pills make the day go round

We tried 18 mg of Concerta (Methylphenidate). Then we upped it to 27 mg. After little success, we hesitantly moved up to 36 mg. We were surprised when it didn’t work very well. It has helped her sister immensely. That’s probably where we thought wrong. Since when are siblings ever on the same page on anything? That would make parenting easy.

sleeping child

"I'm not tired, I won't be going to bed anytime soon."

Last month, we changed to Intuniv (Guanfacine). It’s a totally different type of drug for our entirely different type of child. It’s a brand new formulation and brand name. It’s not on our insurance’s formulary. This long-acting version would cost us at least $75 per month. $50 more that we pay for Concerta. This medication is helping but we still have a long way to go. I know better than trying to predict if this one is going to work long term.

All three of us girls are on drugs. Pill taking time is a morning ritual. When someone is acting up the first question that my husband and I ask each other is “did she get her medicine?” We try to think that before shouting at the six year-old monkey crawling onto the kitchen table or arguing with the stubborn-as-an-ox eight year-0ld. Without these medications, our life is hell.

It’s also not easy knowing you kid will always be on medication. Knowing that they will always be dependent on a doctor and insurance company. Federal healthcare reform on the horizon is exciting. The removal of lifetime benefit caps and pre-existing conditions  is a step in the right direction. I am thankful we live in a state with solid insurance regulation. Even with a lapse in insurance, pre-existing conditions can only apply for the first six months of a policy here. They have a safety net.

Where am I going with this? I can’t say for sure. I not had a solid night’s sleep in week’s. The child in the photo above has taken to coming into my room several times a night to tell me she can’t sleep (never mind you she was asleep two hours ago). Hearing your name whispered in the ark at 1 a.m. is a horror movie level experience. Every time it happens, I scream. All that late night adrenaline has me wired.

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