My son's experience with stimulant meds (
concerta,
adderall) was terrible. Every day, I regret having placed him on them. He had no tics prior to trying one of the stimulants. The ped. said to try another. We did and his tics worsened. So bad that he was constantly making noises (like an owl hooting), eye blinking, and scrunching up his face. I said enough! The ped reassured me that once he stopped the med, his tics would improve and go away. Not the case. My son, 5 years later, still suffers with tics. He has vocal and motor tics and yet I'm told he doesn't have Tourette's. I tend to disagree. The Dr's all call it a "tic disorder" but they have not seen how bad they can be. They say he will grow out of it, but I am doubtful. As much as I want to
hope, nothing's changed and he's 10.
As for dealing with them at
school, I address this issue with his teachers at the very beginning of the year. His friends have been pretty understanding, as he has friends with ADHD. He doesn't get teased, but curious kids will ask questions. He tells them that its just the way he's made, and we all are different in our own ways. We all have unique brains that work differently and that's how his works.
We've dealt with this for so long that I hate to admit this, but his tics annoy me at times. I love him dearly and would never want to hurt his feelings, but constant noises over and over and over can irritate the heck out of me and his Dad! We know he can't help it, so I try my best to ignore them. If that doesn't work, I just have to
leave the room. I don't want to hurt his feelings and asking him to stop won't work, because he can't help it.
My youngest child is now being evaluated for ADHD. I feel that he may be diagnosed with ADHD. When the time comes to address medications, my answer will be NO STIMULANTS. NEVER AGAIN.
We are using natural products and these seem to help a bit. My oldest son does take
strattera but I can't tell you how well it works. Its only so-so. It doesn't help with hyperactivity. Thank goodness we've had good teachers who allow different techniques in the classrooms, like squeezing a ball, chewing gum, getting up and moving around for a bit, etc.
ADHD isn't easy to understand, but its not going to win the battle in our family!
