Anxiety & Panic Community

It's understandable that your husband does have concerns about giving your son any type of medication at this point in his life. Everyone needs to remember that the brain and the entire nervous system is developing until the age of 21 and no one can say, without reservation, that there would be no effect if these medications were used at a young age. We have seen how the simple use of certain therapeutic agents, such as antibiotics, at a very early age can cause a child to have gray teeth as an adult. What the total effect of this is, I don't believe, has been fully explored at this point. We also know that excessive use of these antibiotics can cause thyroid problems later in life (see Black Thyroid).


I am not an M.D., but I do read the literature widely and recent articles have indicated that children with ADHD may have brain development that might be slower and this may account for their behavioral difficulties. I know you indicated that you are a special education teacher, but I am wondering if you have considered having your son seen by a child psychologist. There may be some ways that he can learn to help self-monitor that would help him.


As I understand it, there is no medical test, such as a blood test, which can be used to diagnose ADHD. In fact, at this point in time, there is no test that can definitively prove that there is any type of chemical imbalance in the brain. Chemical imbalances are often thought to be responsible for many types of psychological problems, but it is my understanding that these disorders are much more complex than chemical imbalances and may have quite a bit to do with brain structures and learning.


Dr. Farrell
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Thank you for your advice. I did push to have the school district test my son last year and he is now qualified for special education services to address his delays in reading and writing. Plus, he is receiving services for fine motor and sensory needs by the Occupational Therapist.

His doctor did send us to a children's psychiatrist and that doctor recommended counseling. We are in a small town with busy specialists. We are just waiting for our first appointment with the counselor.

I'm glad to hear that the school has worked with you to provide your son with needed services. When a child has reading and writing delays, as you know, it can bring on a variety of behavioral problems because of this frustration and feeling of inadequacy. Every child wants to do well and I've seen teachers in schools all over the country working with programs to help their students learn reading skills in new and innovative ways.#next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }

Hope things work out well for all of you.

Dr. Farrell