"Sure I'll clean my room but I need an Adderall"

[wendyks]

"Sure, I'll clean my room. I need an Adderall". My 16 yo takes Adderall on school days. If she has to do anything that she thinks requires concentration on the weekend (organizing, make up work, etc), she asks for an Adderall. I do often say - you don't need a 20MG XR Adderall to clean your room for an hour... What do you think of this? Is she knowing herself and being proactive? Is she being helpless and relying on her meds as a crutch?

[Onthemove1971]

If she understands that medication helps her then she should take the medication. As a parent I would only give the amount that the doctor prescribed. So if its 20mg er, I would give her 20mg. From my understanding the medication is given by weight, not by need to accomplish things. I once heard a adult say having ADHD is like having a fog on their brain and taking medication is like a fan blowing away the fog.

I could not imagine not having the medication and being asked to do the task.

Who knows maybe it will help her clean other areas around the house.

Am I missing something you are feeling but not expressing?

Good luck.

[Hidden]

Hope this don't come off the wrong way, but the symptoms of ADHD does not take a break on sat-sun. I give my sons their medications 7 days a week 365 days a year. When my younger son was five years old, I figure that I will only give the medication during the weekdays, on his weekend therapy session, he was all over the place and told the therapist he preferred taking his meds. Since that time, I stayed consistent and he is 15 y/o. With the meds consistently, he has come a long way.

[Clue3 in reply to Hidden]

I’m an adult with adhd (I was diagnosed at 10 thanks to a very astute teacher...as a girl it was likely I would have been missed and struggled as a result) and I also have multiple children with adhd (ahhhh!!!). We all take our meds 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Adhd doesn’t take a break because it’s a weekend. Also, cleaning rooms is one of the hardest things for kids with adhd because it’s a multi step, non preferred activity.

If there are other issues you are concerned about or something then maybe let us know so we can tailor responses but baring that, I think she should take her meds everyday. It’s hard to explain to someone who doesn’t live with adhd what it’s really like to be in our brains

[wendyks]

Thank you all for the good points. Hmmm, you guys are good. Perhaps there’s more I do need to say. I never worrried about the adderall before but this years been a rough one that involves a hospitalization for depression. Through all this, we learned there is a drug issue. She thinks she has bipolar disorder but that’s not confirmed because she’s got to totally off drugs to rule it out. I doubt that is the case. I told the doctor she wanted to go up on the adderall. I think now she’s at a good dose but prior to this, She wanted to go up and the psychiatrist said she’s not surprised because her issues. She put a hold on it because she was losing weight and it could have been contributing to her dysphoria. So long story short, I guess. Have drug use in the back of my head. I don’t want her to think she needs adderall to clean her room...then lexapro to get through her day....weed to deal with an emotion... etc. does this change any opinions? The reminder that adhd is t just m-f is a very good point. I guess I also just want to reduce the meds as much as possible and sometimes I feel like it’s not “worth it” to take a med for an all day effect for just a short actitivy.

[Clue3]

Ok so I will just be very honest in that I do not know how best to handle it with the drug use being a factor. I’ve never been in that situation and man that has to be so hard for you. Wanting to up the adder all when the psychiatrist doesn’t agree would really make me worry too. Gah that is so hard.

What age was she when diagnosed with adhd? Does she see a therapist? If so do you feel the therapist is effective?

Hang in there. Gather a team around you. Stay strong

[Onthemove1971 in reply to Clue3]

Thanks for being honest. Our goal is to parent with guidence from the professionals. I know in out house medication is given daily becuase he has ADHD 365 days a week, there is no days off from what he is feeling.

I would follow the directions of the professional and be honest about her use of weed with them. I know that we would not support that or give any money for that activity.

We are here to help any time. Best of luck.

[RichSeitzOceanNJ]

Ditto others on the need for the daily dosage. From another viewpoint, as someone who deals with drug abuse more than ADHD, I would be sure she is taking the Adderal when you give it to her and not pocketing it to sell or trade for other drugs. She may also just like the feeling so make sure you track the number of pills in the bottle. Drugs work, that's why people take them.

[RCJH8610]

I’m an adult with ADHD... I take my medication daily. It helps on Monday-Friday with getting through my work day and motherly duties and on the weekends I need it to clean the house, do the laundry, and all the never ending to do lists to keep my house hold running. I have tried not using my medication on the weekends and those days were a struggle. My doctor finally told me “some individuals with ADHD need the stimulant to function”... so although I may not clean all day, it is so nice to be able to think clearly even on the weekends. I would not wish ADHD on my worst enemy. Our minds never shut off and thinking clearly doesn’t happen without medication. I completely understand your concern as a mother and I would most definitely not encourage you to do anything other than what is being advised by doctors.

[wendyks in reply to RCJH8610]

Tha k you. Makes sense!!