Ridiculous things. This is a new one one me.

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Have any of you EVER had dr. orders to give Ritalin 3 times a day at school? To be exact--- before breakfast and lunch (7:45 and 11:45) and at 2:30? I am still shaking my head on this one. :no: :sarcastic: Just to explain a little further-- the 2:30 dose is at motherdearests' request so the kids aren't sooooo wild and crazy when they get home!!! pullleeeeez

A parent is a parent, and the doctor is the one who treats and orders. We cannot follow mom's orders as she was not the one who prescribed medication :) Her request cannot be acceptable. You must state it clearly that it cannot be as it is not the proper dosing.

Actually, medication is just temporary. We must be against long term administration/dependent use of it as it has side effects too. Treatment must be coupled with support from school and parents, that is the environment. Moreover, there are natural ways to remedies to help our children or us, as parents to cope with hyperactivity, inattention. Check this link Living With ADD/ADHD: Diets, Vitamins, Supplements and Therapies

No. You are not going to start a vitamins can cure ADHD thing here, non nurse.

This is off topic.

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Specializes in critical care.
A parent is a parent, and the doctor is the one who treats and orders. We cannot follow mom's orders as she was not the one who prescribed medication :) Her request cannot be acceptable. You must state it clearly that it cannot be as it is not the proper dosing.

Actually, medication is just temporary. We must be against long term administration/dependent use of it as it has side effects too. Treatment must be coupled with support from school and parents, that is the environment. Moreover, there are natural ways to remedies to help our children or us, as parents to cope with hyperactivity, inattention. Check this link Living With ADD/ADHD: Diets, Vitamins, Supplements and Therapies

There has been a ton of research done on CAM usage in ADHD affected children. Medication is most effective, with behavioral therapies coming in second. Little evidence supports dietary modifications or vitamin supplementation. Evidence also shows that under treating ADHD has life-long consequences, including mood disorders, high divorce rates, lower educational achievement, higher incarceration rates, lower salaries (average $40k/year lower), etc.

Medication should not be viewed or described as a temporary fix by healthcare professionals as this may set up an unrealistic expectation. ADHD is a disorder involving neurotransmitters just as depression and schizophrenia are. Do you consider SSRIs or antipsychotics temporary? Time to dispel myths with facts based in EBP.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
There has been a ton of research done on CAM usage in ADHD affected children. Medication is most effective, with behavioral therapies coming in second. Little evidence supports dietary modifications or vitamin supplementation. Evidence also shows that under treating ADHD has life-long consequences, including mood disorders, high divorce rates, lower educational achievement, higher incarceration rates, lower salaries (average $40k/year lower), etc.

Medication should not be viewed or described as a temporary fix by healthcare professionals as this may set up an unrealistic expectation. ADHD is a disorder involving neurotransmitters just as depression and schizophrenia are. Do you consider SSRIs or antipsychotics temporary? Time to dispel myths with facts based in EBP.

I will contribute to you that this information has been confirmed over the years by the Institute of OldDude - first hand witness to all alternative therapies imaginable being successful only in the mind of the wishful thinking. Yes very harsh words but sometimes the truth does hurt. Medication is the only successful therapy, as one can witness on the very first day of administration; facilitating a happier, emotionally healthier, successful child in not just education but all aspects of social development. Thank you ixchel.

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Indeed, when a med is the silver bullet for a kid the results are dramatic. (conclusion due to personal observations over 25 years in the school nurse trenches)

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Almost 4 pages of off-topic posts removed.

Posts like the majority removed should be in the Break Room.

We have had to make many redirects of late in several threads to please stay on topic.

We are asking again, especially those who are usually involved, to stop posting off-topic. When others see what you do, many will jump on the band wagon and the thread will sometimes end up non-viable and closed causing staff a LOT of work plus giving a poor image of the supportive nature of the site.

We have not sent outreach(s) this time to anyone. We trust you will abide by our request for future threads.

Thank you.

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Come ON. That's what I keep saying.

The Blue Side is RIGHT HERE:

Talk Family, Dating, Living, and More

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I gave up waiting on mom to call. I called the Dr. office. Dr. not there this afternoon. Nurse is also confused by how it was written in the notes. She finally figured out just to fax me the medication list. Annnnnd, I did slip in there some food for thought about the Dr. possibly considering an XR. Not that is will do any good. But, I did try. And, at the end of the day, that is ALL we can do.

Thank you so much for you all being there on this one. Not sure I would have kept from pulling my hair out. (There is way more to the story about the bottles mom sent, some with current dates, one that is not....ooooh, it just keeps going.) It was too complicated to type it all out, I would have probably damaged this key board in the process.

I am not arguing with your concern about administration times or frequency, but as an aside, I do have a student whose parents state that their son is helped TREMENDOUSLY more by the short acting ritalin vs. the long acting.

(Cost is sometimes also a factor in those XR versions).

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I guess I should've kept reading before I posted my latest comment - the issue of cost has already been covered (and so have many other topics). Sorry!​

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Specializes in OB.

As a mother, yes. And stop automatically blaming the parents! When my son was first diagnosed as ADHD and put on Ritalin (1992), I was still in college and hadn't even started the nursing program yet. But as a parent, I wanted whatever was best for my son. He had been put on home-bound teaching in kindergarten mostly because he was bored and the teacher wouldn't/didn't individualize her teaching and he would act out. That summer he went through testing with several different types of doctors, who also reviewed his birth records and his school records and tested his IQ. They then recommended Ritalin which our family doctor prescribed: 5mg at breakfast, lunch & 4pm - to help with homework. I didn't ask him for this, this is how he wrote it. However, a few months later I noticed that my son was having a difficult time getting to sleep at night, so the 4pm dose stopped.

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As a mother, yes. And stop automatically blaming the parents! When my son was first diagnosed as ADHD and put on Ritalin (1992), I was still in college and hadn't even started the nursing program yet. But as a parent, I wanted whatever was best for my son. He had been put on home-bound teaching in kindergarten mostly because he was bored and the teacher wouldn't/didn't individualize her teaching and he would act out. That summer he went through testing with several different types of doctors, who also reviewed his birth records and his school records and tested his IQ. They then recommended Ritalin which our family doctor prescribed: 5mg at breakfast, lunch & 4pm - to help with homework. I didn't ask him for this, this is how he wrote it. However, a few months later I noticed that my son was having a difficult time getting to sleep at night, so the 4pm dose stopped.

I think the original post had 3 doses being administered in 6 hours, with the mom refusing to give the breakfast dose and all 3 doses given at school.

I think.

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.
I think the original post had 3 doses being administered in 6 hours, with the mom refusing to give the breakfast dose and all 3 doses given at school.

I think.

Your memory serves you well. Again, someone who gets in an uproar without reading through the post. Cliff Notes for midnighter94 : there was a history of issues with this mom, not a unique scenario, the last afternoon dose was driven by mom, not physician. As stated throughout post, I won't go on your specialty and criticize your administration of pit or mag, don't come on here when you don't know the whole story. Lots of hurt avoided. Everyone lives happily ever after.

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I would definitely be concerned at the idea of giving 3 doses of Ritalin in such a short period of time. I would worry about side effects being worse..Including possible loss of appetite.

I understand divided doses and need for an afternoon dose, but I would question this.

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