ADHD Medication Vacation Pros and Cons, According to ADDitude Readers

additudemag.com:

April 29, 2022Medication vacations are a taboo topic. They are also extremely common. More than three-quarters of children who take medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD) have paused their prescription for at least one week — and most for much longer, according to an ADDitude survey of 1,252 caregivers.Nearly 86% of caregivers have considered giving their child a medication vacation, otherwise known as a temporary “drug holiday,” and only 35% have ruled out a medication vacation this summer.“We’ve come to realize that the medication not only helps our son stay focused when doing a task, but it also helps with our quality of life as a family,” wrote the mother of a 10-year-old boy with ADHD who experiences appetite suppression.The most common reasons cited for taking a medication vacation were:My child says he can’t be himself when he is on medication,” said the mother of a 14-year-old boy with ADHD. “He is at an important time in his life, figuring out who he is as a person, how to be respectful and responsible, and he wants to learn these things without the medication.”[Get This Free Download: The Ultimate Guide to ADHD Medication]Of the caregivers who have given their children a medication vacation:“Because it was summer, we had more flexibility in our schedule so we could live with more chaos,” said the mother of a 15-year-old girl with ADHD. “She didn’t have expectations put on her that would require a higher level of attention.”On average, caregivers rated the medication vacation as somewhat successful, and it varied with the child’s age.

Here’s the breakdown for caregivers who said a medication vacation was somewhat to extremely successful:“We attempted a medication vacation but two.