Medication: Standing on the Precipice
This week, Smiler was given his first prescription for ADHD medication. It feels like a big moment - we’re standing on the edge of this new chapter, trying to take it all in.
Medication isn’t for everyone, and it’s not a step we’ve taken lightly. The idea that our child needs to be medicated just to fit better into a world not built for him saddens me. And if you’ve ever read the list of possible side effects, you’ll know why some parents’ first reaction is to wonder “how could I ever give this to my child”?
But the reality is that as Smiler grows older, life is becoming more and more challenging for him. He’s on the cusp of important exams, and while we’ve built up coping strategies and scaffolding, there is only so much they can do. For some children, medication can be life-changing. We know we’d struggle if, years from now, Smiler asked us why we never gave him the chance to try.
Our psychiatrist encouraged us to see this as a project - something temporary, with a clear start and end point. We can stop if it doesn’t help, but we’ll never know unless we give it a go.
One of the main reasons I feel strongly about trying is our family history. We’ve seen first-hand how mental health struggles can lead to self-medicating, addiction, and a lifetime of pain and unhappiness - looking back, we suspect undiagnosed ADHD may have played a part there. It feels strange to start a child on medication in the hope of preventing future addiction, but research shows that properly managed ADHD medication can actually reduce the risks of addiction, depression, and criminal behaviour. For us, that knowledge tips the balance.
Smiler himself is nervous. He’s worried the medication might change who he is. And we share that fear - we don’t want to lose our sparky, enigmatic boy. Our hope is that if this works, it won’t take away his spark at all, it will simply make it easier for him to shine.