My 5-year-old nephew was just diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, and his teacher wants him to go on meds to ease classroom management. He and my brother are really hesitant about that.
What’s it like for such a young kid to go on ADD meds? Good or bad idea? I mean, I really wish I’d started back in my teens or twenties (geez, that would have helped), but at five one’s brain is barely finished forming…
Advice?
My dude’s brother and nephew could use some advice if you’ve got it.
So, I’m a masters-level psychotherapist, and I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 23. A lot of my work concerns adults with ADHD, though I’ve spent some time in multidisciplinary clinic settings that treated kids 0-5 with mental health concerns. Medicating at this age is very normal. I was never medicated as a child, but I can talk some about what growing up with ADHD is like and a bit about what being medicated is like.
I started medication when I was 6. As much as I still have problems now (because ADHD is lifelong and can get worse as you get older) I can’t imagine how much worse I would be if I was unmedicated as a child.
I have very few memories as a kid, but my mother relates how coming back from an overnight girl scout trip, she forgot to give me my meds. I was ….insufferable apparently. Enough that she stopped, and gave them to me.
Twenty minutes later, I can stay in my seat, hold a conversation, and read my book. Like I wanted to do in the first place.
Reblogging for my followers who might have trouble remembering whether or not they’ve taken their medicine!
OH MY GOD, THIS WILL HELP ME SO MUCH. I GET SO SCARED WHEN I DON’T KNOW IF I JUST TOOK MY MEDS TWICE.
THANK YOU, I’M ABOUT TO CRY.
Let me share with you guys a product that super helps me remember if I took my meds or not (because while the above is great, I still would manage to confuse myself):
They count as soon as you put the top back on. So if I don’t know if I’ve taken my medication for the day, I can check the cap to see how long ago I opened the container! It’s brilliant!
JFC THIS IS A GAME CHANGER.
I KNOW THIS IS MY ART BLOG BUT EVERYONE WHO TAKES MEDS SHOULD SEE THIS.
So I have been meaning to make this for awhile, this is how I personally keep track of what medications I take, along with vitals, stand out symptoms, BMs, etc. This is going to be long because of the photos so I added a read more! I STRONGLY suggest this to anyone who is trying to find symptom triggers, who has memory loss, or just wants to give their doctor a clear cut picture of how their day to day life really is. It has been INVALUABLE to me. I use a “Moleskin Planner” but it could be adapted for any planner. I will probably pick a bigger one next year.
RxTimerCaps save lives. The clock resets to 00:00 every time the bottle is opened so I’ll know if I’ve missed a dose. I bought these online. by bionicback via reddit
They seem to be 2 for $15, and look really useful!
I need these
shoutout to folks who take medicine that could be deadly if taken too often or missed but who also have brainfog like a motherfucker especially. It’d be useful for lots of people, but in those cases especially.
1. Fist: Make a fist around the epi-pen, don’t place your thumb/fingers over either end
2. Flick the blue cap off
3. Fire. Press down into the outer thigh (the big muscle in there), hold for 10 seconds before removing (the orange cap will cover the needle). Bare skin is best but the epi-pen will go through clothing. Avoid pockets and seams.
– Ring an ambulance even if everything seems to be fine!
Oh my god. So as someone who has to carry an epipen EVERYWHERE I am so happy to see that there’s an info post about them. Like in the extreme case that I can’t inject myself, somebody else would have to do it, but nobody knows how to do it! Thank you, this may just save my life some day.
Don’t be wimpy about it, either. I know friends who are like, “but idk if I could stab you with a needle!” Please stab me with the needle, don’t be hesitant about it.
In my case (I can’t speak for all allergies), an epi buys me 20 minutes of breathing to get to the hospital. It is not a magic bullet, it’s a few critical minutes to help get me where I need to go.
I have to share the awesome app I use to negate this issue!
it’s called Medisafe and it’s a free app available in the app store or on google play and it allows you to input all your medications and:
-choose the shape, color, and dosage of each medication (including indicating if it’s an injection or a pill or an inhaler) -notate the dosage and/or # of pills -each time of day/night it needs to be taken -add food or other special instructions -schedule refill reminders -add a med-friend (someone who will be notified if you forget to take it!)
The interface is great and i’ve found it very easy to use. You can also add meds to take “as needed” so you can indicate that you’ve taken an out-of-time painkiller or booster pill etc.
When it’s time to take your pills it uses the text-notifcation noise on your phone to alert you- so it’s lowkey, but (usually) unmissable. When it’s time, you have the option to snooze, dismiss, or take pills. OR you can just shake your phone to indicate that you’ve taken them (I usually either snooze or shake the phone).
It tracks your progress too and you can export yourself an excel spreadsheet of your pill taking to give your physician etc if needed.
You can set the snooze time manually, the maximum number of alarms, all kinds of things- you can set your own alert sound too if you don’t want it to use your text-notification.
.
I am TERRRRRRRIBLE about remembering pills (seriously, I forgot for 3 weeks). I haven’t missed a dose since I started using it and it’s fantastic.
S I G N A L B O O S T
I know a lot of folk have trouble with this so this could be super helpful!
resources!
something like this wouldn’t work for me until i get my sleep schedule nailed down, but if that ever happens it sounds perfect.
to all my followers who take antipsychotic medications:
please remember the heat stroke advisory! please remember your meds may make it more difficult for your body to regulate its core temperature! wear your loosest clothes and limit your sun exposure!
i’ve gotten awful side-effects from my medications in the summer, please be careful and hydrate/stay cool/use sunscreen! last summer i had phototoxicity a few times from my meds and got giant swollen lumps all over my body and it was very unpleasant.
(and anti-depressants can also have some effects)
wow I had no idea about this
anticonvulsants do this shit too, I’m on lamictal for my bipolar and didn’t know how much it would ramp up my photosensitivity (I already burn like a mofo) and got a sunburn so bad I was in bed sick for two days and nearly had to go to the hospital because of the fever. epileptic and bipolar friends, be safe!
Holding the Bowl 