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"I'm Sick of Taking Meds!"

If your teen forgets or resists medication, here's how you can persuade him to stick with the program.

3 Comments: "I'm Sick of Taking Meds!"

  1. We are going through the same thing. We thought we finally had a combination of anxiety meds and adhd meds that worked. My son told us he felt better. He has never been good about taking them on his own though. We tried this past summer to get him to take ownership because he was going to college. Once at school he stopped taking them. Of course everything fell apart. He is back home. He says they don’t help. I can tell that he is depressed but he doesn’t see it. It is so frustrating and scary. I don’t know how to help him. The only thing I can do is not give him money. I can’t force him to do anything. I don’t know where to turn. When I saw your reply it was the first time I felt like I connected with someone who was in the same situation.

    1. This article offers further insights on this topic that you might find helpful: https://www.additudemag.com/when-your-teen-stop-taking-his-adhd-medication/.

      Also, a gap year between high school and college (or even two years) is often very helpful. ADHD is a developmental disability, so, while you son may be 18 and have a high school diploma, his day-to-day functioning on his own may be more like that of a 13-15 year old in many aspects. Gap years allow time for kids with delays to catch up a bit more to the expectations of college. https://www.additudemag.com/the-case-for-working-maturing-gap-years/

      Penny
      ADDitude Community Moderator, Author & Mentor on Parenting ADHD, Mom to teen w/ ADHD, LDs, and autism

  2. My teen flat out refuses to take meds. We allowed him to fly solo for 5.5 months. His grades were poor, barely passed his classes, however, with the ODD and anxiety on top of the ADHD he’s so stubborn that he won’t admit meds help him and says the meds are toxic. He doesn’t care about his grades and truly believes he’s doing okay without meds. We’ve sat down and validated his concerns and assure him we wouldn’t do anything that hurts him, but he’s completely closed off. I used to leave his meds next to his breakfast and he’d tell me he took them but then I’d find it. Then I had to resort watching him take it, but then I began to find it in the toilet or in the sink – he’d stick it in his mouth, drink water and open up his mouth showing me the tab had gone but I later learned he’d pop the tab between his cheek and teeth so I wouldn’t see it then he’d spit it back out. He doesn’t believe he needs help.

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