3 Reasons We Stopped Medicating Our Son’s ADHD
Six years after our son was diagnosed with autism, he was also diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). ADHD is a disorder that affects a person’s ability to focus, physically stay still, and control their impulses. We saw the symptoms but assumed they were due to his autism. It is important to note that there can be a concurrence of autism and ADHD. It is estimated that 30 to 50 percent of persons diagnosed with autism are also diagnosed with ADHD.
Some symptoms we noticed were him having a very hard time staying still and was constantly jumping or spinning. He is unable to wait for long periods of time, so we travel with items to occupy him whenever we had to take him to places he would need to wait like a doctor’s appointment or an amusement park. He is impulsive and will run to items he sees and wants, or attempt to get to locations he thinks are more interesting without being aware of the dangers around him. These behaviors can be very disruptive and dangerous, especially at school, so we decided to seek help for him.
After speaking with our family doctor, we were referred to a pediatrician who confirmed the diagnosis. We were offered a treatment plan consisting of one of the top five medications licensed for the treatment of ADHD, which we started immediately. At first, everything was going well. His teachers were happy with the results and their only complaint was that it wore off too quickly. Everything seemed to be going well at home too. He wasn’t bouncing off the walls. His treatment plan however required a gradual increase in dosage and this was when we started to have issues with changes in his behavior. We initially thought the changes would not last long and that once he got acclimated to the medication he would be back to his normal self. This was not the case, and things got worse. Some of the reports we got from school were very disturbing and very out of character for our son. Because of this, we decided to discontinue his treatment. These were the three reasons we decided to stop medicating our son’s ADHD.
1. He was always irritable
Prior to starting treatment, our son was always running around giggling and happy. He loved to be outdoors and nothing really got him down. This changed however and his personality began to change. He was always grumpy and got upset easily. He did not enjoy his usual activities and would sit and cry all day. He wasn’t vocalizing his wants which led us to be constantly guessing what was wrong with him. He was miserable, and we didn’t know how to help him. He would have constant mood changes which affected his ability to focus which was why we started the medication in the first place.
2. He became aggressive
This was the most shocking change in his behavior. Our son is usually a happy child who has never had aggressive tendencies. Shortly after we began increasing his dose, we got reports of him targeting adults at school with physical violence. We initially thought the first incident was due to him responding out of frustration but they started to occur more often. We spoke to his pediatrician and we were reassured that everything was okay and we should continue with his treatment. Our last straw was when he stabbed one of his teachers with a pencil.
3. His sleep was affected
If you know anything about autism, you know that children on the spectrum usually have irregular sleep patterns. This was the case with our son, so in order to regulate his sleep, we used melatonin. This was very helpful in allowing him to fall asleep and stay asleep longer. Once we started medication for ADHD this changed. He would be in bed for hours, unable to fall asleep and he would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and would be up for hours. We were like zombies, especially my husband as he would be up all night with him.
When we evaluated the benefits against all the negative side effects, it just wasn’t worth it. The side effects he experienced defeated the entire purpose of us starting the medication in the first place. It was causing our child to lose himself and he was not happy. We were also unhappy seeing our child go through that. We hated what it was doing to him so we decided the best option for us was to discontinue the medication.
Every child will react differently to medication, so it is important to discuss your options with your child’s pediatrician. There are also different options to choose from if you find one medication is not working for your child. Ensure you do your research prior to starting, and ask questions to ensure you are clear on what to expect. Whatever you decide, ensure your child is safe, healthy, and that the option you choose is beneficial to them.
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