"I'm not a Doctor but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night."
You understand the premise here, don't you? Playing a physician on T.V. and/or getting a cozy nights rest at the No Tell Motel doesn't afford you the decision making freedoms to diagnose and prescribe medications. Imagine if it did.
In year 26 of public education I cannot count the number of times that I've heard of parents withholding a medication or weaning their children off of psychotropic medications without consulting the educated and paid professionals that prescribed the treatment plan in the first place. I know parents should know their children best but pharmaceutical decisions are best made by the professionals with hours, months and years of education and research backing those decisions. Parents are, no doubt, and important part of the Care Team - the most important part even. But pulling a medication from a child just "to give them a fresh start to a new school year" is probably not a solid research based decision.
At least in my professional opinion, most often those scenarios result in relapse and other adverse effects as their little bodies work through withdrawal and other negative side effects that can be manipulated and balanced by the doctors serving those kids.
Another related and sadly connected scenario concerns the diagnosed yet un-medicated child. Imagine if your child had strep throat or pneumonia and after a couple doses of DayQuil Cold and Flu their poor little bodies were not responding accordingly. You'd surely take them in to the family doctor and leave with a prescription for relief. After a quick trip to the pharmacy and a couple of slugs of antibiotics and before you know it, they're on the Up and Up because you trusted the decision and opinions of the professionals. If my kid needed antibiotics, I would walk through Hell wearing gasoline boxers to get it for them.
Then why not medicate the child that clearly needs it?
As an elementary teacher I am not a Pusher. As a human I have High Blood Pressure and Type II Diabetes. My body responds to the medication I am prescribed by people that are way smarter than me. So I trust them and stick to their treatment plan.
Medicate now or they will Self Medicate later... in the form of chemical dependence of the illicit kind.
In 2017, the alternative rock band, Theory of a Deadman penned some lyrics and a catchy tune called
"Rx."
The "hook" goes like this....
I am so frickin' boredNothing to do todayI guess I'll sit around and medicate
Maybe they were on to something.
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