When Meds Deliver Benefits, Everyone Is Happy
How does it feel to know that your or your child’s medications are working? Joy, fear, and relief, say ADDitude readers.
ADDitude asked: What did it feel like when your or your child’s ADHD meds finally worked?
I felt I had done right by my child. I gave him what he needed to be successful in school and in life. -Theresa, New Jersey
> Relieved. He’s doing much better in school and no longer gets time-outs. He still struggles, but he can focus better now that we’ve increased his dose. -Jenn Dothan, Alabama
> In the beginning, it seemed too good to be true. When it was obvious that the meds were helping, relief and calm came over me. -Avie Lumpkin, California
> My son finally became calm and manageable. -An ADDitude Reader
> It was like when I got my first pair of eyeglasses. I remember walking to school with my new glasses and noticing that I could see the individual leaves on the trees. It was amazing. When my medication dose “got right,” I could see beyond my own needs and my own opinions about what was right and wrong. I was already a successful professional, but I became a nicer person. -Cathi Zillmann, Smithtown, New York
> I cried the first time my child looked me in the eye and talked with me calmly. -An ADDitude Reader
> I felt clearer and had less brain fog. I felt as though I had some forward momentum. -C., Toronto, Ontario, Canada
> It felt as if my brain took a deep breath and was able to rest, instead of fighting with me. -Jill Hughes, Casper, Wyoming
> It feels like, “Oh, this must be how it’s supposed to be!” -An ADDitude Reader
> I felt great when my son said, “When I am on my medication, I can do my math in 30 minutes. When I am not, it takes me four hours.” (Now he is a mechanical engineer.) -Nancy, Green Pond, New Jersey
> This sounds strange, but I felt fear – because I noticed improvements and a happier home and I worried that it would end. -Tammy, Ontario, Canada
> It was an amazing day for us when our son finally had a dose of medication that didn’t bring him to a crashing halt and didn’t turn him into Mr. Hyde! -Ruth, Georgia
> It felt liberating. I felt I was the person I was meant to be. I could focus much better, both at my job and in my home life. -Kristin Horton, Oakdale, Minnesota
> It felt like a switch had been turned on inside me. My meds help me feel like I am awake. -Terry Grier, Springfield, Missouri
> Great. But when puberty kicked in for my child, we had to look for the right dose again. -Terry Redwine, Knoxville, Tennessee
