Should I Medicate My Child — Or Am I Taking the Easy Way Out?

 Should I Medicate My Child — Or Am I Taking the Easy Way Out?

Author: Dr John Flett, Specialist Paediatrician

Reading time: 4 minutes

Every week, a parent sits in my consulting room and asks the same question. Their voice drops. Their eyes search mine for reassurance. Sometimes they’re close to tears.

“Do we really have to medicate?”

The Questions Behind the Question

When parents ask about medication, they’re rarely asking a simple medical question. They’re asking something deeper.

“Will this change who my child is?” This is the big one. You’re terrified of your child becoming a zombie, losing their spark. Here’s the truth: the right medication, at the right dose, prescribed by someone who knows what they’re doing, doesn’t change who your child is. It helps them be who they are more effectively. If medication makes your child flat or withdrawn — that’s not the medication working. That’s the medication wrong. We fix that.

“Am I taking the easy way out?” Let me be direct: there is nothing easy about this. Medication requires monitoring, adjustments, follow-up appointments, and daily commitment. Parents who choose medication aren’t looking for shortcuts. They’re looking for tools that work. The easy way out would be doing nothing and hoping things improve.

“What will people think?” Your mother-in-law will have opinions. The school-gate crowd will whisper. Someone will mention fish oil. Here’s what I tell parents: you’re not medicating your child for other people’s approval. You’re making a decision based on evidence, expertise, and your knowledge of your own child. That’s called good parenting.

The Brain Glasses Analogy

A ten-year-old boy sat in my room, three months after starting medication. I asked him what was different.

He said: “Before, my brain was like a TV with someone else holding the remote, flicking channels all the time. Now I hold the remote.”

That’s it. That’s what medication does. It doesn’t change the TV. It gives your child the remote control. If your child needed glasses to see the board at school, you wouldn’t hesitate. ADHD medication works on the same principle. Glasses help eyes focus. Medication helps the brain focus. Neither one changes who your child is.

What I Wish Every Parent Knew

Untreated ADHD is not benign. Every month without support is a month of falling behind academically, a month of social rejection, a month of self-esteem damage. These months add up.

But medication isn’t magic either. It creates opportunity — the opportunity to learn, to connect, to develop skills. That opportunity still needs to be seized. Medication plus understanding plus practical strategies changes everything. The medication creates the conditions. Everything else builds on that foundation.

The guilt you’re carrying? Put it down. You’re doing your best with the information you have. When you know better, you do better. That’s all any of us can do.

Have questions about ADHD medication?

Dr Flett’s comprehensive medication guide is available at courses.drflett.com. Subscribe to the free newsletter at drflett.com for more evidence-based insights.

Bookings: 031 1000 474 | support@drjohnflett.com

Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor or health professional.