My son was diagnosed w/ ADD/ADHD when he was 7. My husband and I...

My son was diagnosed w/ ADD/ADHD when he was 7. My husband and I were not advocates of giving drugs to a child and avoided it for some time. But as I watched him struggle and become depressed because he couldn't focus, etc .etc, I remembered what it was like when I was his age. (I am also ADD). You can say what you want about drugs but when my little boy was looking up at me crying and pleading for help "please help me, please...please come to school with me and tell me what to do, remind me because I forget what the teacher says right after she says it".... To see him struggle like that at such a young age we had to do something. He was a very confident and happy kid prior to starting school and after being in school for a few years being the kid that was always getting corrected by the teacher or being called out more than others for not paying attention was taking it's toll on his personality. He did not start out on Adderall, but another Ritalin type drug. But it made a drastic change in his life - he was happier, able to focus and his self esteem came back. Later he was changed over to Adderall. He said it didn't make him feel nervous like the Ritalin type drugs. I am also on Adderall and it has made such a positive difference in my life as well. I didn't realize how much I had to struggle to stay focused, how much I procrastinated and how overwhelmed I used to feel on a regular basis until I stopped having those issues...what a relief!!! I don't have the stress eating issue anymore because I don't feel as stressed. The only side effect I noticed was my eyes getting red and a some dry mouth. Adderall has a calming effect on me, I don't feel nervous, I don't feel detached, or any of that stuff several other folks wrote about. My son doesn't either, he is calm and happy and is doing great in school. Neither of us have any issues when we don't take the medication - as far as craving it, etc. In fact, from the initial research I've done and my own personal experience,many who are truly ADD and not misdiagnosed are less apt to become addicted than those who are not truly ADD. When we don't take it we might be a little less apt to remember that important thing we were supposed to do because we got distracted! But we don't seem to have any other withdrawal symptoms or tiredness, etc. So far it has been positive choice. So for all you people having social issues, hearing voices, having chest pains, feeling strong urges to take the medicine even when you don't want to - YOU PROBABLY SHOULD NOT TAKE IT! All medications effect everyone differently and not all people can take or tolerate the same medicine. And for all you folks that are able to spend 10mins w/ your kids and get good results...well good for you, but DON'T JUDGE those of us for which that technique didn't work. During the summers we usually don't make him take any medication and we spend a lot of time talking through the issues that arise, practicing focus without medication, etc. We spend a lot of time reassuring him that it's OK to make mistakes when you're trying to change your behavior and that we love him just like he is. We hope that eventually as he matures that he will find it easier to do this on his own with out medication to help. However, if he doesn't, then I would rather see him be happy on medication than to struggle and be depressed without it. Peace.