Ritalin. i need advice.

[patrick t. cakes]

i dropped my 7 yr old son off at his mothers tonight and discovered
a bottle of ritalin prescribed to him. i didnt mention it to his mother yet because i
wanted to learn more about it before discussing it.
im reading up on it and i dont know if i like the idea of my
childs natural instincts to run and play being suppressed with drugs. hes 7
for gods sake. should i be worried?

[wildhorses]

1. you have a right to know about your own child and the

PERSCRIPTIONS he is own--

my nephew was put on adderall (sp) and did NOT need to be on it

this epidemic is sweeping the country :wtf:

yes, if i were you i would be concerned and i would be getting some info


good luck to you and your child:hug:

[Shine]

2. I'm not really in the position of having advice to give on this subject

but as a parent of two school age kids, myself, I can totally relate to your consternation that your boy is being medicated at such a young age. I'd definitely be concerned, too. Particularly since the mother has not seen fit to inform you of this important info. What's up with that?!?

Personally, I am philosophically against the idea of medicating children. I think there must be other ways to deal with childrens' behaviour "problems"....a lot of times it simply means the PARENTS, themselves, need better tools and techniques to learn how to parent their own children.

My two cents. Good luck with it all! :hi:

[patrick t. cakes]

3. yes im concerned

about not being told, but its the nature of
our relationship.
im quite pissed actually.
and i agree i dont like children being medicated
at any age.

[belladonna]

4. Uh, I'd also not like the idea that the child's mother doesn't think you need this info

What if you have the child and need to take him to the Emergency Room and they want to know what medications he's on? What if you say he's on nothing at all and they give him something that is contraindicated with Ritalin and he has a bad reaction? I'd be seriously pissed if I were in your place.

I also agree with the first reply... it's an epidemic these days, parents want to turn their children into little drones with no personality. Granted, there are SOME children who might need it but it's WAY overprescribed, IMO.

[Taverner]

5. Ritalin is a pretty harsh ADHD drug

Usually they don't prescribe it unless Adderall or Strattera doesn't work...

[Connonym]

6. You should be pissed that she didn't tell you

because of the potential side effects but also because of the diagnosis. My daughter has an attention problem but isn't hyperactive. She's been taking an ADD medication since she was about 7. I know it's quite controversial and I don't really want to defend myself for this decision but I have seen the difference it makes in my daughter's ability to retain what she's been taught. Her father and I have made the decision that her self-esteem and ability to succeed at school outweigh the side effects (which in her case is diminished appetite).

It's not something that should be undertaken lightly and it's not something I would have felt comfortable doing without the agreement of my daughter's father, evaluation by a psychologist, discussion with her pediatrician and feedback from her teachers. I can't say whether or not it's appropriate for your son but I would be worried that you weren't consulted in the decision.

I think you should find out why he's taking it, why she didn't consult with you or at the very least tell you after the fact. Online you'll read all sorts of strongly held opinions for and against Ritalin. I don't think it's right in every situation and it may very well be over prescribed and misused but that doesn't mean that it's never appropriate. In the end only you can decide what's right for your child.