of me trying to bust out of my chest. My parents are super conservative which didn’t help as it turned into “take your pill, you’re not a good person or someone we want to be around.”

    This is assistance to help them succeed NOT getting rid of something undesirable. The way you go about this will be more important than the actual drug. A good doctor will help with dosage and brand.

    Focalin, Ritalin, Adderall, Vyvanse, Astarys or any stimulant based medication gave me pent up feelings of anxiety or tightness.

    Non-stimulant based ones only really target the executive function. So if they don’t have the hyperactivity that can also be useful.

    I stopped when I was 18 because “I didn’t feel like myself” which people usually refer to as being a robot. This kinda messed up my 20’s and I had to re-learn who I was and how to function in the real world which was rough.

    I recently started up again and it really helps smooth out the edges of having to remember what I’m supposed to be doing or when I get stuck hyper focused on something.

    I can’t stress enough that this isn’t a fix, not everything works for everyone, and the most important advice I can give you is to find healthy habits. We do not function as normal everyday people do and that’s ok. Just gotta find what works and be consistent.