Try, try again.

We took Dylan back to his doctor yesterday. Dylan was taken off of Tenex. Tenex was not our friend. About 2 and 1/2 weeks in, it got ugly.

We got there, with all 3 wildboys in tow. Dylan did not bark the whole time this time, he was too distracted by his brothers to avoid the doctors. They ask him random questions that they have already asked me, to see if our answers are the same or not. They asked Dylan if he'd been taking his medicine every day and he told them no. Which they luckily shrugged off, because I have been giving him that retched medicine every day.

At the first visit, there was a scary conversation that went something like this:
(keep in mind Dylan often answers questions in whatever way he feels will get you to shutup faster)

Doc: "Dylan, has anyone ever touched you inappropriately?"
Dylan: "YES!" (angrily/impatiently)
Doc: "Dylan has anyone ever touched your Pee Pee?"
Dylan: (looking up from his toy with a boyish grin) "No! hahahahah"
everyone in the room: *sigh haha *sigh

They ask that stuff because they have to know, but still, Dylan would answer like that! Perfect time to not pay attention, son!

So we told the doctor about the horrible symptoms he's having on the old med and he suggested a new one instead.

Ritalin.

*sigh

I was nervous. I'm still nervous. The doctor told me, that if the ritalin did not work, we would know right away because he would be irritable like the Hulk. Kids that don't have attention issues get irritable when they take adhd meds. The very.last.thing I want is something to make Dylan more irritable. So I told that doctor "look, I used to take that stuff recreationally. I know that irritability and I don't want to set him up for that". He basically told me that his goal with it is to get Dylan's mind to focus and calm so that the little distractions that are getting him so worked up aren't really there for him anymore. Dylan has lost all interest in his school work, and he hopes it will help with that too. He did tell me that Ritalin doesn't have to build up in his system to know if it works, it either will work or it won't.

So this morning I gave him his Ritalin and braced myself. Dylan sat on the couch at my grandmother's house and played with his LeapPad all morning until it was time to leave. Then he played it in the van. Then we got home and he had probably a half hour conversation with me about trains. He thinks he is riding a train tomorrow. I don't know why.

How many times has he yelled at Jude today? once or twice. Hayden made him cry once, by telling him he wasn't invited to a hypothetical situation he had invented, which is not out of the ordinary, but happens more than once a day usually. So I can tell there are improvements. I won't say I'm sold on it, though. Not until he goes to school on it for a while.

I am uncomfortable with my child being on Ritalin. But say if he were on Lithium I wouldn't be. That's because Lithium is a mood stabilizer, and he has mood swings, so that fits. But Dylan doesn't have ADHD or ADD, so him taking Ritalin is strange.

But whatever works is the way I should look at it, and hopefully I'll get to that point.