Something New, But Kind of Old, Too
Wow. I can’t believe I haven’t written about this. Emma’s on a new medication! It’s kind of big news around here. Well, you know how she’s swallowing pills now (another milestone that deserved its own post, by the way). Since she started swallowing pills, we decided to try a medication that we once tried about a year and a half ago. This medication was wonderful. It gave her the focus and clarity she lacked( by the way I’m talking about an ADHD med), and it didn’t cause her to act (or feel) drugged or lethargic. I. Loved. It. Problem was, she didn’t love it. This pill came in a capsule form, so back in the day (you know, pre-swallowing-pills), we would empty the capsule and dissolve it with her other pills into Sunny D (which is, by far, the sweetest tasting juice I have found). This pill was so bitter, she refused to take it. She wouldn’t swallow the syringe with the dissolved medicine. Brett and I tried it. We didn’t blame her. The stuff was horrid. The most bitter and metalic tasting medicine you could imagine. Which begs the question, if you’re gonna make a kid’s medicine, please make it palatable. Am I right? Whatever. That’s another story.
Okay, so back to the present. The girl is swallowing pills! We thought, “hey, let’s give this old medication another try!” And we had precious few days before school started to get this medication in her system. So we tried. We waited for a few days. We increased the dosage (yes, this is all under her psychiatrist’s supervision). It started working better. In the first week of school, we had her taking it in the morning. She took it in the morning last time, though the doc warned us that this could cause drowsiness. Duly noted. After getting up every morning last week around 5:30, and falling asleep every chance she got in the car, we decided to switch to a night time dosage. She slept in longer. She wasn’t falling asleep in the car. She didn’t want to watch TV all day. She’s got more energy. And….(drumroll please)…she’s got that focus that we’ve been waiting to see. Hallelujah!! Now, we’re not holding our breaths here. She’s still getting acquainted with the school schedule. Things could change. But, so far so good! I only hope this is the beginning of a successful year in 1st grade!!
Yay! I know that makes you feel so much better. I’m trying to get back on my ADD meds too. I can’t survive the school year without them. Since my husband is self employeed, we don’t have a prescription card with our health insurance. It’s so expensive. I love what Straterra does for me, but it’s almost $200 a month. So, we’re trying new things. I’m doing Ritalin right now, and am not a fan. I feel weird, for lack of a better word.
I hope whatever she’s taking brings loads of positives to all of you!
Hope first grade is going great!
And I hope your new job is still wonderful and getting better all the time!
Yay for new medicine! I know what you mean about not holding your breath, but a good start is always wonderful.