Parents, did you know that if you have children younger than 6 years old who are living with ADHD, it is recommended that you undergo training on behavior management before trying any ADHD medications on your child? Teachers, did you know that along with ADHD medications, students above 6 years old are recommended to combine it with behavior therapy, where schools can be part of the treatment as well?
These are ADHD treatment recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) (retrieved in the Center of Disease and Control’s website, CDC.gov).
Some parents think that when ADHD medications seem ineffective, there is no hope remaining for their children. One thing to note is that reported causes of ineffective ADHD medications could be a misdiagnosis. This happens when a child is assessed as having ADHD but in reality, the child only has anxiety, mood swings, or even just simple problems with academic learning.
Many parents think that putting their ADHD diagnosed child on medication is the panacea for all their ADHD problems. When ADHD medications seem ineffective, they think there is no hope for their child. One thing to understand is that sometimes, ADHD medications are ineffective because the child was misdiagnosed, that is, the child does not really have ADHD, but rather has normal anxiety, mood swings, or simple problems with academic learning.
Side Effects of Some ADHD Medications
Simply feeding children can be challenging at times but letting children take medicines can add to the complexity. Here are some examples of common challenges parents face with ADHD medicines:
- ADHD medications can have side effects such as the child losing appetite which can hamper proper nutrition.
- ADHD medications can trigger other existing conditions such as excessive anger, anxiety, or fear.
Stimulants, which are popularly used as ADHD medication, can affect the capacity of the brain to induce sleep.
These are just a few. Since there are various side effects to consider, is there a way to manage all of them? The answer is, yes
Tips to Avoid the Common Side Effects of ADHD Medication
There are many ways to manage the side effects of ADHD medications, below are just a few:
- Observe the difference in your child’s actions before and after taking the medication. To ensure the medicine is absorbed, try to make them take it an hour earlier than their waking time and do this as well for the afternoon dosage.
- Monitor how long the effectiveness of medicine is. See if the tablet that is expected to last for 8 hours lasts only for 5 hours. This may be caused by the incorrect dosage or unsuitable prescription meds.
- If the medication causes a loss of appetite on the patient, try to check if it is just temporary as appetite usually comes back after some time. But if this side effect persists, ask the patient to eat breakfast before the initial dose. Delay the intake for lunch and dinner as well.
- For sleep-induced problems, it is suggested to let the patient take a four-hour tablet around 8 P.M since a smaller dosage will help induce sleep. Lastly, never forget to consult your physician for any changes in your child's ADHD medication to avoid complications.
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