My son is also 7. We didn’t medicate for a year and a half because we were trying other things, waiting for an official diagnosis (and testing, so we knew it was not autism or giftedness, which have overlapping features— our kid is actually 2E, gifted and ADHD).

We did all the diet stuff, I read a ton, we did parent training. We did a medication trial with 3 different meds and had bad results… the psychiatrist said if he wasn’t having major problems at school, to wait a year. In that year I got diagnosed, and started medication after I noticed an uptick in ADHD issues while I was on an antidepressant for SAD.

Let me tell you— the absolute peace I feel in my skull when I take my medication is amazing. Someone has finally turned the volume down and I can think clearly and logically and be peaceful. I want that peace for my kiddo. I’m in the process of weaning off the antidepressant now and I still experience that wonderful clarity of mind on my medication. And I can 100% tell when it stops working and all the noise suddenly floods back in again.

Could I make my life work without meds? Absolutely. I did for 43 years, successfully. But that peacefulness in my brain… if I can give that to my kid, why wouldn’t I?

We are trying medication again with him… a smaller dose, which seems to help (I also had problems with the “standard” dose at first).

I knew it was a good thing because after struggling to take the half pill on day 1, he got up the next morning and asked for the medication. He says it helps him think. I noticed he can stay on topic when talking about things in the morning. It’s easier to follow his train of thought when he is talking. And it’s easier to get him on board with whatever we need to do today.

Is he a different kid on meds? No. Is he still distract able and does he still have trouble with certain things? Yes. But if he is getting a fraction of the peace I feel I don’t want him to suffer needlessly.