just blogged "mom's homework" @ mom's view of #ADHD. therapist holding mom accountable for good ADHD parenting. http://bit.ly/LoKNH
13 days ago
Medication: Day 1
Posted Feb 20 2009 7:24pm
Luke was prescribed Metadate CR for his ADHD. He was prescribed a medication so quickly because his doctor said we and his teachers were already implementing many of the behavior modification techniques and, while they have greatly improved his behavior and his learning, they have not resolved the problem -- they have not created enough change for Luke to be successful in school.
So after agonizing about it for about 36 hours, I went and picked up his medication ($160 because we haven't met our prescription deductible!). Luke hasn't learned to swallow pills so this medication allows us to open the capsule and sprinkle it in applesauce. When I first gave it to him I put my ear up to his chest every 30 minutes or so to be sure his heat rate wasn't too accelerated. I was so nervous being downstairs while he was upstairs that I found something to do upstairs to be close to him.
He took the medication (one 10 mg capsule) at 10:10 am this morning -- it's now 1:20 pm. So far he is more aggressive and more easily upset. When his cousin said she wanted to play with his sister instead of him for a little while, he cried for about 20 minutes. He was so upset I had to hold him. Instinctively I kept telling him it was ok and he kept telling me "It's not ok. It's not ok. It's not ok." I was holding him and rocking him back and forth and thinking in my mind that he was telling me it's not ok that we are medicating him. of course, I felt so guilty and downright awful I couldn't contain my emotions. I don't think he realized I was crying with him though.
The nurse had warned me he may get mood swings and be more aggressive as a side effect if the 10 mg dose is not strong enough. She said we can increase to 2 capsules/20 mg after a couple days if needed to prevent this. His current state of emotion is unacceptable -- he is more easily upset than ever before. If it doesn't improve by Friday I will call them to discuss the dosage.
So here we are traveling a land I never thought I'd see. I am frightened but still hopeful.
By the way, I am chaning the name of the blog. When I started it, I tought we were searching for learning disabilities. Now we know it's ADHD causing the school failures. Nonetheless, I still need feedback and ideas from others with children with ADHD and maybe something our family experiences will help one of you.
So after agonizing about it for about 36 hours, I went and picked up his medication ($160 because we haven't met our prescription deductible!). Luke hasn't learned to swallow pills so this medication allows us to open the capsule and sprinkle it in applesauce. When I first gave it to him I put my ear up to his chest every 30 minutes or so to be sure his heat rate wasn't too accelerated. I was so nervous being downstairs while he was upstairs that I found something to do upstairs to be close to him.
He took the medication (one 10 mg capsule) at 10:10 am this morning -- it's now 1:20 pm. So far he is more aggressive and more easily upset. When his cousin said she wanted to play with his sister instead of him for a little while, he cried for about 20 minutes. He was so upset I had to hold him. Instinctively I kept telling him it was ok and he kept telling me "It's not ok. It's not ok. It's not ok." I was holding him and rocking him back and forth and thinking in my mind that he was telling me it's not ok that we are medicating him. of course, I felt so guilty and downright awful I couldn't contain my emotions. I don't think he realized I was crying with him though.
The nurse had warned me he may get mood swings and be more aggressive as a side effect if the 10 mg dose is not strong enough. She said we can increase to 2 capsules/20 mg after a couple days if needed to prevent this. His current state of emotion is unacceptable -- he is more easily upset than ever before. If it doesn't improve by Friday I will call them to discuss the dosage.
So here we are traveling a land I never thought I'd see. I am frightened but still hopeful.
By the way, I am chaning the name of the blog. When I started it, I tought we were searching for learning disabilities. Now we know it's ADHD causing the school failures. Nonetheless, I still need feedback and ideas from others with children with ADHD and maybe something our family experiences will help one of you.