Parent tried explaining why they need it, secretly hid it in food and the child won't eat that food, held their nose but the chld won't open mouth.
Parent stood there with pill and water in hand and the child wasn't allowed to do anything until she takes the pill and they stood all day for hours.
She tried the "I am the parent, you are the child, open your mouth and take this medication" and the child tantrumed and didn't take it. The neighbor complained about the loudness of the tantrum.
She tried tickling him.
The longest the power struggle was 10 hours. They tried everything Gamma G said but he won't open his mouth.
If this was an honest question which I doubt it is I would say ask the prescribing doctor.
After seeing the additional information I am still going with troll. Why you ask, because if I can get ADHD meds into a three year old with autism and ADHD you can get it into any child!
Apparently child was NOT involved in identifying issues and finding solutions for recognized issues. So, start from the beginning with conversations with child (conversations, not lectures) about issues and ideas for addressing them, consequences for behaviors, and the benefits of medication along with other approaches. Otherwise, parent can continue to wage an unwinnable power struggle with child that could be more damaging than the effects of ADHD.
Before reading other responses:
Since my children were old enough to reason, I've made sure that they're involved in their own care. That means that when we're at the doctor for an illness or even a well child visit, and the doctor turns to us and says, "Why are we here today?" I'll give a brief rundown of why we're there. Then I turn to my child and say, "Honey, why don't you tell the doctor what you've been feeling and describe where you're feeling ____." If any additional details are required, I add them.
That approach has taught my children to self-advocate for themselves with their health, so it extended to when my eldest (12 yrs old) was being evaluated for ADHD. She actually started the process herself and requested the evaluation from the school psychologist. She came home and nervously asked me to take her to her little sister's neurologist for an official diagnosis and to give permission for the school to evaluate her.
After a series of sessions with our neurologist and a therapist, after some drawn out and agonizing discussion, we did come to an agreement with our daughter that a medication would be best for her as a tool to help her. She knew it wouldn't be a cure and it would still take a lot of work, but it would help her a lot.
Now, this is a child who HATES HATES HATES taking any sort of medication. She vomits up liquid meds. She can tolerate pills if they're not too big and she doesn't think about it while taking it. I make sure she knows she MUST take this medication, but I let her be the one to put it in her mouth and drink it down with what she chooses. She's 12 so she's earned it. She does wonderfully and has proven she can do it. Sometimes she gags, but she makes great effort and knows she needs it. She hates how she feels when she doesn't take it.
i wouldn't open my mouth if people were hitting me either.
i would never get into a power struggle like this with a child. if i was bound and determined that the child were to take the medicine, then we'd have a simple conversation about why it was necessary, and then the child would have the choice about when and how to do it. if it meant that it took 10 hours or 10 days, that's how long it would take. but i wouldn't hit the child nor stand there myself for all those hours. the child would sit there in the chair until she decided to comply. and i would make it as easy as possible for the child to do so.
khairete
S.
Just a couple of questions... is medication the only solution being tried? have you tried incorporating chiropractic treatment along w/ meds?
don't know if acupunture can work for adhd but I think it may really change his perspective in terms of taking the meds or trying acupunture. sorry if it sounds cruel, but sometimes presenting much drastic choices make them realize that they don't have it so bad.... it needs to be presented on a calm manner not as trying to intimidate him. btw, how old is he?
forcing him is not going to work. he will resent it even more. maybe it's time to look for complementary therapy/treatment. perhaps if he's more relaxed he just might take it. has he told you how he feels when he takes the med? some of those are pretty strong stuff.
good luck! ~C.~
I honestly don't think this is a real question. If it is, how does a child actually REFUSE to take medication or open their mouth? FOr TEN hours?? REALLY??
I don't know the situation but I think you should try all the natural remedies (like cutting out junk food and getting the child to exercise and eat right) before seeking help in medicine. The child seems to be smart! And has the attention and focus to be persistent enough not to take medicine. I think that's great : )
Parent stands there with pill and water in hand. Child isn't allowed to do anything until she takes the pill.
I have no idea if this will help, but my son takes medication (stuff for colds, cough medicine, benadryl, even yucky tasting stuff) because when he was younger HE gave it to himself with my supervision. It's liquid, and he things the dropper things are fun even at the age of 5 (LOL).
Some people HATE taking pills. They're hard to swallow, taste weird, etc. If your child is old enough to talk about it, stop trying to convince and instead INVOLVE the child in the conversation. Why is she refusing? What is it about the medicine that makes her not want to take it? Does it make her feel crappy so that she doesn't see the benefit? Are there other medications that wouldn't cause the same effects? It may be something simple you can resolve with her actively working with you. Since this is a condition that isn't going away, whatever you can do to get her on board and working with you, and helping her find some control (but in a positive way) is going to be good for her long term.
Good luck!
Has the child ever taken the medication? If so maybe the child just doesn't like the way they feel while on it. Maybe they should try a different medication.
How old is the child?
Id find out if it can be compounded into a liquid or injectable and give it by force, or just shove the pill down his throat. That may sound cruel, but I don't give my Kids the option of not taking meds or wasting the whole day dealing with it. That said, even with my autistic child, ive never had to resort to any ectremes.
A couple of suggestions:
1. Practice first with M&Ms. What child won't eat M&Ms? Swallowing those can help ease the transition into taking pills. A lot of kids with ADHD learn this way.
2. Ask the doctor about the Daytrana patch. It's a form of Ritalin that is transmitted through the skin, rather than orally. It's not ideal for everyone, but it's worth asking about.
And, yes, any doubters, power struggles with kids with ADHD can go on for hours.
how old is the child?
