Posted by DanielJ on October 21, 2003, at 10:03:21
Of late I have heard a few pros and cons about Ritalin. Here's a developing story that took a turn for the worse last week. Friends of ours have 2 sons one 16 and the other 13. The 16 yr. old is scholarly and in gifted class doing well. The 13 year old was diagnosed with ADHD 2 years ago. The Dr recommended he take Ritalin and after 6 more months of dealing with a child who was climbing the basketball hoop, then rolling in a ditch and then walking on the roofs of cars all within the space of 5 minutes, they relented and tried Ritalin. In only 2-3 more weeks the parents took him off Ritalin because he was "too mellow" and "just wasn't himself". He is/was in 8th grade last week at Jr. High. He got in a confrontation with a couple of other kids and threatened to bring a gun to school and shoot them. He was sent home with a suspension pending. His mom went to a meeting to try to get his suspension reduced. Little did she know he had written threatening emails to teachers and school officials Uh Oh! He was suspended indefinitely from classroom schooling! Should he have stayed on Ritalin? I say yes but? If you are considering visiting a good psy Dr. and/or therapist with your child, it might be work considering. Doctors can fix broken bones and perform heart surgery and control diabetes with insulin. How different is a mind whose function can be adjusted? Sometimes a person needs help but just can't accept the fact that they have a problem. The issue of your child just being stuck on prescription drugs doesn't hold water either. I am not a Dr. or a salesman, just someone who didn't accept the fact that my child had a problem many years ago. Now he is taking the medications he needs to help him function. properly.
poster:DanielJ
thread:271422
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031021/msgs/271422.html