Allison Zinnick
ADHD OG / Mom / Swiftie
Disclaimer: I’m not a medical professional. These are simply my anecdotes from my own ADHD journey and raising an ADHD kid. You should always seek advice from medical professionals.
You’ve Got This Mama / Dad
I’ve said it before. If you’re here, reading this, you clearly just want the best for your kid.
When I was diagnosed, the first thing I said was “I don’t want to take medication”. Everything we had heard at that point makes it sound like you’ll walk around with zero feeling, zero sparkle. But is a *sparkle* that makes you lose your keys, interrupt, forget appointments, and fail to complete tasks, really that…special?
If you had a heart condition, you’d probably take some medication to fix it. How is this different? My momma
And so I gave it a try – and I’m so glad I did. So when my son was diagnosed, to me, I knew that medication was just one tool in the tool box. Just one of many things we will do to help him be successful.
Photo by Tara Winstead on Pexels.com
It’s Kind of Like Baking a Chocolate Chip Cookie
Do not get caught up in searching forums for the best and worst ADHD medications. You’ll end up on a doom and gloom train that you can’t get off of. The thing is, everyone’s body is different. What works for me, won’t work for you. Back to the cookie. Too much of one ingredient, and it’s not right. Too little, and you’re left scratching your head, wondering where you went wrong. It might take time to perfect that recipe, fine tuning it to a point that YOU like. We work really hard to try to get an idea of how the medication makes my son feel. Of course, he’s 7 and can’t always articulate it just right, but we really try to make him part of the process.
We recently transitioned him to a new medication. He was not eating on his previous, and he actually lost weight. He wasn’t sleeping, and was diagnosed as iron deficient. We are not sure if this latest medication will take. We’ve had to resort to some creative techniques to get him to take it. Don’t judge me – but bribing works.
The Takeaway
To all the parents out there on a similar journey, remember—you’re not alone. I do think that the forums, support groups and resources are key to this journey – if you take them with a dose of skepticism. More importantly, there’s a community of us, trying to bake that perfect cookie.
And to my kiddo – Captain Zoom? Keep zooming, kiddo. We’ve got your back, chocolate chip cookies in hand, ready for whatever adventure comes next.
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