With the arrival of the vacations, many families ask us if their children should continue receiving medication for ADHD, since they will not go to school or have to study during the summer months.
This same question, which we are asked so many times in our daily practice as neuropediatricians, has never been heard in other areas of medicine. For example, no one would think of taking insulin to treat diabetes during the summer months, “taking a break” from antiepileptic drugs, or not wearing glasses for myopia during the summer months, at Christmas, or on weekends.
Why is it important not to stop taking medication during the vacations?
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder (it is a medical problem), which affects people who suffer from it 365 days a year (just like diabetes, myopia or any other chronic disorder); it can compromise not only their school performance and self-esteem, but also their family and social life. And all these aspects are of fundamental importance in the child’s emotional development, so they cannot be allowed to be affected by fear of using a drug that has proven to be not only effective but also safe.
It should be noted that there are no reports of toxicity due to prolonged use of the drug. It is a medication that not only does not cause addiction, but also protects the individual from a series of comorbidities in the medium and long term (including addictive behaviors). In addition, the side effects on appetite and sleep are usually transitory (and after several months of uninterrupted treatment and following guidelines, they eventually disappear and do not impact the overall health of the child). Most importantly, the difficulties experienced by people with ADHD are not controlled by “effort” or “willpower”.
On the other hand, repeated discontinuations of treatment, in addition to chronifying the side effects (because the child never adapts to the medication), can compromise its long-term effectiveness, becoming ostensibly less effective compared to children who have received the medication daily and without interruptions.
Therefore, at present there is a consensus among experts that pharmacological treatment of ADHD should be continuous and controlled (each case should be reviewed periodically), maintained as long as necessary (without “breaks” on weekends or when the child does not attend school), and that it is only indicated to discontinue the medication when it is certain that the patient still needs it.