Hyper Campers

Going on or off the meds during the summer should be totally based on the child and the severity of their ADD. When I was sent to summer camp off my meds I had not problems. People forget that even thought a kid has ADD they are not all the same as other kids with ADD and should not be labeled as such. I knew how to cope when I wasnt on my meds. I will admit though that it took some effort on my part thought. The drugs themselves seem to have an effect very similar to cafiene

Going on or off the meds during the summer should be totally based on the child and the severity of their ADD. When I was sent to summer camp off my meds I had not problems. People forget that even thought a kid has ADD they are not all the same as other kids with ADD and should not be labeled as such. I knew how to cope when I wasnt on my meds. I will admit though that it took some effort on my part thought.

I agree it is different for every child but as my pediatrician said it isn't behavior medication it is concentration medication. My child is in a summer program where concentration is an issue so we chose to keep him on. As for the ill informed judgements of people like NatalieF who label people. I have three children and only one requires medication not because I am a poor parent or my child is misbehaving but because he is unable to concentrate in school and where it is necessary like church. Everyone said what a delight my child is he's just could not concentrate and focus on his work. Since then he has gotten straight a and b's. Maybe you should spend some time in the public school system as a volunteer and you will see that medication does not cure poor behavior from being spoiled or not taught right.

Good lord. Maybe the answer to some of these kids problems can be stricter nutritional standards and control of excessive stimulus like TV and video games. For the life of me, I cannot even begin to imagine giving my children a mood altering DRUG while they are growing and developing. SO many people are being sold a bill of goods by the drug companies. If these medications are SO needed to raise a child, how did generations before us do it? I am scared to see the long-term effects of these poor children being drugged. So sad.

It is different for every child. My son takes it more in the school year but i lessen the dosage during the summer. HE CAN"T FOCOUS PEOPLE. He isn't begging for stuff or misbehaving. He just can't sit still, which turns into panic attacks. But I don't want it to stunt his growth either so we back off of it just a little. Since, school has been out in May he has grown 4 inches. My 6 ft tall 13 year old.

i feel the answer is and should always be no! my daughter is on concerta for adhd. if she skips even 1 dose she is a very angry and irritable person. she cannot even carry on a civil conversation with anyone. the medication keeps her even. even she knows that she needs them and if she forgets to take them will call me from wherever she is so i can bring them to her to take.

No- problems that require these kind of medications are no less serious in the summer than the rest of the year- should a cancer patient stop taking chemo? Of course not!! No one should discontinue their meds at ANY time; they may have worse problems in the long run!

I have been an assistant scout master with boy scouts at summer camp for four years. We have found that a week without medication has posed no problems because the kids are very active at camp and the physical activity seems to help with their overall behavior.
That's all.

Drugs are NOT the answer for ADHD. The only therapy for ADHD that has been scientifically verified to work is meditation, specifically Transcendental Meditation. That's why many schools are now adopting TM for their students.
See PBS, NBC, CBS and ABC videos on this on this at:
http://www.stressfreeschools.org/video/pbs.html

Tony Snow dies at 53 of colon cancer----he had the best doctors in the World, yet they couldn't save his life.
Why?
Could I Help Tony Snow to beat cancer------can a Bipolar Guy not taking drugs for over 4 years, help
a person with cancer? Bipolar is not cancer, bipolar is just the largest chemical imbalance known to
man, yet correcting the chemical imbalance can possibly help the person with cancer.
I'm not a doctor----and I don't tell anyone to stop seeing their doctor, nor do I tell them to stop taking
their meds-----
I just change they way they live their life------allowing the body to heal itself----

My daughter has a friend 35 years old, dying of cancer, we talked for about 30 minutes----did I change her
life? Will she beat cancer? I say ----YES----------
She still goes to her doctor, she still get Chemo, and she still takes her meds-----

Ted Kennedy is dying of cancer-----can I help Ted Kennedy? I say Yes----others will say NO-----
it all boils down to someone, saving the persons LIFE------Tony Snow is dead-----Ted Kennedy
is looking for anyone that can Save His Life-------would he be willing to listen to a Bipolar Person----
not taking drugs for over 4 years-----someone that corrected a Major Chemical Imbalance?

I'm not the Vitamin Guy
I'm not the Herb Guy
I do follow US Government Scientific Information-----

The body is amazing, it does heal itself, when the body chemistry is perfect----getting it perfect can be
very difficult, when you have Cancer.

Tony Snow dies at 53 years old, of colon cancer----press secretary to the President----
Tony Snow was a supporter for the people with mental illness----

Mental illness is a Major Chemical Imbalance----to correct a Major Chemical Imbalance might help a
person with colon cancer----because the body can and does heal itself------
I thought the stock market in America would go up in tribute to Tony Snow----his life and his work----but
no the US stock market goes down big----possible making some investor in America to commit suicide.
Countrywide Mortgage $45 to $4-----how many suicides
Bear Stearn $160 to $10 ----how many suicides
Fannie Mae---$60 to $10 ----how many suicides
The entire US stock market----Dow 14,000 down to 11,000-----how many suicides----
What has US created-----this is not building America, this is only destroying America-----this is the mark of
terrorism----this would be the job of any terrorist in the World-----
America is destroying itself----out of Greed----and destroying its people----

Why does everyone keep saying that ADHD is a diease? Its not. Those with ADHD think differently. Most are extremely intelligent. My son with diagnosed with it at the age of 4. He is on medication. It doesn't cure everything, but it difinitely helps. He is very smart, the problem is that he cannot concentrate long enough to get an idea and an answer to something out of his head and onto paper to to orally state it. I found the reason that he interrupts and chatters endlessly, is because he is afraid he will forget what he wants to say. Most people with ADHD have horrible short term memories, but excellent long term memory. Thats why routines and structure and yes disipline are very important along with the medication. Thats not to say that all need medication, some do very well with just behavior modification. And for those who parinoid, behavior modification does not involve electro shock therapy or any other of that outdated crap! Its a way of teaching a child that has behavior problems how to cope. The underlying reason they misbehave is because they get frustrated very easily when they can't concentrate and get the answer or etc., right this second, and they see the other kids getting it instantly. It has little to do with how the parent displines their kid. I do not let my son get away much if at all. I don't claim to be June Cleaver, but I know I'm a damn good parent, quite frankly if you don't think so just because I put my child on medication. OH WELL! Thats your problem not mine.

Invest In American Stock Market and go Mentally Ill-----we create jobs in America for all the people that
have to care for the mentally ill-----the number is growing faster then the stock market-----I should of invested
in a hospital to care for the mentally ill people----we going to need far more beds.
America----we all deserve better

I'd to say US has tried to HELP ME-----the only thing I recieved over the past 2 years is harassment and
hate from every criminal justice person in our country. I have been looked at as Dog S/H/I/T and treated the
same way.
I invest money in the US stock market and have never recieved any HELP, in addition I lost money due to
all the harassment and hate produced by the various people in our criminal justice system.

All I want to do is Help the 45 million mentally ill people------all they want to do is destroy me. Losing
my money is not helping me nor my family, ------I continue to ask for HELP yet, everyone looks the other
way.
I expect more from America, and so do the majority of people that live in America----
I will continue to support USA, however I losing my A/S/S----
Good Luck America----

I am the father of a boy diagnosed 4-5 years ago with ADD. You must remember that these conditions are as different as the kids themselves. Those who aren't familiar with the emotional ups and downs of ADD really shouldn't have any comment on what others should do with their kids. They don't know what parents go through when these kids have their 'episodes'. I would not want to subject any counselor to my son's emotional breakdowns. It is heartbreaking to watch him go through this rollercoaster of emotion. But, like each kid, every treatment should be different. I don't fault parents for wanting their kid off the meds. But don't subject these total strangers (camp counselors) to the problems of the child with ADD. It's not fair to either of them.

I strongly agree that kids should NOT go off the meds during summer camp. ADHD should be treated like any other physical problem where it should be written clearly on the camp form. Just as if the child had any seasonal allergies and needed medication, or had any food allergies, I think it's extremely helpful to both camp counselor and child if the ADHD meds are continued and the diagnosis spelled out on the camp form. It's no fun for the child to be out of control and the camp counselors to scratch their heads if they don't know what is going on. So what if the child has a 'label?' I think that only a 'label' is put on the child if the parent makes a big deal, such as not writting it on the form and having the child and parent publicly embarrassed when the child goes nuts from not having the necessary medication.

I am a mature adult with ADHD who grew up in an era where ADHD was unknown, untreated and undiagnosed. In school when you couldnt conform with the rules or do your school work like your classmates, you were deemed a troublemaker and given detentions and if that didnt work you were sent to the school counsellor. Needless to say none of this worked and so you coped, you found your own way to deal with ADHD, you adapted in your school work etc so you could learn the same lessons as your classmates only in a different version. ADHD didnt mean you were stupid or couldnt excel, it meant you were different and had barriers to overcome and we did. We found ways to work around the ADHD it might take us longer to figure something out or we may not do it the conventional way but we got the same answer and did just as well as our classmates. I wasnt diagnosed with ADHD until well into my adulthood. My doctor put me on ritalin, I lost weight and found that my thinking process was slow and robot like and I felt plain lousy I was doing better without it. I found my own solution through natural herbs with St Johns Wort. My husband and Daughter know when I havent taken it as I get hyper and there is remarkable difference. I know there is contreversay over St Johns Wort and other drugs experts saying they dont work and voicing their opinion, but you can take it from an ADHD patient it works for me anyway. I take it once a day and can feel the difference and there are no side effects from it just a natural calm. I think that we have become a society that doesnt have the time or patience to deal with out of the ordinary behaviour etc so we want to label it and slap a pill on it and overmedicate our children. I am sure there are thousands of ADHD men/women out there who grew up like I did in a environment where ADHD was not heard of but yet somehow we all managed to deal with it. I am not saying that severe ADHD cases should not be treated with ritalin, I am just saying that maybe we shouldnt be so quick to slap the label on our kids and look for a quick cure so we dont have to deal with it. Children are active some more than others but that is a part of life and maybe we as parents could take a different look at it and a more hands on approach and look at the other herbal meds out there that are as effective without the side effects.