Am I prepared to argue the Ritalin debate?
A few weeks ago, my son’s teacher sat down with me and spoke to me about his focusing problem. I’m a fairly open-minded person and listened to what she had to say. Sure, my son struggles and gets frustrated easily with school work. But does that mean he requires Ritalin?
I decided to give it a shot. We went to the doctor and even he was reluctant to prescribe anything as my son did well on his last report card. I explained then that even though he did just fine, it was a major struggle to accomplish, much less finish homework on most evenings. We left the office, prescription in hand. The directions were to take the Ritalin three times a day, but per the doctor’s instructions, we were going to try it just once a day and then gradually work our way up if needed.
Several years ago, we also tried medication for ADD. Apparently, his teachers felt as if he had focusing problems even then. We tried a few medications (not Ritalin) and finally after about a month, I took him off of them completely. He became depressed, had no appetite and began losing weight. Stomach discomfort was a major side effect. I decided it definitely was not worth it so we stopped. Did his grades drop? Nope. He continued on as every other first grader.
Now, he is in the fourth grade and the same concerns are emerging. Yes, I put him on Ritalin just this past weekend. Already he has complained of stomach discomfort. After reading and following up on the different side effects, I am now taking him off of it. I honestly never realized that death could occur from this drug, as well as other complications. The more I read, the more I believe that there has to be something different I can do here at home. Perhaps different teaching methods? Maybe change his diet? Just recently, we’ve hired a tutor and we already see a big difference in his school work. I believe it is now time to look closer to home and figure out what we can change here.
ADD issues are obviously a major debate and we all have to do what we feel is right. I can’t keep my son on Ritalin just because the teachers recommend it. He’s not hyper and is not destructive. He has trouble focusing. Maybe I need to suggest to his school that perhaps if they reduce the number of “special areas” the kids attend each day, then maybe the children could be more focused in their school work. However, that’s another debate for another day…
I have to wonder what his teachers are going to say? Will they suggest some other type of medication? Will I be prepared to defend myself? I’m hoping that maybe this incident will help them realize that each and every child is different and what works for one child, does not always work for the other.
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