Avatar Posted by Tonya28 498 days ago (Question)
I have an eight year old son that has ADHD with mood disorder and ODD. The medicines and therapy are not working. He refuses to take one of his meds, I have told the doctor but he didn't do anything about. Everyday his father, young brother, and I have to deal with him screaming, yelling, argueing, crying over nothing and we don't know what to do anymore, we are at our wits end. I myself have Bi-polar 2 disorder with panic attacks, his younger brother is also adhd. Please help me I dont know what to do anymore.


Answers


Chemar
498 days ago
So sorry you are having all these struggles Tonya

Is there any way you can mix the medication with his food so he will get it in that way?

There are some natural supplements that can be helpful for ADHD like extra omega3 from fishoil and also borage oil capsules,

There are also foods and supplements that can be helpful for OCD, but if he is already on medications for that, then you cannot use them together as it would take serotinin too high.

What kind of therapy is having?
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Tonya28
498 days ago
He takes Strattera so I cant take the med. apart. I have tried putting it in food but when he realizes it he spits it out. He goes to an ADHD therapist at a mental facility, but he doesnt listen to anything anybody tells him. I have tried everything I can think of and what people have told me to do but nothing works.
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bella
498 days ago
I'm sorry you're exasperated ATM. I think you need to make it clear to your sons doctor, how your family's struggling. Some parents have success with following a healthy eating plan and eliminating certain foods. You can also incorporate 'fish oil' supplements.

What's the school doing to support your son - they should be helping him. Maybe you should request a 2nd opinion or a team approach. I'll leave an excellent website and I encourage you to explore it thoroughly - think out of the box approach. You can also join our forum section and the website's forum section. I'm sure your son doesn't want to behave badly and just needs the right help.

http://totallyadd.com/

http://helpguide.org/mental/adhd_add_parenting_strategies.htm

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/oppositional-defiant-disorder/DS00630

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/06/20/4-ways-to-manage-oppositional-defiant-disorder-in-children/
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Tonya28
498 days ago
The school has him in special education right now because he has F's in every class.
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Tonya28
498 days ago
He takes Strattera so I cant take the capsule apart, I have tried putting it in food but when he realizes that it is in there he wont eat it. He sees an ADHD therapist at a mental facility, but he doesnt listen to anything anybody tells him. I dont know what to do anymore I have tried everything I can think of, what people have told me to try and nothing is working.
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bella
498 days ago
Does the medication help him? Is he refusing to take it because he doesn't like the way he feels when he's on the meds? Make sure you take care of yourself, so you're better able to handle the stress. Does the reward system work - for example if you cooperate with X you get Y. What does he enjoy? learn as much as you can about both disorders and keep being proactive. Here's a couple more links:

http://www.chadd.org/

http://www.adhdissues.com/ms/news/8011610/main.html
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Tonya28
498 days ago
I dont know if the med will work or not because he has only taken it about 3 days out of 3 weeks. He likes playing on his Nintindo DS but when I take it away for bad behavior he throws a severe fit. I have tried the reward system but NOTHING is working.
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Chemar
498 days ago
Tonya

have you tried explaining to him that the medicine is designed to make him feel better?

I don't know how Strattera is presented, but if it is a pill, you can crush it into a powder and then mix that into food, or applesauce or a drink etc

You may want to try the fishoil capsules too (tho I realize if he is refusing his med, that may be hard) but many people report excellent improvement of ADHD symptoms with fish oil
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Tonya28
498 days ago
yes I have explained it to him his therapist explained it to him. the pill is a capsule and you cant crush, take apart or anything you have to take it whole.
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bella
498 days ago
Is your son able to take pills - some kids are nervous about taking pills and only take liquid meds?
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