How We Decided to Medicate Our Child
Your child is diagnosed with ADHD, and immediately you are faced with an unspeakably tough choice: Should I medicate my child? Or try alternative treatments? Or both? In this video, families share how they tackled this difficult decision.
The decision to medicate (or not) is an agonizing one. Naysayers argue that parents rush to medicate their kids, but we know this is a decision you agonize over, “Should I medicate my child with ADHD?”
And take heart: You are not alone. In this video, families share how they decided to treat their son or daughter.
How We Decided to Medicate Our Child
Your child is diagnosed with ADHD, and immediately you are faced with an unspeakably tough choice:
- Use medication to treat symptoms?
- Or try alternative treatments?
- Or both?
You wonder:
- What if… the medication harms my child?
- …changes her personality?
- …I’m failing as a parent?
Here, families share the factors they considered when deciding to use ADHD medication.
“We had exhausted all ‘natural’ options and he was only getting worse. With meds, he can actually learn and even excel!” –Errika S.
“One day I sat back and thought to myself, ‘Am I not medicating because it’s what’s best for her or because I will feel like it’s a personal failure?'” –Shelly J.
“When I was making this decision, someone asked me, ‘Would you withhold medication from your child if she were diabetic?’ It really made me think.” –Marti R.
“We decided to give it a month on medication. Within a week he was a calmer, more emotionally steady little boy. We didn’t look back after that!” –Carolyn H.
“As an RN, I will agree with the person who says I’m rushing medication provided they can testify to the fact that the child was never… given behavioral options – just given drugs. That usually ends the conversation.” –Ann, Tennessee
“Listen to your child. We decided to finally medicate in second grade when our son came home and said that he had a broken brain, no longer liked school, and his friends did not like him anymore.” –Jennifer J.
“I did not want to put him on drugs at first, but then I realized that if I didn’t like the effect, I could always take him off.” –KC W.
“We realized that our youngest was getting known as the ‘troublemaker’ — and that impacted her relationships within the family and at school. It felt selfish not to try medication to see if that would help.” –Annmaria T.
“Trust your instincts, you know your child better than anyone.” –Jocelyn S.
Drug therapy for ADHD is not a cause for shame. Using medication doesn’t mean you’re a bad or incompetent parent. It shows that you understand ADHD is a neurological disorder and you want your child to have every chance at success.
