Tag Archives: Adderall

The Frog Eraser Incident

Sometimes parenting is like standing in a dark room, feeling around for the light switch. This week I received a phone call from my stepdaughter *Cassidy’s teacher. An incident had occurred at school involving two little frog erasers. The teacher said that another girl in Cassidy’s fifth grade class found her beloved erasers missing, along with a sinister note, “HA HA I TOOK YOUR FROGS.” The frogs were later found in Cassidy’s desk. When questioned by several teachers, Cassidy couldn’t deny that she’d taken the frogs (having been caught “red-desked”) but insisted she had NOT written the note. The teacher … Continue reading →

ADHD: To Medicate or not to Medicate–That is the Question

Not long ago I received written warnings about my two stepdaughters’ ADHD medication in the mail. It was sent to me by Rite Aid pharmacy, where I pick up their meds. I decided to investigate the issue further. In April of 2006, the New England Journal of Medicine reported that the FDA had voted to issue a “black box warning” for patients taking controlled substances as a treatment for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). (The vote had a narrow margin of eight to seven.) What happened was that the FDA had decided to take a closer look at the potential cardiovascular … Continue reading →

ADHD and the Maddening Missing Meds

Yesterday was very rough. Over the weekend, my stepdaughters ran out of their Adderall, a medication that they take for ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). It was my fault; they returned from spring break with their mother and I had miscalculated how many pills were left. I tried contacting the after-hours clinic to see if I could get a prescription written during the weekend, but my calls were not returned. It meant that both girls would attend school on Monday without the Adderall. I figured, one day… they can handle it. Sigh. It was a very bad day. Cassidy Without Meds … Continue reading →