So kiddo's psychiatrist suggested we try another medication, as the one kiddo is currently taking appears to be -- what's the technical term? -- doing jack squat. Well, OK. I'm not especially interested in hopping back on the merry-go-round of medication hoping to find the right one, but a lot of ADHD families go through this, so it was maybe an inevitability.
I did veto stimulants, because they're notorious for causing appetite suppression. As in, the kid loses his appetite and refuses to eat. That's a freaky enough prospect in itself. Kiddo, however, really can't be losing weight. I'm not saying he's skinny, but he might conceivably blow away in a stiff wind. I can't imagine how he could get any skinnier and I'm not interested in finding out.
It's kind of fascinating, the skinniness, because right now this is what we hear every morning after breakfast: "I'm still hungry. Can I have another food?" I try to pack him extra food at lunch so he can get through the day. I have no idea where he puts it all.
So the psychiatrist prescribed a non-stimulant, saying basically, let's see if this one helps. OK. She knows I like to use as little medication as possible, so she said we should be halving the dose with a pill splitter. Fine.
Not fine. The pharmacist said that particular pill should not be split, on orders from the manufacturer, because splitting it releases the entire dose. Naturally, it was Saturday night when I learned this and we couldn't do anything until today.
So I called the psychiatrist, who never called back (I hate when doctors don't call back), and the pharmacist, who reported that he'd gotten through and the psychiatrist said to use the whole pill, and I could come pick it up whenever. Oh, OK, so actually the full dose was fine all along? Gosh, how convenient.
I went to pick it up and discovered that it was pricey. By which I mean the co-pay is $40, for two weeks' worth of pills. Two weeks? So we're supposed to drop thousands of dollars on a medication that might not even work, whose proper dosage appears to be in doubt?
It's bad enough that ADHD parents have to deal with 1. the ADHD and 2. the various amounts of ridicule and contempt from total strangers who think they're horrible parents for medicating their children. Dealing with this nonsense on top of it all is a bit much.
I did not buy the medication yet, because I want to have a serious talk with the psychiatrist first and I will be happy to call as many times as it takes for that to happen. At least we still have some of kiddo's current medication ... for whatever that's worth.
I did veto stimulants, because they're notorious for causing appetite suppression. As in, the kid loses his appetite and refuses to eat. That's a freaky enough prospect in itself. Kiddo, however, really can't be losing weight. I'm not saying he's skinny, but he might conceivably blow away in a stiff wind. I can't imagine how he could get any skinnier and I'm not interested in finding out.
It's kind of fascinating, the skinniness, because right now this is what we hear every morning after breakfast: "I'm still hungry. Can I have another food?" I try to pack him extra food at lunch so he can get through the day. I have no idea where he puts it all.
So the psychiatrist prescribed a non-stimulant, saying basically, let's see if this one helps. OK. She knows I like to use as little medication as possible, so she said we should be halving the dose with a pill splitter. Fine.
Not fine. The pharmacist said that particular pill should not be split, on orders from the manufacturer, because splitting it releases the entire dose. Naturally, it was Saturday night when I learned this and we couldn't do anything until today.
So I called the psychiatrist, who never called back (I hate when doctors don't call back), and the pharmacist, who reported that he'd gotten through and the psychiatrist said to use the whole pill, and I could come pick it up whenever. Oh, OK, so actually the full dose was fine all along? Gosh, how convenient.
I went to pick it up and discovered that it was pricey. By which I mean the co-pay is $40, for two weeks' worth of pills. Two weeks? So we're supposed to drop thousands of dollars on a medication that might not even work, whose proper dosage appears to be in doubt?
It's bad enough that ADHD parents have to deal with 1. the ADHD and 2. the various amounts of ridicule and contempt from total strangers who think they're horrible parents for medicating their children. Dealing with this nonsense on top of it all is a bit much.
I did not buy the medication yet, because I want to have a serious talk with the psychiatrist first and I will be happy to call as many times as it takes for that to happen. At least we still have some of kiddo's current medication ... for whatever that's worth.
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