Mommy ADD

"You medicate your child?"

Man, I really hate that question.

Yes, I willingly medicate my children. Don't judge me for it. If I had a kid who had diabetes or epiliesy, you wouldn't say anything about me giving my kid a medication, but because it is for ADHD, you question me.

I get this sentiment from family members, colleagues and even complete strangers. Trust me, I have done my research on this. My kids being able to focus and get good grades in school and to me, that is what is important.

You are at my house when the princesses meds wear off and she is having a meltdown and throwing stuff at me and her brother and she is trying to kick a hole in the wall. You are there when the old man has a meltdown because he doesn't understand why he has so much trouble concentrating when other kids don't.

With over a decade of classroom experience, I have seen what can happen to a kid who needs to be medicated and isn't. I have also seen what happens when a kid who needs meds, gets them. Trust me, you don't want to be the parent who could have helped your child, but didn't because you are against the idea of medication. It's not worth it educationally.

So, yes, I medicate my kids on a daily basis and I am completely at peace with the decision.

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How do you deal with this question? Please share! :)

Med issues

So, it's now almost the end of summer and I have spent all ]summer trying to get a med that my son wouldn't metabolize to fast. It's been a bust.

First, we tried Vyvanse. This worked for a few weeks, but then we noticed an increase in his anxiety. For a kid with anxiety, this was unacceptable. And by anxiety, I mean things like worrying that he was having chest pains, that someone was going to break into the house and get him and on and on.

Then we tried Straterra. I was really wanting to try this, since it is also indicated for anxiety. Well, this was a bust too, since it caused some other organ issues that weren't worth it.

During this time, he was off all other meds, since the Straterra can take up to 6 weeks to fully get into their system. This means that he has been off of all meds for over a month now. Um, yeah. I think I have at least a few more gray hairs now.

I have spent the past month pulling my son off the ceiling, asking him to take some deep breaths, making him sit still for 30 seconds.

The good thing about the med break was that he started eating. A lot. In fact, he put on 5 pounds in a month. Finally!

So, after much debate on my part, I decided to put him back on his Focalin, despite the fact that he seems to burn through it so fast. Maybe he'll be more social because the meds wear off quicker. Of course, this also means that we have to employ more behavioral modification techniques.

I am really nervous for the year to begin this way, but its part of being a parent of an ADD'er.