Good morning..this is a difficult situation. I felt the same way about giving my then 7 year old medication, any of these meds.
We struggled with it a lot!
-I was told that she needed an adhd medication so we listened & started with all the non stimulants first & none of them worked. Then they went to stimulant medications & none of them worked either.
Pretty much from the start though I would tell the dr’s that I felt like her mood is the problem, she was incredibly irritable practically all day.
She also worried a lot & stressed.
I kept saying to them “can another existing condition be so powerful that it just overrides an adhd med.” & finally I got a dr who said yes, without hesitation.
My daughter was then diagnosed with a mood disorder, pretty much depression, & put on an antidepressant, no adhd med. The difference has been night & day!! She does have adhd, for sure, but that wasn’t causing the behaviors. It def. causes other things, not too favorable, but manageable to deal with, for now at least.

I get the feeling that you don’t think he has adhd? You know him the best & you & your husband have to troubleshoot this. From my experience, the doctors did not put a lot of thought into why this & why that, they kept wanting to try a different med. when one didn’t work. Why is he so anxious? & is it just at school or does it occur at home too? Also talk to him about it to try to get some more insight into this.
I’m not saying don’t listen to the doctors but you need to also listen to your gut :)

Unfortunately we’ve been down the trial & error of the medication path & it’s hard. I feel like it’s not clear though on exactly what the diagnosis is for him. It doesn’t sound like he has adhd. A diagnosis of autism & adhd should be by a psychiatrist, psychologist or a neurologist.
I know a counselor said he has asd but I personally would make an appointment with one of the above specialist before going further with trying medication. Good luck to you!

I understand the feeling and fear of medications for my son also, I myself have sleep apnea and was prescribed vyvanse for daytime sleepiness and it made me feel unwell and I couldn't take the medication. I couldn't imagine giving this to my son knowing how it made me feel and how sensitive he can be. But at the same time anxiety can be a horrible feeling and unhealthy for anyone to live with. It's hard for parents when most meds out there to treat issues these kids have come with scarey side effects. I would suggest cbd oil to any parent as a first try over a harsh medication, also consider the beginning of puberty relating to changes in your child, my son is full on experiencing puberty now at 11 and in hindsight he was starting at the age of 10 and I didn't see it as I do now. These hormonal changes can cause a complete 180 in tolerance and response, feelings ect.

Originally, my son was diagnosed with ADHD by his primary doctor when he was 8. However, my husband and I suspected he might also be on the autism spectrum. Last year, we took him to see a psychologist, and he was diagnosed with ASD. The psychologist explained that while he does have ADHD, it stems from his ASD.

I'm AuDHD. I take Adderall and it helps me tremendously :) Granted, I didn't start taking it until I was 25 when I received my ADHD diagnosis (I was already out of college), but had I had answers earlier on, it would have made some things a lot easier. It helps me at stay focused and motivated at work.