So, I live in Fairbanks, Ak, for those who didn't know me before I came here... and we are currently under a winter storm warning. It has been rather exciting, highly unusual for us to experience this kind of weather. The problem, really, is that there was about a foot of snow on the ground, and then it started warming up (to like, 43 degrees, from -7, in a matter of two days.) and absolutely POURING freezing rain. It was quite an ordeal. Last night, we had winds up to 70mph. I know this is no big deal for a lot of people, but around here, we are surrounded by mountains and we NEVER get ANY kind of winds, so this was a HUGE ordeal for us. I hardly slept at all last night, the noise from the wind, the storm windows banging against the house, etc. It was horrid! Both kids woke up and cried lots. Milo was easily convinced that things were fine and he went right back to bed, but Kasin climbed into ours and wrapped himself around my legs. It was a long night.
So, about Milo. I ended up making him a Dr's appointment with a well-known and well-loved, long-trusted pediatrician in town. He belongs to the practice that we always take the kids to, but he's very popular, so it's often hard to get an appointment with him. I lucked out and we got in on Monday, at 6pm. It was snowing really hard that day, and I had a mentor meeting at 4:30pm that evening, as well. I ended up being late, because I had to rush and get Milo from daycare and drop him off at home before I got to the meeting, and I don't get out of the school I student-teach in until 4pm. It was a pain, but we got there on time. He was an absolute maniac, and Dr. B looked at him and said, "Well, uhm, yeah, this kid has some hard core ADHD." Ugh. Great. Just what I was hoping for. :(
He asked if I'd been a crazy kid myself, or if there was any history of ADD/ADHD in my family or his dad's. I told him that I was very likely undiagnosed ADD, but I wasn't hyperactive. I was tested for ADD as a kid and my parents are quite certain that I knew what answers would implicate me and I answered the opposite way so I wouldn't be diagnosed, although I did test in the "borderline" group. He said that it was likely I had been undiagnosed ADD, and that one of my parents probably had/has it, as well. I'm pretty sure my dad has always had it, to be honest.
SO, he told me to blame my parents. lol, and then he told me that since he's already gotten so aggressive, and it's interfering with school, it's fairly severe, and that something would need to be done in order for him to be successful. He offered me some pamphlets and told me that since he's so young, (he'll be 3 at the end of February) he really is't eligible for common ADD/ADHD treatments, such as medications that they usually prescribe for it. We read through some pamphlets, and he told me about all the things that people like to try, and why they don't work. I was feeling really stricken by the whole situation, and the idea of having to medicate him at some point made me sick to my stomach.
He told me that there is one medication in particular that he usually prefers for kids Milo's age, and that he's had a lot of success with it. It's a blood pressure medication called Colinidine, I believe. It's a patch that goes on his back, it's just a tiny thing, and it gives him a tiny dose of this anti-hypertensive medication (.1mg) which helps tame aggression and control impulsivity. Dr. B said that it would help keep him out of trouble for now, and help him calm down enough to stop and think before he does things.
I asked about side effects, of course, and Dr. B said that there really aren't any, aside from drowsiness for the first few days of the medication. He said that since it is a blood pressure reducer, there is a tiny chance that his BP could get too low and he could faint. He said that in his 30-some-odd years of prescribing this medication to children Milo's age, he has NEVER had a child have that reaction. He said that the real concern for Milo, because he has sensitive skin, is that he might have a reaction to the adhesive that keeps the patch on.
He made it sound like this was the only option, it's a very low-risk medication, etc. He said we could always just try it and change it out later if we didn't like the effects, we could try something else later on, but that the patch was the best option given the circumstances.
I was seriously floored. MEDICATE my BABY? a medicincal patch that provides a constant stream of medication to my two year old. Seriously?? I didn't know what to do or say about it... I just did as I was told. I went and picked up the script, and put it on his back before bed. I really felt like I didn't have a choice.
Since that, he's been rather subdued. Drowsy, for sure, but also much less aggressive and naughty in general. It's very strange, and I'm not sure if I like it or not. Ross is really bent out of shape about it, but he was HURTING children at school, I just couldnt let him continue behaving that way. I made sure to ask Dr. B if it could have been a behavioral issue or if there was some other kind of disciplinary tactic we could try, and he said that it really sounded like we had already been very reasonable and tried everything we could try already...
Argh. It's such a mixture of feelings, because on the one hand, I feel like this is absolutely wrong to do. On the other hand, I really feel like this might be the best thing for him. He seems calmer, like he can think more clearly, probably because he isn't buzzing with the constant urge to do things he shouldn't be doing. Like hitting people and throwing things. sigh
Anyhow- I beg of thee- don't lecture me about the dangers of drugging my toddler, I already feel horrid enough.. and I really do trust this Dr, and he seems convinced that it is the best choice for Milo at the moment. Wish us luck.
~Me
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