Another question as a new parent to this ... I have delt with a few people close to me ( not blood related ) who have struggled with addiction.
I myself an quite the opposite. No addictions at all.
But my 10 yr old is new to being diagnosed.. And ive always worried about it for her. And one of my biggest fears has been to put her on meds.. Fearing that it could open the door to addiction or feeling like she always has to "take" something to feel normal.
Her dr tells me that its the opposite. That kids that go undiagnosed have a MUCH GREATER risk of abusing drugs or trying more drugs or engaging in risky behavior. However, i was an undiagnosed teen.. And still to this day. I never wanted to try any drugs and stayed away from it. Dont drink. And was not sexually active at a young age or anything.
So have any parents had issues of their children with ADHD , absuing the meds? Or selling them? Or getting into any drug problems that they fear may have been introduced because of taking a methamphetamine ??
My daughter is only 10. And im just nervous to start her on meds.. Even though I myself take them and they have helped me tremendously in my adult life.
Written by
Worriedmom86
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No. Your doctor is correct. Once a child is medicated they feel better. It’s kids who have adhd who aren’t prescribed meds who are at risk because they don’t feel right so they self medicate to try feel better.
If meds make you nervous then demonstrate a respect for them in front of your child. For example, we always keep ours locked up and away from all other medication so they would learn that ADHD medication is much more serious than Ibuprofen and Tylenol. Over the years my kids (2 who started meds in middle school) witnessed me pulling their meds from the adhd box. One is in college now and he has a respect for his medication and keeps it locked in his hanging dorm safe.
Thank you for that response. I know my fear is triggered by the fact that I have seen young adults and people my age abuse adderal. Among other things. So I'm kind of Jaded by those experiences. And the doctor did prescribe the meds and this is my second day I'm giving them to her. And I have always told her oh, that with any meds even ibuprofen or anything that you always have to take it as prescribed and never take more because it could be life threatening. But as parents, we always hope that our kids actually take the heart what we tell them.
You will become more comfortable with medications with time and will see that for children with ADHD they assist with impulse control and, therefore, decrease the probability of high risk behaviors just like your doctor told you. Plus, they allow them to be themselves and perform better in school and get in trouble less, all of which improves confidence and self esteem, all decreasing the risk of one becoming a drug user or abuser. I suspect that the people you know who abused Adderall did not have ADHD. For children with ADHD, it assists with impulse control and focus, it does not result in any sort of high. If you read the posts in this group, it is far more common for children (adolescents) to push back and refuse to take medications than to abuse them. The prescription of these medications (often frustratingly) is very controlled, meaning that you can only fill 30 days at a time. Taking more than prescribed would result in the medication running out.
In addition to having ADHD, my son is nearsighted. He looks at both in a similar light. He says that he can live without his ADHD medications just as he can live without his glasses. However, both allow him to focus better. We do lock medications, but it is to keep them from being taken or stolen by people like dog sitters or electricians who sometimes have unsupervised access to the house, not to keep them from my son. There are non-stimulant treatments for ADHD (although the stimulants work well for many children with ADHD) if that would make you more comfortable. Strattera, for example, works by lowering blood pressure. It is not usually the "first line" treatment for ADHD, but it would be hard to imagine how (or why) it would be abused by anyone.
All parents worry about medicating their children (only for ADHD, though, it seems; most seem to have no similar issue with medications for cancer or other medical conditions and would never dream of withholding helpful medications in those circumstances). However, it is a necessary part of ADHD management for most children which, together with lifestyle modifications at home and reasonable accommodations at school, will allow them the same opportunity to achieve success as children without their disability. Good luck to you.
I agree with the above. I fill a pill box for my teen every week so I’m regulating it. She’s on adderall Extended release. Kids aren’t buying XR off the street. She also won’t be selling it because she needs it for herself and knows it’s regulated so if she seeks them she’ll be short.
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