I posted last week about a really hard choice I had to make on Liam's behalf. The discussion surrounded the fact that Liam was really having a hard time controlling his impulses and, as a result, was sometimes putting himself and even others into danger. Our pediatrician has been encouraging us to consider some ADHD medicine to help him with these impulses and I'd been resisting it. Finally, I had decided to give in a little bit and consider trying it especially after having Byron's encouragement and hearing that his school was also on the same page.
With all that in mind, I went ahead and gave him his first dose on Thursday morning. So far, this is what has happened:
1. Liam has pooped in the potty by his own choice. Repeatedly.
2. Liam came grocery shopping with me and was delightful. We talked and giggled and he followed my instructions to put things in the buggy.
3. Liam had a potty accident and came to my door to tell me about it rather than painting with it, which would be his usual choice.
4. At church, Liam sat so nicely that a visitor sitting by him leaned over and told us that he is a "Model kid and so well-behaved." Yeah, we got a good giggle at that one.
There are some down sides. When the medicine wears off, he is like a total wild man (or maybe he's just himself and we never noticed how bad things really were?). His appetite is somewhat suppressed. I still worry about the long-term affects of giving this kind of medicine to a child three years younger than it's intended for.
So, there is our update. These are just baby steps and I'm sure we've still got a mountain to tackle, but I think things are looking up. Dare I say they're looking hopeful even?
Hi Aimee,
ReplyDeleteWow. That's amazing! I hope he can understand and appreciate the benefit, himself.
Forgive me if this is all stuff you already know...
When we started meds with my son it took some trial-and-error with dosage and even different meds. Back then we HAD to try Ritalin first (probably an insurance requirement before authorizing something else?), and oh-my-word, the "rebound" when it wore off was horrendous. I wanted to quit. But we tried different/similar meds, as well as extended release, and that helped. We still dealt with some rebound, but not as much.
The appetite suppression was just something we worked with. Our son was a bit older, and able to understand that he really needed to eat more than his body was telling him he wanted. But also, we did some food-layering to increase his calories. (Ie if you make him a pbj, but butter on both sides of the bread, add powdered milk to foods, generally adding high-calorie foods wherever you can.)
He also tended to be hungry at bedtime (when the meds had worn off). This wasn't a behavior issue (skipping foods at meals and demanding something else) but genuine hunger, so GREAT. We'd give him a sandwich and fruit, or cook an egg, or whatever.
They always tell you NOT to eat right before bed (if you're watching your weight) because your metabolism is slower while you sleep and all those calories "stick". Well, that's GREAT for these kids :D
I know you'll find a way to help Liam :D
Julie
Maybe I should take those meds I need a little help with appetite suppression.
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