Hey Patti! I haven't seen that you've posted lately… Are you around?
Question:
We made another appt. with my son’s ped. about his headaches and insomnia. We go tomarrow. Last appt. she had us keep a headache *journal* instead of lowering his dose. We tried cutting out Nintendo DS at bed time, etc. but the headaches/insomnia are still there. If she tries to get us to do something ELSE before she lowers his meds. is there any way I can kinda *force her hand*? I’d rather not change peds. since she is the only one my son feels comfortable with (and we’ve tried a few) but obviously, I want what’s best for my son. What can I say to her to get her to lower his Ritalin? I’ve done a lot of info searching but how do I *nicely* tell the Dr. "Mom knows best"? At least she thinks… -Michaela
Response:
<snipped If she tries to get us to do something ELSE before she lowers his meds. is there any way I can kinda *force her hand*? I’d rather not change peds. since she is the only one my son feels comfortable with (and we’ve tried a few) but obviously, I want what’s best for my son. What can I say to her to get her to lower his Ritalin? I’ve done a lot of info searching but how do I *nicely* tell the Dr. "Mom knows best"? At least she thinks…
JMO, but instead of insisting on lowering his Ritalin, take a different approach. Let her know how often/strong the headaches are (from the journal you kept), and let her know it’s affecting his overall health. Tell her you want something done about the headaches ASAP, as he needs to get some sleep and to stop being in so much pain. Don’t settle for another "pain journal" approach. Tell her you want something concrete to stop his pain. See where she goes with that. If she still doesn’t want to lower the Ritalin nor to give anything concrete to deal with his pain, ask her for an immediate emergency referal to a pain clinic and have her (or her staff) call in for an immediate appointment while you’re there. Being proactive about his pain should motivate her into action. HTH, Kitten
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – We made another appt. with my son’s ped. about his headaches and insomnia. We go tomarrow. Last appt. she had us keep a headache *journal* instead of lowering his dose. We tried cutting out Nintendo DS at bed time, etc. but the headaches/insomnia are still there. If she tries to get us to do something ELSE before she lowers his meds. is there any way I can kinda *force her hand*? I’d rather not change peds. since she is the only one my son feels comfortable with (and we’ve tried a few) but obviously, I want what’s best for my son. What can I say to her to get her to lower his Ritalin? I’ve done a lot of info searching but how do I *nicely* tell the Dr. "Mom knows best"? At least she thinks… -Michaela
Hey Michaela, I got this side-effects list from drugs.com, but other sites contain similar information. I can tell you what I would do. Maybe some other folks have some info or advice to offer as well. I would go for a visit to this doc either leaving your child at home or bringing somebody to watch him in the waiting room while you speak to the doc alone. I would tell the doc frankly everything you have said to me, outside of your child’s presence. I’d tell her that my child loves her, and for that reason I really want to keep him in her care, but that I feel she isn’t listening to my concerns. I would point out that at least twice before I have expressed concerns about my child’s headaches and insomnia which are significantly troubling to him, and that she has not addressed these concerns in a way that feels meaningful to me. These are common potential side-effects listed on every package insert. I would express the concern that the increased dose unnecessarily increases my child’s risks for the less common and more serious side-effects. I’d make sure she understood that I was willing to try the short-acting version of the medication and have them give a dose at school. If she did not then finally address my concerns in some meaningful way, I would ask myself: Is the pleasant 20 minutes she spends with my child every month or so worth the every-day frustration of his headaches and insomnia? Does anyone have anything to add? ~Patti Quote from www.drugs.com What are the possible side effects of methylphenidate?
