Plate spinning galore

[morwentf]

Remember the old Ed Sullivan show, and the guy who ran up and down the line of spinning plates, keeping them all going on top of the sticks? (You have to be of a certain age to remember this.) Well, that's me. I've got a lot of plates spinning, and I'm a little bit frantic trying to keep any of them from toppling

Comments

[morwentf]

Thanks. I've been doing some reading, and after many years of being completely resistant to meds (and trying some of the things suggested in these articles) I think it's time to try them. But I really appreciate these references, I think this information will be helpful.

What I've learned is that the deficits in executive function that I see so clearly are really about brain chemistry. ADD/ADHD is different in teenagers than it is in kids (and K is pretty much a teenager already, hormonally if not yet emotional-maturity-wise). At this point it's not so much about calming him (though some of the natural sleep aids would be very useful, I think, falling asleep is an issue for him), but about helping his brain process information without getting distracted or overwhelmed. Forgetfulness, disorganization, procrastination and trouble getting started, all these are classic symptoms of ADD and interfere with success at school (and life!). No matter how good his intentions or how hard he tries, he can't change these behaviors on his own. Studies show that meds have an incredible high rate of helping (like 90% or more). So it seems silly not to try it.

Sound like anyone else you know? I wish I could get K's father to get out of denial and try it himself.

[domalicat]

I've hears some of the success stories of meds, but the thought of long-term meds scare me. Just a thought but you may want to pass on some of the info you find to chameleonlac, while he's doing good now he seems to fall into the the classic symptoms as well, and if there's anything that could help him stay on task I'm sure he'd be apprieciative. When I get back from my weekend trip I'll check some of my herbal and crystal remedies books for any more useful info.

While I'm thinking of it, how close are you to needing more stuff for K. from BJ's?

[morwentf]

I'll be glad to have a look at anything you come up with. But the research I've done reassured me about the long term stuff. Some of the meds used for ADD have been studied for over 30 years, with no evidence of long term damage or even cumulative effects. The stuff wears off and leaves the system, does not accumulate in the body, and many adults who took meds as children have been able to cut back or get off them completely as adults and still function well, since brains continue to mature throughout well into the thirties and some thing do get easier (although the ADD never goes away completely, it does get easier to deal with over time, with practice using organizational techniques and general maturity).

I've seen studies and heard lots of anecdotal stories about people who took the medicine only when they needed it for certain tasks (such as schoolwork or job tasks), and didn't take it other times, and were fine with that. There's no "withdrawal" or anything like that, though people can get irritable right when they are wearing off. It's also important to realize that ADD can be mild, moderate, or severe, and to adjust the use and dosage of medicine accordingly. I think K's case is mild-to-moderate, enough that it is definitely interfering with his school work. So my attitude is, given the absence of any evidence that the medicine is harmful and the preponderance of evidence that it might help, why not try it?

So far we're good as far as K's other medicine goes, thanks for asking.

xoxo
M