Adoption Under One Roof

When my adopted child was diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) a few years ago, the doctor said that Strattera was the only non-stimulant option available. The doctor advised against using Strattera because of my son’s high level of hyperactivity, so we have been using stimulant medications to manage his behaviors.

While the stimulants do a great job in the classroom, we pay dearly at home. He does not eat until after 7:00 p.m., and he has a very difficult time sleeping even with prescription-strength sleep aids. He has not had healthy eating or sleeping patterns in 2-1/2 years. Additionally, when the medication wears off, my adopted child gets ornery. Both he and I are ready for a break from stimulant medications.

We now have a new ADHD doctor, and she told me that a few new non-stimulant medications are now FDA-approved to treat ADHD. She has told me to research each one, and then we will decide in July which one to try with the hopes of the medication building up in his body to be effective before school starts back.