Does anyone else have ADHD teenagers??

I am a mother of a troubled teen, who has ADHD has been impulsive, constantly getting into mischief, just wondered if there is anyone else out there i can share thoughts with, and perhaps get some insite??...before i eat back through stress all my weight.....

My eldest daughter was diagnosed ADHD, however I have never truly believed the diagnosis.  In her case we have found the need to reduce sugar intake (such as soda).  This has helped in a number of ways with her.  The other method I have used with her is to hold her accountable for her actions.  To do this we have discussions for what she wants to do and then discuss the outcome for such action.  In a way it is teaching her to think before she acts. 

My daughter is now 22 and realizes that in order to feel normal (her words) she needs to work two jobs.  One is full time and one is part time.  She says this keeps her so busy she can not lose focus on what is going on.  When she is not busy she has a hard time and gets into too much mischief. 

I don't know if this helps you but it gives you an insight into another's ability to learn to control what feels uncontrollable to them.

Take care!

Thanks for the reply, well kyle is 15, being accountable is great but kyle says "i don't care", HE IS EXTREMELY MOODY THESE DAYS..i thought it is the medication up and downs getting into police trouble since he was 5 or 6, mischief, setting fires, you name it he's done it....i try to educate him, teach him right from wrong, he has everything he needs and most of what he wants, i give him love, quality time he just went on probation 1-1/2 months ago and he's in trouble again....junk car lots, going trough the old cars tresspassing, he has had his meds adjusted so many times, the school he is on (iep plan) he's passing, no great love ...he has only 2 interests, playing with dinking cars, collecting pokeman cards, riding his bike...but no sports interests, i was really athletic when i was young on all the teams...but he doesn't care, he comes from a good, clean home, single mom however, but i love him with all my heart....doesn't do any illegal drugs or drink, but he just can't stay away from mischief, stealing, lieing etc..etc...i am at my wits end and the sad think is everytime i pass his room i cry..wha...

I have a cousin who is ADHD.  Very much a trouble child.  I'm not saying that your situation is the same, but here is what I can tell you about what I saw:

Acting wild, getting into trouble, not caring, etc: it took counseling for some of this to be fixed.  His parents needed the counseling too because they were not doing their job in the discipline area.  It wasn't all their fault, but they blamed it all on his ADHD.  The disciplin was NOT strong enough and was not the correct discipline to teach him the lessons he needed to learn.  Once he was disciplined and handled appropriately, They were actually able to lower his medication.  Over medication (which alot of doctors tend to do) can sometimes make it even worse.

DISIPLINE, that's a tough one, we can't spank them, threaten them..... i take away a luxury, or ground him, he sneaks out....sending him to his room, he watches tv or plays games if i take that away he throws a tantrum so to speak....my hands are tied....i am doing the tough love by leaving him in jail without bail....hopefully to open his eyes to the possible future.....he's lucky he's only 15 but I am however going to get him council with a shrink...through my doctor....but he has been getting into trouble since he started school....suspensions etc.....after all is said and done though..everytime i walk by his room i cry...whaaa...they have adjusted his meds so many times now he is on a slow release....but i find it makes him a little moody when it's wearing off...

I'm sure the "tough love" approach has got to be hard....but I agree with leaving him in jail for a while.  I know it's tough, but he's got to learn what the real world is like....and in the real world, you can't do bad things and not face the serious consequences.  He's got to learn that throwing a tantrum won't make a darn bit of difference when he's dealing with the real world, especially with the law.

I wish I had more advice for you, but unfortunately, every kid is different and different kids respond to different kinds of discipline.  Hopefully you will find something that will work for him.

I completely agree with your daughter. I got diagnosed with ADD when I was in high school and I always felt more in control of my life when I kept busy with jobs. I had like 3 different jobs working at a daycare and the rest were babysitting jobs. I enjoyed what I did and learned a lot about time management and organization through out the process. You sound like a great mom take care!

Does he have a job? Maybe if he gets a job and sees the rewarding part of it he will feel more independent...especially if he's working toward a goal (maybe buying a car?).

Also, you mentioned he hasn't gotten into drugs or alcohol but are you positive? I'm not judging your child or anything but I'm just asking from my own personal experience. I'm 23 years old and have ADD myself. A lot of my guy friends in middle school and high school also had ADD and I noticed that they were actually the ones who first started experimenting with marijuana and alcohol at a young age. They actually did amazing academically but I noticed that they all smoked marijuana (I remember two of them actually telling me once that they felt that it calmed them down more than their medication did). Of maybe thats what all youngins say? I dont know, I never really got into it but a lot of my friends in high school did.

None of my friends who have ADD have gotten into such big trouble that they've gone to jail or anything but what I can tell you is that toward the end of high school when they were able to get jobs and had to start focusing on college everything started clearing up. We're all out of college now and have jobs so whatever you do keep pushing for that whole college experience thing for him!

Sorry if this didn't help..just wanted to share my experience. Best of luck..I know how it is dealing with members of the family who suffer from behavioral issues and it can definitely take a HUGE toll on u. He's a lucky guy to have such a caring and loving mom like u!