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[quote=Anonymous]I am really struggling with our teen right now, moderate ADHD, combined type.

He refuses to take his ADHD medication because he believes it will affect his growth. Right now he’s very focused on getting big and strong like bodybuilders. He used to manage okay in school without the medication, but lately his grades are slipping and he has a lot of missing assignments.

At home he can’t seem to sit down and study, and almost every conversation about school turns into an argument. When we tried tying medication to privileges, he got very angry and even threw away the whole bottle.

We’re in family therapy, but he’s very resistant. Gentle talks and watching educational videos about meds did not help… His prescription is 10mg Ritalin but I am not able to communicate through his mind that the risk is negligible compared to benefits and impact…He also seems worried that kids at school will make fun of him if they find out he takes medication.

Things at home feel tense all the time, and it’s been hard to deal with. Weekends are the hardest and I’m probably aging by a year every weekend.

Just wondering if you’ve ever dealt with anything like this or have any advice. My plan right now is to keep talking to him gently about importance of some assistance and looking at the medication as a tool to help just like glasses help people with poor vision or hearing aids help people with poor hearing. It’s just a tool… and it can drop off with time…[/quote]

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