| We have been through this all. Son is finishing up his freshman year of college. He would not have made it to college without the meds. He had support in middle school but when he went to a large high school he just had a list of accommodations for his teachers. It was up to him to ask. He has ADD plus LD. His grades and concentration improved dramatically on meds. We had to try many to find the right one. Like several of the posters children he did not like what the meds did to him. If you are not already getting your meds prescribed by a psychiatrist I would suggest that as a first stop. They have much more experience then your family MD. My son tried many different meds.. different dosages and for a time took Adderall XR in the morning and then regular ritalin for his night class at the community college. He did not take it on weekends and usually took the summer off.
My son felt it took away his personality. What the meds did was curb that impulsiveness that got him into trouble.
My son then went off to college. We set up meeting with the director of disablities. They worked out accommodations that get sent to his professors. He can have extra time for exams and a distraction free room. He has to ask. Of course first semester he didn't. A couple of his grades reflected this. Plus he decided he did not need meds. 2nd semester he has still used meds only occasionally. His class load this semester is of the nature that in 2 of the 4 classes he is taking he can get by without meds. We will see how the grades come back. Once the grades all come in we might have to sit down with him and his psychiatrist and work out some sort of compromise.
It is not easy dealing with an ADD personality. My son is very stubborn and he is not one who is easy to get to do something he doesn't want to do. We can't insist he take the meds. What we can do is set a boundary as to what we will pay for and what gpa he needs to keep. He has a scholarship that requires a 3.0 to keep. He must keep it to stay at his present school. |