According to discussions I have had with many doctors and therapists, no one should have to suffer through terrible side effects of ADHD medication. There are many medications to choose from and each one reacts differently to an individual’s body chemistry.

Putting your child on medication for ADHD or ADD is not an easy decision or one that should take lightly. I, however, have seen firsthand the power of what the medication can do for a child. It can have absolutely amazing results. I said on a recent post, “It’s almost like his brain is a lock and medicine is the key.” Unfortunately, however, medication is not effective for everyone. Some experts say that medication is not effective for some 20-30% of the ADHD population.

My family had many discussions with doctors and therapists before we decided to put our son on medication. Two critical pieces of advice that we were told over and over again are advice that I feel everyone considering medication for their child should know. First, each child responds individually to each medication and that it will probably take time and experimentation to find the right medication for your child. Secondly, it is absolutely not necessary to tolerate side effects which last for more than a few days.

There are many choices of ADHD medication both stimulant and non-stimulant based. If a child is having side effects from the medication which continue for more than a few days, consult your doctor and try another medication. Do not tolerate side effects – this is what we were told by both our doctor and the many therapists we spoke with which was about ten therapists – all extremely experienced with ADHD.

I have gone on blogs and forums where mothers are detailing the side effects of their child’s medication. STOP. Try something else.

Two side effects that seem to be very common include loss of appetite and sleeplessness. We were fortunate enough to have experienced neither. I have heard that a loss of appetite can clear up on its own after the child’s body has had time to adjust to the medication. However, again, if this is a side effect that persists for several weeks, consider adjusting the medication.

Side effects which should not be tolerated in any form include consistent stomachaches or headaches, tics or emotional problems.

I was actually surprised when I did a Google search on ADHD medication side effects on how few of the resources really stressed this idea of not tolerating side effects. The resources all listed possible side effects and some resources addressed how to deal with side effects but very few actually stated do not tolerate side effects. My feeling is that this is probably some form of CYA (cover your you-know-what).

Again I spoke with several doctors and at least 10 therapists who are very experienced in this area of ADHD medication. There are many medications to try – each one works with a child’s body chemistry differently. Be patient and realize that it may take time to find the right medication for your child. Work with your doctor, consult your doctor but do not tolerate side effects.

I hope this was helpful. Until next time …. Take care.