Ok, so now what. | Imamother

amother

Tue, Mar 28 2023, 12:44 pm

My son got diagnosed with ADHD during the "aftermath" of Covid lockdowns because when life was "normal" he never had a problem--home was home and school was school. Then when home became school and school was done from home he had a very hard time transitioning and doing work when he was supposed to. He also became a tween during that time which compounded the issue. He has some other comorbid issues which could be exacerbated or mimic ADHD and I maintained that "If he could drink coffee, he may not need medication". He doesn't balk at taking the medicine and doesn't have a lot of noticeable side effects from it. Once he started the medication much of his issues were resolved and he has said "without the medicine I feel clumsy". Since we ran out last week and we started playing around with other non-Rx possibilities including coffee. It took him a few days to get used to drinking the coffee (he's 12)but now he does.

I told him yesterday that we managed to find a pharmacy with the medicine he said "aww, I like coffee, it helps me think".

I think he still managed some of his sillier behavior better with the medication, so now what. Do we stay with "coffee"? Ration his medication so that it lasts longer? Give it to him regularly and hope next month they will still have?

amother

Brunette

Wed, Mar 29 2023, 10:47 am

giftedmom wrote:

Seeing that there’s an ongoing shortage I’d probably just stick to the coffee now until it stabilizes. I wouldn’t repeatedly take a child on or off

Stimulants just work for the hours they are taken and then they're out of the system. It's not like other meds which are ongoing, so the going on and off doesn't do any harm.

amother

Marigold

Wed, Mar 29 2023, 11:15 am

amother Brunette wrote:

Stimulants just work for the hours they are taken and then they're out of the system. It's not like other meds which are ongoing, so the going on and off doesn't do any harm.

This is true about stimulants. However because it feels so different for the child to be on and off meds, it can be somewhat destabilizing to go back and forth between being medicated and not being medicated.

amother

Amaranthus

Wed, Mar 29 2023, 11:28 am

If you use caffeine pills instead you can better control how much he’s taking. Look into combining it with l theanine. The combo is supposed to be great for focus. But I’m unsure about giving it to kids or what the right dosage would be.

amother

Amaranthus

Wed, Mar 29 2023, 11:29 am

amother Brunette wrote:

Stimulants just work for the hours they are taken and then they're out of the system. It's not like other meds which are ongoing, so the going on and off doesn't do any harm.

Yes that’s what’s they say but apparently people do suffer withdrawal