Day 31: 31 Ways to Make ADHD Medication Less Scary Before Halloween

I’m scared to give any other medication with my child’s ADHD medication

Here at the end of October, we’re kicking off cold and flu season and a lot of parents are scared of when their child gets sick because they don’t know what to do about giving medication along with the child’s stimulant. First of all, if your child’s sick enough to be in bed and home from school, they’re probably sick enough not to take their stimulant medication.

We recommend good hydration and making sure that you treat your child’s fever with Tylenol or Motrin or Advil. Those really are okay to give with stimulant medications. The cold and cough medicines are a little more complicated, but I’ll give you a good trick. If the medication has just a capital D at the end of it, it’s out. It’s probably got a decongestant in it, and most decongestants like phenylephrine and pseudoephedrine are stimulant in nature.

But a capital DM, for dextromethorphan, that’s good cough medicine and can help quiet the cough. If you add that to the ingredient guaifenesin, which is a good mucous thinner, you’ve got a good medicine when your child has a cold or the flu to help with that congested cough. It’s also okay to give your child allergy medicine as a general rule. Medicines like diphenhydramine or loratadine are fine to give with stimulant medications. Just avoid the preparations that have the capital D at the end.

So, hope that helps you be less fearful of using medication along with the stimulants, but if there’s ever a question, of course you should call your child’s provider to be sure that the medicine you’re considering giving is safe.

This information should not be relied upon as a substitute for personal medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Use the information provided on this site solely at your own risk. If you have any concerns about your health, please consult with a physician.

James Wiley is the founder of Focus-MD. Focus-MD is devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD and related problem patients. They provide objective testing, medical treatment as well as behavior modification strategies to help or patients transform from frustration to focus. To find a Focus-MD clinic, click here. 

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