ADHD & The NHS

[upspex]

Isn't this just bloody typical? It makes so angry, even now after 4 years have passed. I had to fight through the courts to stop doctors from giving my son Ritalin (the chemical cosh). Now we have some-one who wants it and can't get it!!!! AAAAAAAaaaaaGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!

What is it about our 'nanny state proffesionals'?

I would have to agree with what Truthmistress has written. My son is fantastic, and I love his original outlook on life. I sometimes think that he is the 'normal one'. Perhaps the reality is that he has 'the beautiful condition' and the rest of us are somehow deficient.

On the subject of diet, omega 3 works very well and is well documented as a boost to neuro pathway function. Stick with it dude and try to find another way (from Ritalin).

In 2001 a peadiatrician that I had challenged about the relevance and safety of Ritalin told me "we do not yet fully understand the long term impact of this drug. It may well be that in ten years time there will be a lot of very angry or damaged young people out there who will hate me for what I have done to them, but, I stand or fall by my decisions.

Thank god I convinced the courts otherwise.

[ADHD]

Did you get treatment?

 

If you have Mh problems or ADHD there is little hope from NHS.

 

try Adders forum if you had no luck.

[lindsay22]

my son who is 9 has adhd was diagnosed 3 years ago, its a constant battle to get any sort of help. he does not even see his proper docter at the hospital he just gets sent a repeat perscriptipn and is weighed by the school nurse.

he is in mainstream school and that is also a living nightmare as my son is expected to behave like the other kids or he has to come home what they call ( voluntary exclusion) which means i have to come out of work etc

there is nowhere near enough help for people with adhd and associated illnesses.

[chocolatte]

The BBC have an interesting article on Ritalin and some useful contacts on there too.

BBC Inside Out - Life after Ritalin

I hope you can pick some useful bits out of this.

Kind Regards

[Tiger96]

Anyway, they have the doctors records from the age of 5 until I was 24. i.e. my whole medical life until I moved here.

 

Not once have they taken a blind bit of notice to it.

 

Hi,

 

Tell me about the NHS!

 

I have been fighting with doctors, schools, health visitors since my son was born 13 years ago. Him & his 9 year old brother are adhd & I have had NO help at all, just people condemming them as bad children.

 

Can I ask have you tried calcium &/or magnesium?

omega 6? omega3 make my children worse

leaving off dairy?

leaving off gluten?

 

These above are what calmed my children down along of course with things like MSG being removed from the diet.

[Tiger96]

p.s

 

Have you thought of cutting down on juices & fruit?

Also have you checked out the blood group diet?

[lindsay22]

hi sorry for butting into the thread but tiger69 u have some interesting points about diet, is there a book or something i can buy to gain more knowledge on diet.

my son has adhd and is in mainstrean school its a living nightmare, like u said they are just labelled difficult children.

there is no where near enough help out there for kids with adhd.

[JulesRamone]

Hi... I hope you don't mind me giving my tuppenceworth on the subject of sleep deprivation. I have suffered insomnia and have other problems which mean that sleep is not reliable and, as the expression goes, 'refreshing'. I know you have probably tried valerian, which does work. There are other homoeopathic remedies, which are worth exploring. You say you live a healthy lifestyle. Swimming is one of those cure-all things. Even gentle few lengths soothes aches and massages/de-stresses the muscles, which is a soothing remedy. I would also suggest yoga and all that business. I'm not into the new age stuff myself, but it's really worth thinking about. Another good thing to do is switch the TV off and do some practical hobby which again involves physical coordination. Lastly, a pet? I'm kind of working on the assumption that you are unable to 'switch off' because of stress, and this has become part of your routine. A dog or cat or even a fishtank are certain to reduce stress levels.

 

I hope you don't mind this list from an armchair expert... the reason I'm posting this reply is first and foremost because anyone with sleep problems has my deep sympathy. It's a cruel condition, and misunderstood as ME. I certainly wish you good luck with it.

 

JulesR

[verymuchfedup]

My son is 15 and was diagnosed ADHD at four years old. He has been on concerta xl slow release. Every school he has been to except one, have made life a lot more difficult than it should have been by trying to "control" the naughty boy. He has been screamed at in assembly by a special needs teacher, and has been made to stand out in a freezing corridors at the age of 5/6.

I removed him from that school! He was then off school for approx 6 months, i had to quit my part-time position to home teach him. He has been excluded so many times, a lot of the time for something some-one else has done. Other kids soon learn how to blame and wind up the naughty child. He is definately no angel, but he's not a nasty child thank goodness, but he's been blamed so many times for doing something he has not done that when he is blamed for something he has not done he just says nothing for fear of being bullied yet again

He was terribly bullied, and the school were unable to stop it, and more or less said that i should remove my son from the school. Which i did, and he was out of school again for another two months. The cycle is starting again, exclusions, detentions. He looks so sad sometimes. It's really hard to get the support, that you need with a special child. The headteacher actually admitted to not knowing much about adhd, so i am trying to get info together for them to study when they have the time. Funny but the school, was recommended to me, and it was the best of 2 options. So thankyou to all the people who post advice on here, it's possibly some of the best info that i have read. Good luck to all of us who have special children, perhaps the education system will have to start taking more notice!!

[mrsc]

Hi,

 

My son now 18 was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 14,he was prescribed Ritalin,he hated it his words "he didn't feel like his self" so he stopped taking them.Now when I think back to his time at school must of been so hard for him,he suffered from migraine headaches a lot,you could tell by his eyes,he was in pain. Since leaving school,it took him a while to get a job,he is an apprentice electrician now and loving it he has not suffered any migraines,and never had a day off work,he has recently passed his driving test aswell so at the moment life is good,he still has his moments but we have learnt to live with it,and so has he.

 

He attends college for a month on a regular basis,it's funny when he comes home and says Mum there are people in my class that are worse than me:)

 

This is interesting,I never knew that stay off fresh orange juice

I can't complain about the treatment he received,as he had a wonderful support worker who often sat in classes with him,and when things were going bad they would go for a walk,she was lovely,and he could talk to her.Must just depend on where you live.

 

I hope you all get the help you deserve

[honey5]

My son is 15 and was diagnosed ADHD at four years old. He has been on concerta xl slow release. Every school he has been to except one, have made life a lot more difficult than it should have been by trying to "control" the naughty boy. He has been screamed at in assembly by a special needs teacher, and has been made to stand out in a freezing corridors at the age of 5/6.

I removed him from that school! He was then off school for approx 6 months, i had to quit my part-time position to home teach him. He has been excluded so many times, a lot of the time for something some-one else has done. Other kids soon learn how to blame and wind up the naughty child. He is definately no angel, but he's not a nasty child thank goodness, but he's been blamed so many times for doing something he has not done that when he is blamed for something he has not done he just says nothing for fear of being bullied yet again

He was terribly bullied, and the school were unable to stop it, and more or less said that i should remove my son from the school. Which i did, and he was out of school again for another two months. The cycle is starting again, exclusions, detentions. He looks so sad sometimes. It's really hard to get the support, that you need with a special child. The headteacher actually admitted to not knowing much about adhd, so i am trying to get info together for them to study when they have the time. Funny but the school, was recommended to me, and it was the best of 2 options. So thankyou to all the people who post advice on here, it's possibly some of the best info that i have read. Good luck to all of us who have special children, perhaps the education system will have to start taking more notice!!

 

oh my goodness!!!

mainstream were not prepared to accomodated my youngest and i ended up writing to the house of commons( prior to his diagnosis but with huge suspisions what his problems were\), the reply from them was that i had a right to have my child educated, the same as the child had a right to be educated from the age of 5 with or without problems!!! or exclusion

i copied the letter from the HOC and sent it to the LEA who promplty gave my child a place in mainstream with any support he needed, at the age of 7 he was prescribed methylphenidate 20mg 4 x daily (i only give 3 as the rebound effect at bedtime is horrendous!!) but he take s risperidone and melatonin at bed time which in all honesty is a god send (he has a twin sister and and elder brother by 18 mth)

a big part of adhd ,I find with the little fella (not so little now he says haaaaaaa hes 11) is the OCD but we're on top of that too now after arguing the toss that children can be prescribed sertraline (anti depressant very mild, BUT and this is the best bit it takes the OCD away:) )

i now have a pretty happy if not ecstatic lol boy.

(who told me last night by the way that yesterday he was flat out like an iceburgh )

wishing you all, all the very best

honey x

[GlasweJen]

Getting a prescription for ritalin on private is just as bad as on NHS I'm afraid, just because you're paying the doctor doesn't mean he will give you what you want. If I were you I'd ask for a copy of my medical record and take the relevant bit about ritalin, cut and paste it into a letter to the department of health or along with a letter that your GP is refusing to prescribe and has instead offered alternatative treatments that have not been suitable nor are they normally prescribed for people with your condition. Ask that they refer you to a GP or hospital specialist who has experience of treating adults with ADHD and hint that you are happy to go outside of your own NHS area to see someone (you might get that referral to London). Ask that they respond within 28 days as you are currently unable to work with a medical condition that is out of control. Department of health (can't remember if that's the scottish name or english name but google should tell you which one to write to). If that fails send a copy of that letter along with another to your local MP and ask him for help.

 

I've got loads of experience handling GPs who have got too big for their boots and the DoH usually sort everything quickly.

[GlasweJen]

oh and it might help to write all the stuff you already do to control your ADHD i.e your strict diet and stuff.