ADHD medication · a parent's decision
For any parent or carer weighing ADHD medication for a child — and for a young person thinking it through themselves.
Medication has come up for your child, and you're stuck between two stories the internet tells you: that it's a chemical straitjacket, or that it's the obvious fix and you're failing your kid by hesitating. Both are useless at the appointment. This page hands you the four questions a paediatrician would actually want you to ask — phrased for your child's age and where you're up to — plus the one most parents never think to ask. You walk in able to weigh it, instead of just saying yes because you're overwhelmed, or no because you're scared.
It won't tell you whether your child should take medication — only your child's doctor, who has assessed them, can help you with that. It never diagnoses, never names a medicine, and never tells you what to decide.
This tool helps you prepare questions — it can't tell if something is urgent. If you're worried about your child right now, call your doctor or 000.