You are not alone.  My 11 yr old son is the same way. There are days, he beggs not to take his Meds.  This is not an option at our house.  If he waits to take them he is argumentative and very aggressive.  One day I let him go till noon before I gave them to him. He screamed at all of us, slammed doors and wanted to run away.  I finally he took his Meds.  Once they kicked in, he told me he felt better.  He knew it was because of his Meds. There are days we struggle to get the Meds down him, but most days he takes them willingly.

mom2barry,

May I ask you a question? Why do you think your son sometimes refuse to take his meds? I have read other posts where others complain about this too and I have always wonder why some children refuse to take the meds. My son has never refused so I can’t understand why other kids do. Do they feel somehow sick when they have the meds and that is why they give parents a hard time to take it? I mean why would a kids fight against it? It has to be something they feel. Have you ask your son about it?

I will appreciate if any parent with this situation would comment on this.

Thank you,
RC

RC, I can only comment for me. There have been times my son had told me he didn’t need the meds, like he wanted to see how the day goes without. He’s never refused because our household doesn’t work like that, but rather gave me an opinion which I welcome. I would just remind him what happened the last time we forgot and he agrees that it’s better for all if he takes it. His issue is impulse control. He’s a good kid, but lacks the impulse control that can cause him to get in trouble, something both of us wish to avoid.

My 8 year old son is not ready to take med holidays either.  Also very impulsive—with low frustration tolerance and cognitive inflexibility.  (Functions well on meds though.) 

I’m glad you asked this question.  Like you, I wondered if my son was in the minority when it came to this issue.  Often concerned me…

My son is much better on meds, but he is starting to build us a resistance to his current dose. So, we have been trying to keep it down to 10 mg a day just so that we can complete summer homework. Its not that my son is dangerous when he doesn’t take the meds, He is just far more successful at what he does academically and socially if he takes them. So, I don’t like to take him off them. Finally, my son is only 7. Who knows what he’ll be like when he is 10.

You have to do what is right for your kid no matter what other uninformed individuals might say.

My son also needs his meds and doesn’t get a break. When he first started, I asked him if wanted to take his meds on weekends and holidays and he responded yes. Periodically he forgets how much better he is and how happier he is on the meds. He wants to try a day without - “I can handle it Mom”. Periodically, on a day that I know will be relatively low stress (ie., neighborhood kids gone on vacation, etc.) I give him a chance to try it. Invariably the day is bad and he states that he does need the medicine daily. I think that our kids who don’t get a break, know that there are other kids who do, and they know how much better focused, etc. they are now. They think they can deal without the meds. I say give them a low stress day to try it. You can always give them more pop, etc. to act as a stimulant if necessary.

My son is the same way. He becomes very rude and impulsive when he is not on meds. He doesn’t take the med just for school but in general to help him with socializing.

I know of people who had a kid that first received ritalin and became suicidal - and was adviced prozac instead. They decided to take the Omega-3 option (a pharmaceutical-grade product, available online without prescription - in combination with other supplements). They saw good results and the child now is in high school with good results, and no medication at all. He actually asks for the omega 3 when needed and sampled at school as well.

You probably need to include a kind of transition time and always keep a MD informed and monitoring the situation.

Hello, I have two sons with add/adhd. Both are very different. My oldest (12) is the poster child for meds. He has never had any issues aside from a small rebound in the evening; and he has never complained about taking them.  My youngest (8) is different. He has from time to time indicated he did not wish to take his meds and has been more defiant.  For the Mom’s with that same issue,,,,,have you tried asking your child? I have had very frank and informative discussions with my youngest, and determined that most of his concern was his fear that there is something “wrong” with him. I also found out that one med had been giving him headaches and stomach aches which he had not mentioned until I asked him!  Don’t assume that because you or the doctor have told your child that the meds are good, he/she is not to blame for the ADHD, yada, yada, yada, that your child is OK with what is going on. Children’s brains work differently than adults. We just assume so much. I know that at least with my sons, opening the lines of communication to be inclussive of their thoughts, fears, and concerns really helped. I also got them both their own book about ADHD with a worksheet that was written for kids. It speaks to them at their level, helps them to write and express what they go through and put everything in perspective. Hope this helps!  Just remember…....trust your gut, look for clues, ask questions, and communicate! No one likes to just be told they HAVE to do something without feeling their opinions or fears validated. Why should children?

My son turns 13 this month and is on his medications all summer.  He notices the difference.  Doctor told me yesterday, he either gains weight or they will take him off his Meds. Yicks.  I have him tell me about the differences he feels when he forgets the meds, now he likes himself better with them.  He is actively involved in the process and has been since diagnosed almost 2 years ago.  I know young kids can’t be responsible for taking their meds, but I’ve always let him be in charge, with a little reminding from me.  This way he takes ownership. He even remembers to put a pill in with his toothbrush on sleepovers.

My son was so happy when he finally got the right medication down. He wants to take it and has to be on it ALL the time, he notices the difference and it helps him greatly. I feel so bad, all the years I denied him any medication because I was ” not going to put my kid on medication “. He would have done so much better in life, in school, even not felt like such a failure and he might have had good self esteem . I had no idea, was not going to even allow the suggestion, how could it possible help ? I thought all I’d be doing is drugging him, for nothing. I did not know there were so may options available to him for meds. We tried everything under the sun to help that was non medication and it was the one thing that in the end, really helped. He did not get meds until he was about 11.

Thank you all - I appreciate everyone’s response. To clarify, as the original poster, my son does not fight taking the meds at all. He knows he’s better when he takes me & has never given us a hard time taking anything (actually, he hated the Daytrana patch but we had to stop that one anyway. 

Many of you seem to have similar thoughts to mine: no parent wants to medicate their child if they don’t have to.  BUT - every time I put off the meds to try to keep it to a minimum I feel so awful for allowing such a stressful situation for him & the rest of the family.  Ideally he would never dip so low to be completely out of control by taking the next dose before the meltdown. By delaying the meds it puts him in such a no-win situation & he’s as relieved as we are to be in control.  I thank those of you who are in our boat for helping me manage my fears & guilt.