27th October 2004
Sawbuck,
I read your initial post, but skipped past all the following posts cuz I'm a little short on time.
Deciding whether or not to medicate your kid is a decision that only you can make.
For me, personally, I'll be eternally grateful to my mother for never giving up on the "potential" she felt I posessed. All through my life she believed in me and researched a whole bunch of possible reasons that would explain why I was a chronic underachiever. Finally, after my sophomore year of HS -- when I had a CUMULATIVE 3.8 GPA -- I was diagnosed with ADD.
I was immediately medicated with methylphenidate HCL (ritalin), and saw insant results. The very next semester, I responded with a 3.8 GPA. After that, I maintained a 3.0+ GPA and was named as the runner-up for "Most Improved Student" in my class of 450 (a girl who returned to school after pregnancy won that scholarship).
With my improved grades and 23 ACT, I was able to get into a "solid" school. I spent two years there and transferred into a US News Top 50 University and really blossomed there. With the meds, my focus and concentration went through the roof -- I could actually commit my mind to a single task without standing on my head or running like a headless chicken around the house as my parents begged me to do my homework.
I graduated from that university with a very average GPA, but I did what I had to do while becoming extremely active in extracurricular activities, and now I have a really cool job in a really great city.
For me, it all worked out in the 11th hour. Thank god my Mom never gave up on me, otherwise I'd be a community college drop-out with limited hope for the future.
My cousin has also been diagnosed with ADD, and my Aunt doesn't wanna put him on meds. After seeing my story unfold in front of her eyes, I don't see why she wouldn't medicate him. I'm not saying meds are like magic -- I definitely lost a lot of "personality" when I first became medicated, and I laughed maybe 3% as often as I used to, couldn't really "connect" with people, blah, blah, blah... but I've worked out those kinks pretty well and now I can communicate really well and apply my mind to important tasks. It's still a struggle to maintain a desired level of motivation, but I have the ability to perform when I really want to.
Hope that helps.
Oh yeah, I'm on Adderall now.
I read your initial post, but skipped past all the following posts cuz I'm a little short on time.
Deciding whether or not to medicate your kid is a decision that only you can make.
For me, personally, I'll be eternally grateful to my mother for never giving up on the "potential" she felt I posessed. All through my life she believed in me and researched a whole bunch of possible reasons that would explain why I was a chronic underachiever. Finally, after my sophomore year of HS -- when I had a CUMULATIVE 3.8 GPA -- I was diagnosed with ADD.
I was immediately medicated with methylphenidate HCL (ritalin), and saw insant results. The very next semester, I responded with a 3.8 GPA. After that, I maintained a 3.0+ GPA and was named as the runner-up for "Most Improved Student" in my class of 450 (a girl who returned to school after pregnancy won that scholarship).
With my improved grades and 23 ACT, I was able to get into a "solid" school. I spent two years there and transferred into a US News Top 50 University and really blossomed there. With the meds, my focus and concentration went through the roof -- I could actually commit my mind to a single task without standing on my head or running like a headless chicken around the house as my parents begged me to do my homework.
I graduated from that university with a very average GPA, but I did what I had to do while becoming extremely active in extracurricular activities, and now I have a really cool job in a really great city.
For me, it all worked out in the 11th hour. Thank god my Mom never gave up on me, otherwise I'd be a community college drop-out with limited hope for the future.
My cousin has also been diagnosed with ADD, and my Aunt doesn't wanna put him on meds. After seeing my story unfold in front of her eyes, I don't see why she wouldn't medicate him. I'm not saying meds are like magic -- I definitely lost a lot of "personality" when I first became medicated, and I laughed maybe 3% as often as I used to, couldn't really "connect" with people, blah, blah, blah... but I've worked out those kinks pretty well and now I can communicate really well and apply my mind to important tasks. It's still a struggle to maintain a desired level of motivation, but I have the ability to perform when I really want to.
Hope that helps.
Oh yeah, I'm on Adderall now.