Should kids be put on drugs for ADHD/ADD

From my experiences with ADHD kids, I think they need some kind of medication to keep them focused. I had two of them in my kindergarten class last year. One was medicated most days. I could always tell when she stayed with her dad the night before, because he wouldn't give her the meds. The other little boy was totally unmedicated. His dad absolutely refused. This little boy was in his 2nd year of Kindergarten. He wasn't slow or anything, but he couldn't pay attention long enough to learn. He talked constantly, spent all day jumping up from his desk, and he never had a clue what the class was doing. I'd like to ask you how these children are supposed to learn with a condition like this left unmedicated. I went to a seminar one time where they tried to simulate an ADHD child's world for us. They turned out the lights, turned on strobes instead, played loud music, blew smoke in the air, and handed us a "test" which was written backwards. Then they told us to complete the test. Point well taken. I also had a teenaged foster son with ADHD. He hated taking the meds because he felt it made him inhibited. However, when he took them, he was a mild-mannered, normal young man. Without them he did such things as moon people through our front window.

i am having my child tested for ADD. Because of his heart condition, we do not want to medicate him. I am planning on trying natural things first. I also agree that the doctors over medicate children. I am not saying that some children do not need the meds becasue i know a lot of them do. My major concern is the possibility of more damage to his heart. I will know more when i speak to his Doctors about this. I have been doing a lot of reading on Add/ADHD and LD. They all seem to go hand in hand. I just want to find something that will help him without more medication. He already takes several meds as it is. I have also talked with many people about natural things as well as diet change..for some this has helped and for some it has not. I just pray my son is one that can be helped without meds.

as with my eldest son i have him on meds. He was diagnosed by a neuroligist and he also has bipolar and epilepsy. I feel that he does need these meds. as he is totally different persopn when not on the meds. my youngest was diag. with add and i do not have him on meds as i dont feel he needs them. there is something in the brain when a person really has this condition that is corrected with meds. but again there are alot of parents that just go to a regular doctor and have the label put on them when like you said all they need is discipline.

NO! my lil brother was put on medication, it really messed him up. hes really skinny still adn cant gain weight even though he now legal age. Our baby sitters even use to over dose him if he was acting too "hyper"