To medicate my child or not?

[Mone]

My 7yr old daughter is very anxious and its affecting her schooling, sports and social interactions. She is being treated for adhd and the medication for that has made her much more anxious. Our peaditrician and dr want to put her on medication and I am hesitant as she is already on tablets for the adhd and I'm worried it will be hard to get them off her in yrs to come.

Has anyone had a positive experience with either medication or natural therapy I'm booking her in to see a naturopath.

Please help

[Croix]

Dear Mone~

Welcome here to the Forum. I'm sorry you have such a difficult and worry situation to face. Knowing what's best for one's child is often not straightforward.

A couple of things do stand out, the first is that if I understand correctly you post is saying her existing medication is responsible for making her anxious. The second is that at least in part you are concerned about the long term effects of further medication to combat this.

So I guess the first thing to ask is can the current medication type - or dosage - be varied to prevent anxiety? My apologies if you have already looked into this. It my be a second opinion might be helpful here. This is not going behind anyone's back, just information gathering on a serious subject.

I've no knowledge about medications for ADHD, and have ben on meds for PTSD, anxiety and occasional bouts of depression for a very long time. One the correct regime was found I've been able to live a reasonable life as a result and do not contemplate going off them. Than again I did not start on them until an adult.

I guess in the final analysis you may have to be guided by professional opinion, however you do not necessarily had to accept the first one you receive without further inquiries

Croix

[geoff]

Hello Mone, and a warm welcome to you.

I understand the fear you have of her medication, but over time she may get better, then she will know herself that she doesn't need to take any tablets, however, if she doesn't take anything then you're not sure how she will be.

I would give the doctors the opportunity to try her on what they believe will help her and if they do then that's a bonus.

From the age of 7 to 18 years old, changes will happen, treatment may also change and she may develop into a new person from the medical help she now gets.

I'm not sure about the naturopath treatments, and I say this because I've spent $ on different types and none of them have worked, and this doesn't include vitamins but this will still mean she will have to take a pill/s if you go the naturopath way.

Geoff.