Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Daytrana

The decision to medicate our oldest was one of the hardest decisions we have ever made. But there comes a time where you owe it to your child. When they are struggling you want to help them in anyway possible. We tried this, that, and just about everything in between.

We have been using the Daytrana patch for almost a month. They may seem like small things, but we have seen a difference. He is bringing home library books that interest him, rather than the first thing he can grab off the shelf. When "History of the American Flag" came home two months ago I knew little thought was going into his choices!

He is bringing home wonderful art work. No more scribble, scribble, scribble "I'm done"!

Homework is getting done without tears of frustration.

When in a social setting, his impulses are improving. We aren't seeing as many inappropriate comments, hands on everyone, etc.

My husband says "I don't' have to be on him all the time to get things done." He is also helping my hubby with projects which I know he really enjoys.

Most importantly, the teacher is noticing a difference. He received the "Happy Frog" for his manners yesterday. What more can you ask for!?!?!?

My son hates to take pills so I thought this new Daytrana patch would be the answer. From day one it's given us headaches, and after some browsing, I found that I'm not the only one. It can be very difficult to separate the patch from the backing. While pulling it apart, more often than not, some of the medication/adhesive remains on the backing. Argh.

After a few weeks of trial and error, I started to notice a few things. The warmer the patch gets and the more humid the conditions, the harder it is to separate the patch from the backing. When I say warmer, I'm talking the warmth from your hands. Humidity would be our home, which is currently around 50% (Thank you Hubby for a weather station gift . . . ). During Thanksgiving break we visited my parents who have 30% humidity in their home. The patch separated without any difficulties. When we got home, hubby put the patches in a Zip Lock with two silica packets. We'll see if it helps. I noticed some improvement today. I have also started to avoid touching the patch as much as possible, and this seems to help as well. As little body warmth as possible seems to be the answer.

We are having some success taking a Omega supplement. Research has shown that kids with ADHD benefit tremendously from these supplements, and we hope that our oldest will as well.

Are there downsides to meds? You bet! I'll talk about them later, after I've had a cup of coffee, done some laundry, taken a shower, started dinner in the Crock Pot, gotten our Christmas tree, put away the remainder of our "stuff" from our Thanksiving break, etc!

4 comments:

Rach said...

Amy, you have to do what's best for your family! I'm glad David is doing better.

ccw said...

Medicating Kid L was a huge leap of faith for me. I hated the idea of medicating her but also hated the idea that I might miss the best treatment for her.

Good luck to you and your family!

Trisha said...

So glad to hear that he is doing better! If you have a spare minute or two, stop by- you have been tagged.

Jessica said...

Good luck with the meds, I'm sure it was a difficult decision, but it's for a good reason! Keep us updated!