tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11653780.post2583368068228316554..comments2024-01-12T02:50:35.638-06:00Comments on Problem Girl: The medication questionJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170131429639166827noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11653780.post-16344032728053932152007-09-12T09:29:00.000-05:002007-09-12T09:29:00.000-05:00Girl,We do overmedicate our kids. We give them Ty...Girl,<BR/>We do overmedicate our kids. We give them Tylenol for teething and cold medicine designed for adults (well, I don't, but people do). And that is wrong, because their little bodies don't need all sorts of crap floating around inside them and we should put up with a little teething crying and buy them one of those chewing toys instead.<BR/><BR/>However, there is medicating and there is medicating. Trying to take away every discomfort is silly; trying to help your child get the living and learning he needs is good parenting.<BR/><BR/>I would be worried if you didn't medicate him just so you could feel like you were "toughing it out." You should be proud of yourself for getting your child what he needs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11653780.post-34335508406131276662007-09-11T20:23:00.000-05:002007-09-11T20:23:00.000-05:00I am here via JJ's blog and I do apologize but fee...I am here via JJ's blog and I do apologize but feel I MUST give you a few words of encouragement. I have 2 children and they BOTH are medicated for ADHD. It was not an easy decision to make but it was a necessary one. When I agreed to try the meds, honestly I felt like a failure...like I had let them down somehow. But I knew that there was no way I could torture them to make ME feel less guilty...so we dove in. Hang in there and remember you are doing it because you love him...that is just the hand he was dealt.<BR/><BR/>Please feel free to stop in if you ever need a friendly ear.Canadian flakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00994909147845893087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11653780.post-13170741545284537732007-09-11T13:02:00.000-05:002007-09-11T13:02:00.000-05:00I have asked myself the same questions about my da...I have asked myself the same questions about my daughter. She has ADHD, Tourette's, CAPD, OCD, and an anxiety disorder. They all kind of go hand in hand. My husband had a hard time medicating her because of all the stupid social stigma surrounding it and I guess for him he has to admit that his child has a problem. I'm a nurse so I didn't bat an eye at the decision. My thinking is if I can help her feel better, why wouldn't I. For some kids medication is the answer. Unfortunatley for us we are having trouble finding a med that doesn't give her bad side effects or make her tics worse. I'm now trying behavior modification. She has terrible impulse control and I'm realizing that how I've been dealing with her hasn't taught her much control. That's the thing with special needs kids. There isn't any black or white answer as to how to treat them. Seems to me that you are doing a great job with your son.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11653780.post-74390582607318650342007-09-11T12:42:00.000-05:002007-09-11T12:42:00.000-05:00Unfortunately medication gets a bad rap sometimes....Unfortunately medication gets a bad rap sometimes. Your son could not go out and face the day, much less learn anything out there, if he were as difficult to handle and as out of control as he is without the meds.<BR/><BR/>You are helping him. Truly. My son is 23 years old now but when he was younger there were times I would have given him (insert any nasty thing you can think of) just about anything I thought would have had a chance of helping him.<BR/><BR/>We got through it, so will you, and just know you are being a good Mom,doing what you need to in order for your son to relate to the world around him.BetteJohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11650981249204116251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11653780.post-26915500048692196542007-09-10T22:57:00.000-05:002007-09-10T22:57:00.000-05:00Personally, had there been a pill or potion for se...Personally, had there been a pill or potion for sensory integration disorder when I was a kid (or even now, really), I would have been furious if my parents withheld it.<BR/><BR/>As for Joseph, were he diabetic, you wouldn't question giving him insulin; if he were bi-polar, you wouldn't question the need for meds. You're doing what you know is best for him - It may not be what everyone else is doing for their kids but their kids aren't Joseph.<BR/><BR/>It's all good little momma. It's all good.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11653780.post-16405022405293586762007-09-10T21:48:00.000-05:002007-09-10T21:48:00.000-05:00you're thoughtful about it--the complete opposite ...you're thoughtful about it--the complete opposite of a mindless medicator--and you're giving the world opportunities to interact with joseph, too, which will teach both joseph and the world more. these are difficult issues with no clear answers, but it seems like, while constantly reassessing yourself can be exhausting, constant re-examination of your choice to medicate joseph will lead you to what's best. some times, that may be medication; some times, that may be taking him off something and trying something new. <BR/><BR/>you guys are the pioneers of how we (the world) integrates those on the autism spectrum into our world, rather than shutting them away. that's not an easy position to be in. and I think you're doing a wonderful job.Alhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16870527550255669643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11653780.post-71065884666327454972007-09-10T21:39:00.000-05:002007-09-10T21:39:00.000-05:00I think it's great that you're willing to talk abo...I think it's great that you're willing to talk about this just because it's a topic that tends to get polarized... medicating is "bad", not medicating is "good" when in reality every situation is unique. The best each parent can do is evaluate their child and his/her needs and make the best decision they can. That's what you've done, and you should feel good about it.Bananashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04765560968908933858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11653780.post-71535692677193738432007-09-10T20:55:00.000-05:002007-09-10T20:55:00.000-05:00I think what makes it such a hard decision (and I'...I think what makes it such a hard decision (and I'm not speaking from experience with medicating children, just general experience) is that you can never really know what would happen if you chose the other option. Because the one cancels out the other one and even though you research and plan and think about it for a really long time, you can never quite know whether the alternative would be better in the long run. <BR/><BR/>But I think that you have to make the choice that is right for you and for Joseph and if the medication makes his life smoother and make more sense, then that's great. <BR/><BR/>I also really like the first anonymous comment here, well said.Nellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02006026922416983261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11653780.post-64607554204903779482007-09-10T16:20:00.000-05:002007-09-10T16:20:00.000-05:00Jen, I like the comments from anonymous, too. I w...Jen, I like the comments from anonymous, too. I would just like to add that I am grateful for the medication that allows Joseph to experience the world in a harmonious way. And yes, Joseph deserves all those things you described and much more. I know that he will get them with great parents like you and Jesse looking out for his best interests. JudyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11653780.post-75255635603198978192007-09-10T15:15:00.000-05:002007-09-10T15:15:00.000-05:00Don't feel like you are alone.I question every mov...Don't feel like you are alone.<BR/><BR/>I question every move I make too...I am the campaign manager for Overthinkers Anonymous. Join me. Won't you?<BR/><BR/>(I'll have to re-post that rant one day)<BR/><BR/>No matter what, you are going to question yourself. That's what we do.<BR/><BR/>You care and you love and you feel for your child. You'll never stop that...<BR/><BR/>hugs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11653780.post-26458975493180799282007-09-10T13:57:00.000-05:002007-09-10T13:57:00.000-05:00Now that's the kind of anonymous commenter that I ...Now that's the kind of anonymous commenter that I like! Thank you so much for those words. Just knowing that other parents are dealing with this too is a huge help to me. And I really like that analogy about the orchestra. I want Joseph to be able to hear the music and if medication is what it takes to let that happen, I need to learn to be ok with it.Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13170131429639166827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11653780.post-82675323876151919822007-09-10T13:39:00.000-05:002007-09-10T13:39:00.000-05:00My 10 year old son has ADHD and Aspergers and has ...My 10 year old son has ADHD and Aspergers and has been on medication for 3 years now. As parents I think we struggle with this because while we are "normal" (subject to interpretation) we don't really know what life is like in our children's minds. When we were going through the diagnostic process with our son I spoke with a co-worker who revealed he found out he had ADD while in high school and started taking medication as a teenager. While kids have a hard time explaining how they feel, he had a great analogy of his pre- and post-medication days; he described his pre-medication days like listening to an orchestra warming up, where all of the instruments are playing their own miscellaneous notes, and while on medication he said that it is like listening to the orchestra playing the music all together and everything makes sense.<BR/><BR/>I don't like the fact that my son has to take medication daily but if this works for him and helps him be successful in school, with friendships and in life in general I will continue to take this road.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com