Monday, February 16, 2009

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

My husband and I had a meeting on Friday with 2 doctors from Childrens Hospital. In regards to Neurologic Development testing that was done last month. They diagnosed Chloe with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Learning Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (LD NOS).


Children with ADHD have a hard time controlling their behavior, are fearless or having a hard time paying attention. ADHD is sometimes not dedicative until a child enters school. Children may have a hard time sitting down, may even day dream or may be disruptive in his/her classroom.

Chloe is a well behaved child. I am not saying she is perfect but in her case Chloe does not like to draw attention to her. Chloe is social able and has lots of friends. Chloe is not fearless and will think twice about doing something where she may be hurt. Throughout the day she tends to be tired but at night she is very active and has a hard time settling down to go to bed. Chloe does have a hard time on focusing on tasks and seeing them through.

During the meeting we talked about stimulant medications for ADHD. I explained to the doctor that my husband and I are against it. Chloe has a Heterotaxy, with Polysplenia and the side effects are not worth the risk to our daughter. I also explained to her that Chloe is already on a lot of medication and that we are not adding one more if she doesn’t need it. The doctor explained to me that: A. Chloe would be followed by a cardiologist and B. we would make sure that the meds would not conflict with her other meds. My husband and I explained to the doctor that we strongly believe that there are too many side effects. Therefore, we are not putting her on any stimulant medications.

The side effects of the stimulant medications may vary depending on the dosage or type of medicine. I also know that the most common side effects are loss of appetite, insomnia, increased anxiety, and/or irritability. Studies have also reported children with mild stomach aches or headaches. The most important fact to me is that there are serious side effects that parents with a child with Heterotaxy should know about. I read on a website that according to the FDA 27 children died suddenly from 1992 to 2005 because of undetected heart problems. Did you know that some of the serious side effects are irregular heat beat, sudden death and low or high blood pressure?

I believe in a different approach when it comes to dealing with Chloe and ADHD. With Chloe we have always used the rewards system, positive reinforcement, and love. I believe it’s because of our approach that we don’t have a child with behavioral problems. I don’t see the need to putting a child with a Cardiovascular defects on a stimulant med for ADHD because these minor or serious side effects are not worth the life of my child.

For more information please see the link noted below:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/adhd/DS00275/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs

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