My son is 5 and half and takes ADHD medication (4) pills to be exact. He has begun this nervousness thing where he keeps his hands at his mouth or nose. He also began pooping on himself, and not going to the bathroom. I've read the side effects to the meds but bowel movements are not mentioned. I've started making him sit on the potty after dinner at night but he goes very little. When he does "go" in his clothes it is not hard so he's not constipated, he just doesn't take his little self to the restroom. Any advice on why he might be eliminating on himself, I thought at 1st it was his dosage was too high so we've reduced it but it has happened 3 times in the last week.
He also went several months without night terrors but has started that again. I have given him melatonin to help him sleep but with night terrors he wakes up screaming crying and for no apparent reason. This can go on all night long about every hour. I have him on a bedtime routine, no scary movies, no obvious reasons as to why this behavior returned after several months of good restful sleep.
Ideas Please...
I am going to edit my question since there were so many questions on how to better direct me. And yes there are very harsh opinions that were shared. My son is very hyperactive and w/o the meds would be all over the place talking being disruptive and a total lack of focus and impulse control. He is not a discipline problem, he minds but in a classroom situation I have to have him learning and being productive not dis-ruptive.
As a matter of fact we are now seeing a psychiatrist who happens to be the 5th Dr. we've gone to. He takes Concerta and a antihistime to prevent migraines which a stimulant can cause, it also makes him hungry which as most of you know stimulants also curb your appetite so twice a day he take that pill to stimulate hunger so that he will eat at meal times, and the last pill he takes is for impulse control that is new on the market and that is the one that I thought was too high of dosage, so we lowered it and it seems to have helped.
And as far as the pooping issue goes it has been at home just as he woke up one time and in the car twice, but he did not once expressed to me he had the urge to got to the restroom, therefore, I am taking some of the advice here which is to try to put him on the potty at the same time every day in an effort to retrain his bowels.
And Yes one pediatrician did reccommend the melatonin and it is only 1mg and he does not take it on a regular basis only when it seems like he's having more insomnia and not staying in bed through the night. As moms we all know how frustrating it is to get up multiple times in the night and still have to function the next day. Jonah is my middle son and he has presented some interesting challenges, and God will not bring me to any challenge that he will not see me thru. Thank you for many of your thoughts and suggestions, and to those other "harsh" comments remember what you tell your children if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all!
J., the medication have so many side effects. I know of nutritional supplements that has helped many children with ADD/ADHD, Autism and many others issues. I will be happy to connect you with other moms who can share their results and answer any question.
Best wishes,
A.
I am not trying to be rude by asking this, but is there a possiblity that he could have been sexually abused?
There is a doctor that can "fix" the ADHD through nutrition. She runs some detailed tests (blood, urine and stool) and she goes from there. They show what your child is deficient in and what he/she is absorbing or not absorbing, etc. For ADHD it can be as simple as taking baths with 2 cups of epsom salt 3 times a week, the child absorbs magnesium which with ADHD is the main deficiency and can wipe away the ADHD. I say its worth a shot!!! Her name is Dr. Bain in Frisco...the office is Healthy Kids Pediatrics. She isnt a doctor that is totally anti medications or a complete natural only doc but she has amazing expertise with adhd, autism and any sensory brian issues with children and she will fix you child. She is working with my 5 year old boy and we have had amazing results without medication and couldn't be happier I found her! www.healthykidspediatrics.com
I can't speak to the ADHD med but there is a conditon that happens to little ones his age where they poop on themselves. Don't punish him seek the doctor. They have a routine that can get him back on track.
As for melatonin, it all depends on the child, it can give mine nightmares too, and benedrl will give him nightmares, too!
These are questions for a doctor, not a mama, so you have your pass Get Thee to a Doctor!
My boys have taken medicine for ADHD and 1 of them still does, but I've never heard of a medication that consists of taking 4 pills. My son that is still on meds is on Adderall XR which is taken 1x in the morning and that's it. I'm not sure where you live or how long you have been taking him to your current dr., but I would either ask to change his meds or take him somewhere else to get a second opinion. The dr I take my son to is in Arlington and she is wonderful. It is hard to get in to see her because she is a busy lady, but she is worth the wait. I knew at the age of 2 yrs old my youngest son had ADHD because of his actions and he is now 15. If you have any questions or want to discuss this any further, you can email me at ____@____.com
Good Luck,
S.
i would suggest taking him to a psychologist but you must already be seeing one for the ADHD. talk to the doctor about it and if they can't figure it out maybe you should see someone else there has to be a reason it could be something like aspergers or autism rearing it's ugly head.
ADHD meds can have major sleep side effects, but having ADHD also causes sleep problems off and on. I have ADD and have always had trouble with staying asleep and falling asleep. Try a calming routine before bed and make the routine very specific. Also have him list his fears and then help come up with ways to protect himself or escape the fear. ADHD kids have serious anxiety issues which may be causing some of this. The toileting issue I've not heard of with ADHD or with the meds and I have dealt with hundreds of students with ADHD. You may wish to have his pediatrician evaluate this. The nervous hands thing is , unfortunately, just part of ADHD and will continue. If you'd like to email me at ____@____.com I'd happily review his meds with you and give you some alternatives.
Hang in there!!
My daughter was ADHD, on meds for 4 yrs. We took her to a vision therapy specialist (optometrist who specializes in VT)and after a few months of therapy she was no longer ADHD and entered 1st grade as a normal, drug-free kid. Years later we found she had NO memories of her years prior to her therapy. The drugs, of course, caused her not to retain the memories.
In all my research I have not seen a ADHD medication that requires 4 pills. What is he taking? My daughter has taken three different kinds of meds, we love Vyvanse that she is on now.
I would seek a second opinion, I dont think his meds structure is ok.
And to your Q, I havent heard of the bathroom issue being a side effect either, although the night terrors probably are. But each person is different, so who knows.
I have a reply relating to the pooping. I took care of a child who around age 7 started pooping his pants. Like you said, it was nit hardm so Mom assumed no constipation. But the doc said that actually if a child has been constipated and had a painful experience with a bowel movement they may try to hold their poop in. Eventually such a mass accumulates in the bowel that even if there is a solid mass of poop, the looser stool will squeeze out around it. The danger is that if it goes on too long the child can actually lose the ability to vlearly sense when he needs t poop, so then the accidents become even more uncontrolled. I would discuss this issue with your perdiatrician. the boy I worked with took Milk of Magnesia daily for a while to get him regular again and not fearful of bowel movements. It took a long time for him, though, because his body had becoe so desensitised to what it felt like to need to have a bowel movement.
Wow! I was just reading through some of the other responses - and they seem a little harsh and judgemental to me. It sounds to me like you trust your doctors and have chosen medication as the solution for you and your son.
Could it be that he is becoming so focused on whatever activity that he is doing (playing video games or whatever) that he doesn't recognize he needs to 'go'? I don't know. . . a ton of questions come to mind - I'm guessing he recently changed meds and changed to this one where he takes 4/day? Or has he been on this one a while and then these things started? You mentioned you reduced the dosage, did you noticed any changes or degredations in the ADHD behaviors? Maybe try to reduce again?
Are you guys always at home when he 'goes' on himself? Or has it happened in public too? If it's at home, maybe he's just being lazy because he knows he can change?
Sorry, I know I wasn't much help - but maybe gave you a couple of different angles to think about.
Let us know how it works out.
ADHD drugs are stimulants and have lots of side effects. If this is the route you chose to take try another type of drug. I have an autistic son and 5 of my friends with autistic sons have had a brain scans done of their kids. www.drspectscan.com One who has a mellow kids was told her son would do well with ADHD meds because of where his issues were. Another mom with a very very hyperactive son was told that ADHD meds would be terrible for her son. The SPECT was done by the same doc. My point only being that your doctor is guessing which meds to prescibe based on what meds work for most of his/her kids. You can look at natural ways of treating it too. Dr Kenneth Bock's book, Healing the New Childhood EpidemicsL Autism, Asthma, ADHD and Allergies is a good one.
My first reaction is "do your docs know you are giving him Melatonin?" It's an unregulated, non-medicinal which might seem harmless (I take it myself) but it may be causing a reaction with the meds ESPECIALLY considering he is so young. Are there even dosing instructins for a 5 year old? Personally I think ADHD diagnosis and medication is extremely over done in this country...but be that as it may I certainly would be talking to the professionals you pay quite well! Be totally forthcoming with it all as they can't help your child if they are missing pieces and heed their advice.
please take him off of these drugs, he is too little for this try changing hIS diet; homopathic remedies anything but these Pyschotic drugs of any kind.
Was your child seen by a Child Developemental Peditrician? Ask to see what other opportunties and solutions, for a child this age; I have heard of Bio Feedback and other things.
good luck, and please don't be upset with my opinion,
I will say prayers also for you and your little one
J.-
ADHD/ADD is especially hard to diagnose at an early age, so if I were you, I would go back to your ped/psych whomever is working with your son and make sure that the diagnosis and dosage is correct. It took my ped 4 months to feel comfortable with his dosage level. He did not start taking meds until we explored alternative treatments too. He was 8 and now is 11 and just had his dosage adjusted for the second time in three years.
J., I wish you the best, this is so not easy. If you just need some support from another ADHD Mom, feel free to message me privately.
S.
To me, 5 1/2 seems a little young to be medicated for ADHD. Many doctors won't even diagnose until seven or so. Are there any other options for your son that you might be willing to try? Lots of good suggestions here like nutrition and supplements, etc. Perhaps find a doc who specializes in ADHD and is open to homeopathics or something? Good luck! I have ADHD, so I know how difficult it can be. I hated the medicine and how it made me feel, so I manage it without medication now, but I am an adult, so I can deal with it better. It's hard on kids.
