LET'S TALK MEDICATION- should you medicate your child?

So, today I am going to briefly discuss medicating children and I really do hope that if you are a parent who is currently deliberating over whether to give your child medication that has been advised by a paediatrician, this blog gives you some useful thoughts to consider.

Before I start I would like to make a few things clear…

Firstly, I am not pro or anti medication, I believe that every case is individual and should be treated as just that.

Secondly, and very importantly, I am not a Paediatrician and I do not claim to be an expert on medication of any sort, all information in this blog is purely my opinion which is based on my experiences, knowledge and studies; you should ALWAYS seek professional advice from a Paediatrician when making ANY decisions surrounding medication.

The inspiration behind this episode is from the many conversations I have had with parents and practitioners over the years when they are making decisions based on what is best for the specific child in question.

The first thing to consider is if your child is at crisis point? As in, you and their teachers have tried absolutely everything humanly possible to support them, but nothing is working and their anxieties, challenging behaviours, focus, concentration and general wellbeing is on a downward spiral- probably along with your own!?

If you feel that this is the case, and the paediatrician has asked you to consider medication but you are reluctant to try it, then ask yourself why are you reluctant?

Do you think there are still some avenues to try? If so, then great, do that.

However, if it is the stigma attached to taking medication that is putting you off then let me give you a perspective that may help.

If the aforementioned is the current situation, then this would tell me that currently, your child is massively struggling to learn, and when I say learn, I don't just mean academically, I mean socially, emotionally and generally.

Their specific needs (whatever they may be) are causing them such turmoil in their young lives that they cannot access and process the information being thrown at them rapidly on a daily basis and they are falling behind with their understanding and regulation of emotions and how to socialise appropriately in a variety of ways.

Of course, this is a generalisation, and as I said earlier, every child is completely individual, but based on my personal experiences, this is what I see.

Now, the way I understand it, and the way I help the parents I work with understand it is this…

If there is a chance that the medication that professionals are prescribing may support your child to settle enough to begin learning these crucial life lessons of being a human being, and in turn will support them in learning and becoming the best that they can be, then it has to be worth a try.

It may not be forever. In SO many cases, it is just a moment in time that medication is needed while your child takes in enough information and strategies to support their development of emotional intelligence .

It could be that actually, as they mature into young adults and have developed important communication skills, they find they do not need the support of medication anymore as they are ready to go it alone.

This is the ideal scenario, but having said this, even if it is forever, if it supports them in thriving and flourishing in life then is that such a bad thing?

I know adults that have been diagnosed and medicated in their 30’s and it has literally changed their lives for the better, and what is the common thread?

“I wish I had known and had the support earlier.”

Often there is talk of wasted years and regret.

On the other hand, I have also spoken with adults who have been medicated for ADHD later in life and have rejected the medication after a trial as they could not get their head around how different it made them feel.

After many years of living on the edge and learning to live and love themselves, they found themselves looking in the mirror whilst medicated asking themselves…who are you and who on earth were you!?

They began to feel some shame of the lively, extrovert personality that they were before medication; this is an interesting and extremely important insight that we must listen too.

This brings my next point, if you do decide that medication is a good idea, and you start to trial it with your child, be a really really really keen observer of how they respond. I have seen the positive impacts of medication, the success stories, but I have also witnessed the flip side, the massively negative effects that it can have.

I have seen children and young people become depressed, erratic and trapped in their own thoughts as their minds seem to race and their focus becomes massively hindered. These are children that had massive difficulties focusing anyway, and were displaying extremely challenging behaviours, but the medication, be it the dose or the type, was not right for them, it was sucking away their personality and their mental health was suffering.

Yes, this is scary, and I understand that these are the reasons that many of you will not consider medication, but I believe that if all adults around the child stay on the ball, are extremely observant with the changes witnessed, and are given regular contact for professional support and advice from the paediatrician, then any negative side effects can be quickly spotted and dosage or type of medication can be reviewed.

It may actually be that in some cases, medication of any dose or type just isn't right for the individual, that bridge can be crossed, with support, if it needs be, but if you are genuinely at a crisis point and all other avenues have been explored then I believe it is worth considering.

To conclude my thoughts, It is important for me to note that I do not believe that medication should be the first port of call- I think there are many, many, many strategies that can be developed and used by ALL of the adults surrounding the child who is in need of support through the adults commitment to learning, personal reflection and growth which can be supported by coaches and professionals.

I also believe that holistic approaches, self reflection and learning should always be in play even when medication is being used as support and appears to be working well. We cannot, and should not, believe medication is a magic wand, because if the development of emotional intelligence is not present then it may just be papering over the cracks.

Here to help.

Much love x