Medication when sick? | ADHD Information

I don't usually give ds his stims when he's home sick.  Usually he's sick with a cold/asthma and getting the rest he needs to get better is the priority.  Stims just keep him up.  He takes strattera, too, so he gets that. I would always check with the doctor first but I too never medicate when she is sick.my ds doctor said if he has the flu do not give it to him but it's been awhile since he had a cold. I will ask next week at his appointment.While doctors (ped and ADD specialist) say that it is alright to give cold medications while on methylphenidate, I do not.  When ds was younger, he showed slight overdose symptoms (sleepiness, lethargy) when he tried cold medications plus meds.  So, if he is sick enough to stay home, then he decides if he wants ADHD meds or cold meds.  If he went to school with a cold, he took Ritalin, a pocket full of tissues and toughed it out with the cold.  Now he sometimes will use a bit of Afrin nose spray if he is miserable.  In grades K-8 he never had a very good day anyway if he went to school when he had a cold.  So I didn't send him unless he was in good enough shape to face the world.  He is in high school now and rarely stays home if he is sick. Hates to miss school. 

Good Luck!
My son is taking a cough and congestion medicine the doctor said that is alright to take with his foaclin xr medicine. (prescription, that is)  While I've been told it is alright to give him both, I'm finding he isn't eating much.  I don't know if this is the medicine or just all the congestion related stuff making him not want to eat (he is typically an eater). If I continue to see the pattern or lack of eating then I may stop giving him both.  I'd rather keep him on ad/hd medicine as I feel it is the most important for his overall well being.  My son just came to me and said he ate the rest of the pizza from ChCh. 3 pieces.  I guess I don't have to be worried about the mixing of his medicine.  He seems to be just fine now.  I typically don't give both stimulant medication and the over the counter cough/cold med.  If he is sick enough to stay home from school then he does not take the stimulant med.  The only medications that I give him in addition to his stimulant medication is tylenol and  antiobiotics when prescribed.

I do not give my daughter her Concerta when she is sick enough not to be doing daily activities but I do give her the guanfacine. That is becuse she needs to be weaned off the guanfacine. Next time you see the doctor ask about this and ask about interaction with cold medicines. Thanks for posting this question, it has reminded me to ask about the cold med interactions at our next appointment.

My daughter is on the Daytrana patch. We've been going the med route for less than a month and so this is all still a bit new. My daughter is not feeling well today. (Just a a cold.)  What do you do when your child is sick? Do you still give them their medication or take a day or two off? In my case, my daughter is more or less lying around today. Medication doesn't seem necessary so I didn't put on the patch this morning.

I'm guessing there is no right or wrong answer. I'm just curious about how other parents deal with this sitution.

Thanks!