Friday

ADHD and Medication

As you know, ADHD has many treatment options. For many, recognizing their behaviors and changing their patterns to help prevent unwanted outcomes is all they need to succeed. Others need medication.
Even though my child is one of those who improved drastically only after he was on medication, I still resist giving it to him each day. He needs it to succeed in school, and it helps at home, but does he need it there?
The answer is probably yes.
So why have I been saving it for school days? The problem is that I still view it as something that changes him, when I should be thinking of it as something that restores him. It restores the chemicals in his brain to where they SHOULD be. It's like insulin for those with diabetes, or thyroid medication for those with glandular problems. Their bodies are not working properly and those medications bring the chemical balance back to where it should be.
We all know hormones can affect behavior and mood (PMS, "Pregnancy brain," etc.). When they are out of whack, then we do things outside our normal behavior. Even though we don't treat temporary irregularities, there are things that help for long-term imbalances. They supplement whatever deficiencies exist to return you to your normal behavior.
Medication is there for a reason. If your child is one of those who needs it, then give it to them. That doesn't mean to stop working on the other lifestyle changes that will also help, but it means to include it as part of the overall plan.