What Is the Best Medication for ADHD Kids?

ADHD Dude provides parent training through the ADHD Dude Membership Site, in-person school-year programs, and summer camps. ADHD Dude is not gender-specific content.
𝗔𝗗𝗛𝗗 𝗗𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗥𝘆𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗹𝗯𝗹𝗮𝘁𝘁, 𝗟𝗖𝗦𝗪, 𝗔𝗗𝗛𝗗-𝗖𝗖𝗦𝗣
Ryan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified School Social Worker, and father to a son with ADHD & learning differences. ADHD Dude is based in Tucson, Arizona.
𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗗𝗛𝗗 𝗗𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆:
✅Membership Site: adhddudecourses.com
✅Mailing List: www.subscribepage.com/adhddude
✅Trip Camp: adhdtripcamp.com
✅Meet Ryan: adhddude.com/meet-ryan-wexelb...
✅Speaking/Presentations: ryanwexelblatt.com
✅Instagram: / theadhddude
✅Videos For Kids: tinyurl.com/dudetalkplaylist
ADHD Dude is for educational purposes. I am not serving in a clinical capacity and cannot provide clinical consultation or free advice through KZbin comments, email, etc.
#adhddude #ryanwexelblatt #adhdkids #adhdchildren #adhdkidstreatment

[@vancouverboy72]

I would add that you should also treat the advice of medical professionals with a healthy amount of skepticism if they don't seem to adhere to those guidelines. I have personally received a lot of bad information from doctors, pediatricians, and psychologists because many are working with an incomplete or outdated understanding of ADHD and its treatment methods. We struggled for years trying to get a diagnosis and start treatment for my son and had to scrap our pediatrician in the process because he was simply delaying standard treatment. We have finally got things in a good place, but I'm still amazed sometimes by how little the professionals and even the experts seem to know about ADHD.

[@ADHDDude]

Unfortunately many physicians are not educated about the ADHD treatment guidelines. The AAP has not done a good job of educating them about the evidence on ADHD treatment.

[@MrsMejia82]

Only take advice from a licensed professional!! NOT from any/all people that think they know better. This is the biggest problem with parents that I face... they just refuse to accept that ADHD doesn’t look the same in each child, therefore what works for some, does NOT work for all. My son thrives on Straterra 18mg dose... he is doing excellent in school and still has his funny quirky personality because it is not lost on meds, which is what people say (your son will be a zombie, he won't be normal if he takes meds, blah blah blah). Thank you for all you do!

[@ADHDDude]

Thank you and yes, I completely agree with you. I have a new saying - People are entitled to their own opinions, they're not entitled to their own facts.

[@user-uu6pz8wx2b]

preach!! lovely!! all the things you said are so important!! I'd put this vedio on a radio brodcast if I could!!!! Thank you!!!

[@ADHDDude]

Thank you so much!

[@luannestrickland4199]

Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts

[@ADHDDude]

Thank you for watching!

[@kendallkerrie-annrester6786]

The Psychiatrist my son had ( she has since retired), had my sone do testing through GeneSight. (That can only be ordered by a doctor.) Because she did that, we didn't spend months trying to guess which stimulant would work for him. She had a much better idea which stimulants would work for him & which ones wouldn't and how well/badly they would do. There has been some dosage adjustment, but with that info, we knew what was best right out of the gate. Very grateful for that because he is also diagnosed with DMDD & ODD. So that is not the only med the GeneSight testing had helped with. He also doesn't process folate well & that has added to his sleep issues. Anyway, (also have ADHD), just our experience in getting meds sorted more quickly. Made for less stress for the whole family.

[@ADHDDude]

I'm posting this comment because I want to provide clarification for people, I'm not trying to debate you. Genetic panel testing like the one you mentioned cannot help determine which stimulant would be effective for an individual, it can only help with understanding dosage. Additionally, I would encourage you not to look at ODD, and DMDD as standalone diagnoses, rather think of them as part of the ADHD profile. There is questionable validity around the DMDD label, and I believe the ODD label came about because the mental health profession has a very poor understanding of executive functioning and cognitive inflexibility as well as novelty seeking behaviors such as arguing are very common in individuals with ADHD. I have videos where I explain this here at the channel.

[@Erica85255]

I was told by my son’s pediatric neurologist that kids with ADD do better with a stimulant, while those with ADHD (my son) do better on non stimulants. What are your thoughts on this?

[@ADHDDude]

I don't believe there's any validity to that. I have attended the medical ADHD conference for several years and I have never heard anything like that mentioned.

[@vancouverboy72]

My son is currently taking both. The Stimulant medication (Concerta) seems to help mainly with his focus and attention and the non-stimulant (Intuniv) seems to help with his emotional dysregulation.

[@Erica85255]

@@ADHDDude interesting. Thank you for your response!