Medicating Part-time vs full-time???

**neednewtechnique** · 09-06-2007 10:12 PM

Well, the 5 year old WAS supposed to be going to see a PDOC for evaluations, but it was going to require her pediatrician's referral, and when I made the appointment with him to get that, he mentioned that he would be more than happy to take care of all of that himself so that my daughter didn't have to see yet another doc. I decided that I was comfortable enough with him to allow that, but then his nurse made a comment that kind of made me feel uncomfortable. She said that they are big supporters of the part-time medication routine where they are medicated only during the week for school and they take summers and weekends off.

I used to think that this was a good idea, because I figured that it would give the kid a chance to unwind, etc. But having more than one gfg in the house, things can get pretty stressful at home for our gfg's as well as the REST of the family, and I feel like, for everyone's sanity it would be best for them to be medicated at HOME just as they are at school!!!!

I know that every kid is different and that it takes time to figure out what works best for the child, but is it selfish of me to be thinking about our home life and my sanity as the parent when considering HOW I would like the medication routine to go??????? Then when I got ahold of the information I was given about how ADHD and improper or insufficient medication can lead to Borderline later in life because of the way parents react to the child when they are young, it made me even MORE worried about being sure that my daughter is properly medicated at home just as much as she is for school!!!!!!

**witzend** · 09-06-2007 10:34 PM

My feeling on this is that you do it or you don't. For two reasons.

First, and most simplistically, either they need meds or they don't. Sometimes they need meds to make strides and then they don't. Period. But they don't need to be doped up for school but not at home. If it's working, why stop?

Secondly, if they are on meds and it's working, when you take them off then put them back on again, you have that whole adjustment to meds, off meds, then back on again. And there's no guarantee that it will work the second time the way that it did the first. Oftentimes, it won't.

I'm not saying that meds are a panacea. What I'm saying is that if you commit to meds, you commit for the meds and the therapy and the behavioral mods until you know that they don't need meds anymore and can deal with it without. Or you keep them on the meds because you know that they need them now and forever.

Like blood pressure or diabetes. You need it or you don't. If you use it like candy, you are disrespecting the meds, and you are disrespecting the disease.

Just my humble opinion, but as you can see, I feel pretty strongly about it. I hope you will find a place where you are comfortable with it, too. You can only do what you can.

flutterbee · 09-06-2007 10:34 PM

My first concern is what kind of evaluations did the pediatrician use to dx ADHD? Other disorders such as anxiety and depression mimic ADHD behavior.

Here's some info I found: http://www.apa.org/ppo/issues/pchilrit.html

It doesn't really seem to address the meds question you have, but it has some info on ADHD treatment.

Someone, I think Sheila, posted an article a while back on the proper way to dx ADHD. I'll see if I can find it.