Why can't a school trust my kid to take meds on her own during the day?

[Anonymous]

OP,

Someone else posted above about the child who was suspended.

When others say to be "discrete"--they mean she should "sneak" the pills.

It's not worth it. Take it before she goes to school or deal with the nurse. You don't want her suspended. Especially, not in her senior year.

[Anonymous]

Hmmm...I think if my kid were suspended for taking an OTC medication necessary to treat menstrual cramps, that would give them kind of a great college essay about any of the following topics:
1) the need for mitigating circumstances to be taken into account when determining punishment;
2) the problems of rigid adherence bureaucracy in large systems; or
3) how much the patriarchy sucks, when a problem that is universal to basically 50% of the population is criminalized.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does she exercise? is she overweight? These are key in terms of reducing monthly pain. Much more important than taking drugs.

Ridiculous. I was/am a marathon runner, martial arts instructor, and personal trainer. My periods were horrendous in high school and college. My daughter is the same. She is 24, 5'8 and 120 pounds. Very athletic. She has terrible cramps and very heavy bleeding.

+1

Not only do I have pretty severe cramps as someone who runs an average of 40-45 miles a week, lifts weights 2-3 times a week, & swims laps at a relatively vigorous pace for 45- 50 minutes 2-3 times a week & weighs 102 lbs at 5'3", several girls & women I know who are in excellent shape do, as well. This includes a woman who recently competed as a distance runner in the Rio games (& even made it to the finals in her event). Meanwhile, I know some girls & women who are couch potatoes &/or overweight whose menstrual cramps are mild or nonexistent. As with many things, lifestyle can factor into the severity of cramps but can rarely, if ever, completely override genetics.

Sorry your DD is dealing with this every month, OP! Some forms of birth control can really help this issue for many females. My own cramps, while still fairly painful, are significantly better (& typically present only 1 day vs 2-3 days per cycle) thanks to my IUD. If you haven't already, this may be worth you & your DD looking into & discussing with her doctor/obgyn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does she exercise? is she overweight? These are key in terms of reducing monthly pain. Much more important than taking drugs.

This is something my 75 year old Eastern European mother -- who has never had cramps but has always been an expert on what people should do-- would say.

[Anonymous]

It's definitely a liability issue. She has ibruprofen, shares it with a friend becuase it is too awkward to say no, friend has a reaction.

Or the pill wasn't what she said it was. Think about how difficult it is to keep drugs out of school. What's to stop Larlo from selling his adderol and keeping it in an Aleve bottle?

Now it's a discipline issue, liability issue, drug abuse issue that distracts from the school's purpose to educate your kid.

[Anonymous]

Hmmm...I think if my kid were suspended for taking an OTC medication necessary to treat menstrual cramps, that would give them kind of a great college essay about any of the following topics:
1) the need for mitigating circumstances to be taken into account when determining punishment;
2) the problems of rigid adherence bureaucracy in large systems; or
3) how much the patriarchy sucks, when a problem that is universal to basically 50% of the population is criminalized.

Do you really think it would be good to take that risk? Really?

It's really not that complicated. Again, take it in the a.m. before school.

[Anonymous]

Does she exercise? is she overweight? These are key in terms of reducing monthly pain. Much more important than taking drugs.


This is something my 75 year old Eastern European mother -- who has never had cramps but has always been an expert on what people should do-- would say.

LOL!


My mom's solution: socks. Warm feet help cramps.........

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, send a bottle to school with a doctor's note and then also send it with your daughter and tell her to be very discrete about taking it.

Great idea.

[Anonymous]

Is the solution just to let kids carry any pills they want? They can just claim they are Alleve, Tylenol, whatever. And when one ODs in the bathroom stall and no one has a clue what she/he took, there will be holy hell to pay as everyone blames the school. We have sadly built this whole issue ourselves by being so quick to judge and/or litigious.

[Anonymous]

Okay in this situation, the kid isn't going to be bringing anything besides Tylenol or whatever. Who has to know?

[Anonymous]

Okay in this situation, the kid isn't going to be bringing anything besides Tylenol or whatever. Who has to know?

Did you read the post about the child who was suspended for several weeks? It was in WAPO several years ago.

If OP wants to take the risk--go for it. I wouldn't. Lots of people speed on the roads and don't get caught. Does that make it okay? I suspect we have all done that--I have, and I received a ticket in a small town "speed trap". Sure, it was ridiculous that they had a 20 mph speed limit on a four lane major highway--but it was the law. I paid the ticket. And, OP will have no recourse if her daughter gets caught.

Suspension for several weeks in her Senior year might make a great essay--but it could also result in very poor grades and missing fun school activities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. PP, you're not very good at staying on topic, are you?

I can't believe I have to answer this but no, not overweight, she plays sports after school every day. She has endometriosis and has extremely painful periods. Please don't lecture me about exercise when we have found what works.

Thanks for answering OP and sincere apologies for offending you. I am European and I find the US over-prescribes medication in comparison to the rest of the world, treating often the symptoms rather than the causes. This was interesting to me, not meant as a slight to you.

Aleve is OTC (over the counter) which means it is not prescription medication that you need doctor-involvement for.

making strong medications available without a script is part of the problem.

Readily available OTC NSAIDS (which are not "strong" or dangerous medications) are not a source of societal problems. You continue to show you have no idea what you are talking about.

Who said anything about "societal" problems???? Health problems.

[Anonymous]

I work in a school. This is a good rule.

Typically parents have to fill out a form and the meds are kept in the clinic and dispersed by the clinic person as indicated on the form.

This is not a hardship, for an elementary student (as I work with) or for a high school student. Go to the clinic, take your Aleve, move on.

There are lots of good reasons for this rule and the hardship it poses to the student is minimal.

I used to be a rule breaker in my younger days, now I would just expect my kid to follow this rule, it's not that big a deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does she exercise? is she overweight? These are key in terms of reducing monthly pain. Much more important than taking drugs.

Mom? It's two hours past your bedtime! Look, your comments weren't helpful when I was a teenager suffering with cramps ("what do mentrual cramps feel like? A pinch?) and you come across as cold and uncaring.

I was a competitive gymnast (underweight, actually) and had horrendous cramps and heavy bleeding for decades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. PP, you're not very good at staying on topic, are you?

I can't believe I have to answer this but no, not overweight, she plays sports after school every day. She has endometriosis and has extremely painful periods. Please don't lecture me about exercise when we have found what works.

Thanks for answering OP and sincere apologies for offending you. I am European and I find the US over-prescribes medication in comparison to the rest of the world, treating often the symptoms rather than the causes. This was interesting to me, not meant as a slight to you.

Aleve is OTC (over the counter) which means it is not prescription medication that you need doctor-involvement for.

making strong medications available without a script is part of the problem.

Time to log off.