My son will not take his medication!
My son had ADHD. When he doesn't take his medication, he is the nastiest child you ever want to meet. When he takes it, he is able to focus and is actually a productive member of our household.
So, now he's cheeking it and then spitting it out. I sit there and I wait and wait until I'm sure it's so dissolved he can't possibly spit it out, but DH found a wet little pill outside on the porch. Obviously, BS14 spit it out on his way to school. Now, it was about 1/2 an hour from the time I gave him the pill until he left for school. I don't understand how he's keeping it in his mouth for so long.
My question - what do I do about it? What kind of punishment would you suggest. I am at wits end as to what to do.
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At 14 he should understand
At 14 he should understand why he has to take it. Is there a reason he is spitting it out? Are other kids making fun of him for taking meds? Do the meds make him feel weird or does he have side affects? I wouldn't punish him right away. I would find out what his reasoning is first. Will he talk to you guys?
I can understand why you are so frustrated, my ss9 has to take medication for ADHD also.
"If I turn into another, Dig me up from under what is covering the better part of me" -Incubus
I agree that you may not
I agree that you may not need to punish him just yet. He may have an understandable reason why he's not taking it. He may need to switch meds if this one makes him depressed, or he's having other symptoms that make him uncomfortable. Would he be open to trying a different ADHD pill? If he's just being defiant, and not caring how his behavior affects the other people in his household when he doesn't take his medicine, then I would consider punishment.
"There comes a time when you have to surrender the idea of what your children could be to the reality of who they are."
I agree. Maybe try a new
I agree. Maybe try a new medicine. I know we've had to switch 2 times in the last 10 months to get it right.
"If I turn into another, Dig me up from under what is covering the better part of me" -Incubus
Okay, since you and I live
Okay, since you and I live the exact same life when it comes to our rotten ass 14 yr old sons here's my idea. My son does this to, his father told him I'm drugging him up so I don't have to deal with him (yes he's a asshole). Anyways, My son will spit it out, and his father taught him to puke it back up. Nice. So my new thing is that I will wake up a hour earlier than usual, make him take it immediatley, watch every move he makes while he is getting ready, then force him to drink an entire glass of water 30 mins prior to walking out the door.
Also, do a mouth check. Make him open up wide, look in there with a flashlight, make him move his tounge up and down to make sure it isn't in there. Check his cheeks with a qtip, they like to cheek them!
It's sad that we have to treat our sons as if they are criminals in jail. Sad Sad Sad.
I would talk to your doctor.
I would talk to your doctor. Can it maybe be crushed up and stirred into his juice?
There must be a reason why
There must be a reason why he does not want to take it.
And here is a great article on ADHD...
http://tinyurl.com/yzbnwy6
Peace to you...my son was "diagnosed" years ago with adhd...
I come from a family with a
I come from a family with a lot of ADD (myself included). I hated the way my medicine made me feel. I had no appetite, and my friends would say no personality. I wish I had the choice of trying different meds, but back then, there was only 1 choice. Eventually @16 I chose to stop taking Ritalin because of the side effects. Maybe your son feels like this?
I would suggest talking to your son about switching to a new script.
In the meantime,you could try crushing the pills (I'd ask your pharmacist first because some pills can't be crushed). My mom always put my little brothers pills in a tablespoon of applesauce. I don't see how you could fake swallowing that.
I hope it works out for your family!
~~~~I have one good piece of advice...
Don't play leapfrog with a Unicorn~~~~
~~~ @}---{--^-- ~~~
Choochoo takes meds every
Choochoo takes meds every morning but they're the capsules so they don't dissolve. When he first started taking them I made him open his mouth REALLY big and move his tongue all around to show me he swallowed it. He's fine with taking them now.
As far as a punishment is concerned...if the pills truly benefit him there's no reason for him not to want to take them. I think you should handle it just like you would any other punishment...it's an escalation process. Take his treasured stuff til he learns...and reward him when he performs as expected until he stops being so darned stubborn.
"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." ~Judy Garland
Today, DH is home alone with
Today, DH is home alone with all of the kiddos. Since BS14 is the oldest (even though he's the smallest), he is the leader of the group. If he doesn't have his meds, the others follow him like lemmings, everyone gets in trouble, and my DH has an anxiety attack.
So today, DH said "Who wants eggnog?" Of course, they all come galloping along like puppies. BS14 had something extra in his nog. He took it and never even knew, and his behavior has been fantastic all day. DH is goooooood!
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Love me or hate me, I'm still gonna shine!!!
Can you get a liquid form
Can you get a liquid form from your doctor/pharmacist? It seems ridiculous in a kid that old, but if it's the only way, then it might be necessary. I agree that getting to the root of why he doesn't want to take it is important and will hopefully help you find a solution. SS11 refused to swallow pills for a long time and after checking with the pharmacist, I mashed it up in a bit of banana and gave it to him that way. Some pills can't be mashed up safely (time release etc...) but some can. You might have your doc talk to him directly too as sometimes kids listen more to authority figures.
"If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they will kill you." ~Oscar Wilde