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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Why is he against taking meds? Is he open to talking to his pediatrician to learn how these meds work? My 15yo was diagnosed with mild ADHD in 4th grade and started on meds in middle school and it's been [b]life-changing.[/b] DH, DS and I all met with the pediatrician before he went on meds because we all had questions and were a little reluctant, but we were sold on it after learning more and I'm glad we kept an open mind. [/quote]

Same here.  My son started on meds at age 15.  He was also against it "why do I need them?  I don't want to take them" but i laid down the law.  No med today, no phone.  Period.  I'm a firm believer that you can't make teenagers do much against their will but I pulled out every trick (the atomic option) I had on this one.

It has been life changing.  Within a few weeks (of taking the stimulant) he told me "huh, this stuff calms my brain down."  Being a teenager, he still fought us for a while, mostly about the appointments ---which are virtual so hardly a major time suck but he still dislikes them--what teenage boy wants to talk to a psychiatrist?

However, what really helped him develop his own agency was seeing his grades.  They literally went from a mix of As and Bs (at a challenging private) to straight As.  Looking back at his report card (it's now another year later) there is pretty much a definitive line in the sand.  He now takes the pill and leaves the house before I even wake up.

From a parent's perspective, his is a different kid when medicated.  He was never a hyperactive teen but he would come home (with 3 hours of work to do) and just start and stop and get up and sit down and get up and sit down for hours each evening.  It was commonly 10 or 11pm and I'd talk with him to find out that he still had 3 hours of homework to go.  He was also chronically unable to start an assignment--especially if it was something difficult like a paper or major exam.  Now (medicated) he comes home and cranks through work.  He plans ahead.  He's not perfect but he's literally 90% improved.  AND he has to do less studying at home because he's far more engaged in class and really maximizes what he can get out of lectures.

It sounds like I'm pushing meds and if you knew me in real life you wouldn't believe this because I'm one of the most "natural, organic, etc" people you'd meet.  I hate taking medications myself.   But man, this has been life changing for my kid and my marriage. I share my story because so often I read about boys like your son (and many others) and think about how familiar the story is to my own kid.  [/quote]

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