To Medicate or Not to Medicate…

is the question. The answer, and decision is not so easy. And just like any medical decision, there’s all kinds of options, and all kinds of research and all kinds of angst from any parent who has an ADHD child. Let me say right from the get go here – each family is on its own journey. Each family has to make decisions about what is right and best for them. This little essay is about my family’s experience and the options that are out there. It is not about what someone else should do, or a judgment of what others do.

When Ryan was entering kindergarten, we were told that now that he was six, we could entertain the notion of medicating him.  From the start, we didn’t want to.  We had visions of him being a zombie with a flat affect.  We thought that this would be the easy way out, and more of helping us than helping Ryan.  But, after six months of school, it was becoming clear to us, his teachers, and his doctor that something needed to be done.  

I spent a lot of time researching the pros and cons of medicating, the different kinds of medications including side effects, and a lot of time talking to Ryan’s developmental pediatrician. We decided to start him on something low dose and see how things went from there. Somewhere I heard or read that “why wouldn’t you medicate your child for ADHD? People with diabetes are treated with insulin. It’s a medical condition, you should treat it as such. “ I was starting to understand how true that statement was.

The change in Ryan was immediate. Initially, the side effects were minimal. Mainly his appetite wasn’t as robust. Although it didn’t take care of all of his symptoms, he was able to focus better and sit a little bit longer. And yes, it was easier for the other children and adults around him to manage him better as well. Ryan did not fight us in taking his meds. From the beginning, we told Ryan that the medication would help his brain slow down a bit so that he could sit longer and do activities longer. He didn’t initially understand this, but eventually he did.

Ryan has been on some form of medication for his ADHD since he was six and a half. Over the years, we’ve tried just about every drug out there, at all kinds of dosages and mixing of different kinds to meet the needs of his growing mind and body. Yes, he’s been a science experiment. Yes, for a short time early on he was overmedicated. Once Ryan could really verbalize how the medication was affecting him, we were able to truly figure out what meds were working best. And we made a conscious effort to make sure that we were doing what was best for him. The medicating became what was truly best for his brain and how he learned. To slow down the overactive brain, so that he could manage his thoughts and actions. To help him be as successful as possible.

Over a few summers, we gave Ryan a “break” from taking his meds. Many families do this. The thought is to give the child a break from side effects and to see how “bad” the ADHD symptoms are. And it can give an opportunity to try other more natural treatments without the use of the drugs. On the flip side, the symptoms can become worse, and the parent will have to be more attentive. And then when you start the meds again, it may take longer for them to start working again. We found that after trying this, it just wasn’t a good idea. Ryan had such a hard time managing himself and the rest of the family suffered as well, as you can only imagine…..

Along with medications, there are also nutritional supplements that can help. In my experience they help marginally. Many parents decide just to use the supplements and not use traditional medications to use a more natural approach in treating ADHD. But in our experience in giving Ryan these supplements, they only helped just a little bit. We discovered that his diet played a big part in his behavior, primarily processed foods and in particular lunch meats and bacon made with nitrates, so we made a concerted effort in keeping him away from these. And of course, keeping Ryan away from blue food dye. (You can read about the blue icee incident in a previous post.) Ryan would even give me the blue M&M’s if he ever had any. Many health professionals will poo poo any notion of the positive effects of diet and nutritional supplements for ADHD. But I believe it’s worth a shot to try. They’re not harmful and could possibly help. We also gave Ryan melatonin to help him fall asleep at night. This worked well for him. I also know of parents who just give their children caffeine and pseudoephedrine which are mild stimulants and have similar but much less effect than stimulant medications.

We have tried Ryan on just about everything. We’ve used a mix of stimulant meds, non stimulant meds and just about all of the nutritional supplements out there. Some meds worked better than others. Some of the side effects were too bothersome. Some didn’t seem to work at all. One thing for sure, he still had and still has ADHD symptoms. This is something that one needs to be prepared for. It’s not complete magic. Everyone’s chemistry is different.

Stimulants are the first line of medications for someone who has ADHD. I will not go into all of the names of them here. A quick internet search will give you a list of all of the medications that are common in this class that are used in treating ADHD. There are also non-stimulants that are used to treat ADHD, and you can also search for nutritional supplements. Some of the supplements suggested are ginseng, ginkgo leaf, DHA, fish oil, omega 3’s, evening primrose oil, zinc and melatonin for sleep.

One important thing to note here is that ADHD medications are not typically prescribed by your regular pediatrician and you will be required to take your child to either a psychiatrist or a developmental pediatrician who are specialists in ADHD and medications. If you are an adult with ADHD and are considering trying medication, you will also need to be seen by a psychiatrist.

Will Ryan be on medication for his ADHD forever? I don’t know. As an adult, this is now up to him and his physician. He won’t grow out of ADHD. His brain will be mature at around age 25 and he’ll see how things are going. Of course it all depends on how he is learning to manage his brain and school and work.