Marvin wrote:
> > I don't like our culture's dependency on Ritalin either; it's evidence
<snip>
> > that in lots of cases hyperactivity is a side effect of sloth--too
Julia wrote:
> Besides, there are other things you can do for ADD. If I had a kid
> diagnosed by the school as having ADD, I'd take him (or her, but more
> likely him) to his own pediatrician, and get a referral to a disinterested
> specialist, if need be. And then I'd look at what can be done besides
Until recently, I agreed with these opinions, and to a point, still do.
Four weeks ago, my seven year old daughter started taking 5 mg of Ritalin,
twice a day, on school days only.
I was not happy about the decision to do this, but our family doctor felt
that it was worth trying for 6 weeks to see if it was effective.
There was nearly a year of counseling, testing, classroom observation and
diagnostics that led up to the decision to try her on Ritalin. In all,
involved was a counselor that specializes in ADHD, two teachers, a school
counselor and our family doctor. As the doctor told us, it is virtually
impossible to make a certain diagnosis on ADHD and most of the time you
usually just have to try the medication and see if it works. That was not a
great comfort to me.
She is not a completely obnoxious or an uncontrolled child, but she tends to
be very active and sometimes aggressive in the classroom and with her
classmates to the point that it was starting to affect her grades and social
interactions with other children.
The change at school was immediate and dramatic. Suddenly she was paying
attention in class, interacting with her friends in a less aggressive
manner, and she immediately started to get literally perfect grades as
compared to the below average grades that she was getting.
>From what I am reading about Ritalin, it metabolizes out of the body after
four or five hours - hence the need for two doses each weekday. There seems
to be two different camps on the dosing only on weekdays issue. Some doctors
(mine included) feel that it should only be given on weekdays to take the
edge off at school and not during the summer, and others think that it
should be a daily dose, even on weekends and during the summer to be
consistent.
I am not happy about the idea that she may need to be on this for the next
few years. One of the things that we are looking into is the possibility
that her ADHD symptoms may be an allergic reaction to certain foods. She
eats very little candy, but it is difficult to get away from processed foods
that contain additives and preservatives. One thing that I have noticed is
that if she eats brand name peanut butter, or things that are heavy with
MSG, she does become very hyper and reactive. If she eats peanut butter that
is freshly ground at the store, she has no reaction. It is just a very slow
process of observation and elimination.
I have heard some horror stories about Ritalin as well as watched my brother
take it for years when he was younger. Unfortunately, it tended to be used
as a control factor and threat for him. I hated that and I am not sure what
role, if any, Ritalin played in his current lifestyle. He is 29 and has the
responsibility level of a 15 year old. He can't hold a job, has been to
prison several times and goes out of his way to be worthless unless it suits
him. Of course he could have turned out this way without Ritalin, who knows.
_____________________________________________
Gary L. Nunn
Delaware Ohio
Laurie got offended that I used the word "puke."
But to me, that's what her dinner tasted like.
