Adhd meds ??

[Jan in SC]

Do you give the adhd meds on the weekend? It helps my son so much that I'm afraid he'll be miserable if we don't give him the medicine every day. Obviously we can just not give it to him, but I wanted advice from y'all!

 

Thanks!

[momtotkbb]

YES! We have tried not using the meds for weekends, days not doing school, etc. BUT, in the end, he is much better on meds so in our family they are still needed on the weekends.

 

Of course, if can depend upon the dc and the reason for the meds. My oldest could go w/out meds on weekends or non-school days bec he only took them to help him focus in more in school --he is ADD-Inattentive though. Our middle ds needs the meds not only for focus and concentration but impulse control and hyperactivity. Our Dev Ped said that he should get to a point where those areas in his brain dev better and he's able to go w/out meds except for sustained tasks--but that with boys that's sometimes not until later in life.

[Jan in SC]

Thanks! I think my son is like your 2nd son. Right now he benefits from daily usage. It's reassuring to hear other experiences!

[Ottakee]

If you see that much difference, then GIVE him the meds on the weekends. I think of it like glasses, you don't just take away a kid's glasses on the weekends because they aren't in school. The meds will help him overall and help with any church activities, social things, etc.

 

Do you give the adhd meds on the weekend? It helps my son so much that I'm afraid he'll be miserable if we don't give him the medicine every day. Obviously we can just not give it to him, but I wanted advice from y'all!

 

Thanks!

[Windmilldreamer]

YES!

 

There are lots of other things than schoolwork that ADHD medication helps with. Impulse control, for instance.

 

The comparison with glasses is apt.

 

ADHD Mom with two ADHD grown children

[sheryl]

Do you give the adhd meds on the weekend? It helps my son so much that I'm afraid he'll be miserable if we don't give him the medicine every day. Obviously we can just not give it to him, but I wanted advice from y'all!

 

Thanks!

 

 

Jan, Good question and one that we entertain ALL.THE.TIME!

 

Our 11 yo dd has been on adhd med (adderall) for a year. It took a while to get the right med/doseage, but the adderall works well for her. We've gone back and forth 7 days and M-F. Most recently (2 weeks ago) she went to church camp. She stayed on her neurological meds, but we did not send adderall/risperdal with her.

 

In short, her attitude was terrible when she returned home. Why? She lacked sleep....she was at camp! :D 11 pm - 7 am she slept. She normally sleeps 8:30-7 give or take. I figured her poor attitude was due to lack of sleep, but she's had 10 days to recover and her attitude has been BAD. So, I started Adderall again...half dose then increased to her regular full dose.

 

She's been much better.

 

All of this to say that there is much waxing and waning it seems. So much depends on a current "growth spurt" and other factors. We will probably go back to 5-6 days a week with 1-2 days off UNLESS it is obvious that WITH SLEEP her behavior remains poor dictating aderall 7 days a week.

 

Hope that's not confusing. Sheryl <><

[4kids4me]

Yes, yes, yes! I don't see why not and more importantly my 11yo ds prefers to continue to take it because it makes him feel better. :)

[Night Elf]

I don't mean to sound snarky, but ADD is a life issue, not just school. I take Methylin daily because without it, I can't concentrate/focus. I definitely feel the difference if I've forgotten to take my meds. I can't imagine purposefully not taking it. I am restless. I can't focus on one task which leads to frustration which leads to irritability. Of course, I have no idea how your son benefits from his meds, but I need mine every day or I just stay in a bad mood. :)

[Jan in SC]

It isn't my desire to stop his medication. I think it makes him happier and more confident because it controls his impulses really well. (Knocking on wood!!)

 

When I took him for his check-up, the ped wanted us to start giving him days off to see how his body is metabolizing the medicine. He really pushed for weekends free from meds, but I held my ground and asked him if his impulsiveness would vacation on weekends as well. I really wanted to hear from others that I'm not doing something horrible by continuing them daily.

[dtonito3]

My now 17 year old son is off of his medication. We used it for many years but after a while and since we lived a structured school life, our doctor recommended we take him off on the weekends and then reduce it to be used "as needed". He said that as boys grow up they go through many chemical changes in their life specially during puberty and afterwards. Since this happens they may adapt to structure and no longer need the medication.

 

We tried it and he no longer needs his meds. He is not the MOST structure andorganize person but he doesn more often than not get his things done by using his "to-do " list and journal he learned to use during the prior years...

 

I have found that ADD kids primarily need structure and routine during these years then they take off on their own. This might be why your doctor recommended it.

 

It may work for you son, like it did for mine. Or, it may not work but you will have to have patience and understanding if you try it.

 

Just like any drug it takes time for it to leave his system and his system to get used to functioning without it.

 

My son, says he feels good about not having to take it but he sees why he needed it before....

[TravelingChris]

Yes I do. SHe can't live with others without medications (or I should say, no one can live with her). My son doesn't take medication for ADHD at all these last few years and I don't like that. He was so much more pleasant and responsible with medication. I am somewhat scattered but drinking huge amounts of caffeine helps me a lot. I am also only mildly ADHD unlike my children. My middle is severely.

[Splash]

Yes I give him meds everyday. We found he was so argumentative in comparison and didn't feel right without the meds. He likes how "in control" the meds make him feel. Now he's only been on them for 8 months now so who knows in the future.

[MamaSheep]

We're still fairly new to ADHD meds, but we give dd her meds every day, including the weekends. But as others have mentioned, some kids outgrow (for whatever reason) the need for the meds at some point in life. Dd's doctor said a lot of kids go off the meds by about high school age and do great on their own. I'm sure there will be periods when we will try "days off" just to see how it goes, and I think weekends might be a good time for that. Or summer days with no school. I can see the difference in dd when her meds are in her system and when they're not. If there comes a point, though, that the difference isn't as clear, I will probably want a short trial off meds to see if she doesn't need them anymore.

 

I know ds's need for meds has shifted over time. (He takes meds for anxiety). There is still a fair bit of difference between "on" and "off" the meds, but it's not as dramatic as it once was, and we no longer feel that dreadful sense of impending doom when we realize he's accidentally missed a dose. I don't know whether he will ever go of his meds, though. His issues are much more severe, and of a different nature, compared to dd's ADHD.

 

So I dunno. Right now we give dd her meds every day. It's what's recommended by the doctor, and we see that it helps with everything from reading to remembering she was supposed to be brushing her teeth and staying in her chair for a whole meal. But down the road a bit if her doctor suggests weekends off for a while to see how she can function without the meds, given a little time to practice, I'd probably go with his recommendation with the understanding that she'd go back on if things didn't work out.

 

But my child is not your child, and their needs may be different.