Justin, Justin, Justin. He’s calmer and less of a motor-mouth on his new ADHD medication, but we’ve been watching for 11 days and there’s no question that he is much MUCH more whiny and petulant. He had a touch of that already, but it’s so excessive now that I asked the doctor if we could try a new medication.
When my oldest son had to start taking medication for ADHD and Depression, it took us a few months to find the right meds in the right combinations. This is only one med and we’re now going to try the one that works for my two older kids so hopefully it works for Justin.
I asked Justin his opinion about whether he thought the medication he’s currently on is working well enough, or would he like to try a different medication. He said he wanted to try a different medication and when I asked him why, he said, “I’m still being bad.” I’ve explained to him that the pill isn’t a magic bullet that instantly makes his behavior all good, and that he still has to make good efforts to have good behavior. The pill is only supposed to help, not do the work for him. I’m not sure he understood but we’ll know soon enough.
Despite the petulance, he is definitely able to control his impulses better. Today I told all three of my kids that they would start taking turns keeping the laundry room clean for a week at a time and today was the start of Justin’s week. I braced myself for an angry, pouty response and then outright refusal, but he just said, “OK.” It’s almost a shock it’s so age appropriate and reasonable.
So we are fine-tuning the medication and trying to give Justin the best help he can receive chemically with the least amount of side effects. Stay tuned.
Photo credit: Donna V
