What’s the Biggest Change you’ve seen from Medication?

A lot of parents ask me about medications.

Is our son on them? What specifically are you treating? Do they work? Side effects? What’s the biggest change you’ve see with them?

They ask because they need help helping their child. It’s as simple as that.

They aren’t lazy parents. They aren’t giving up.

They’ve tried the therapies. They’ve researched. They’ve advocated. They’ve done more than they every thought possible.

And their child still needs more.

Maybe it’s with anxiety. Or with ADHD. Or even depression.

And let me be clear here…there is nothing worse than knowing that you child is suffering and not being able to help them.

I want to say I understand. That was us too.

For the first seven years of our son’s life we tried everything to help him with his anxiety.

We tried therapies. We tried diet changes. We changed our whole lives to accommodate his needs. We tried medical cannabis. We tried everything.

In January we knew it was time to try a medication to help him with anxiety.

We couldn’t leave the house. We had to double and triple lock our doors. And not just our outer doors, our inside ones too.

It’s been the best decision we ever made.

So what has been the biggest change? It’s this photo.

A few days ago our son Sawyer had beach day at his school.

He got to wear a swimsuit, and bring a towel and a life jacket. He was so excited.

Cooper is obsessed with swimming too. It’s his most favorite thing.

So seeing his brother in a swimsuit would typically have put him into full blown anxiety meltdown to the point of no return. We would have had to be secretive about it. His day would have been ruined if he saw what Sawyer was wearing.

Before anxiety medication the swimsuits were hidden. We didn’t say the words pool, swimming, boat, party, etc. The life jackets were stored safely in the garage.

But not anymore.

That morning Cooper saw his brother dressed in his swimsuit. His eyes lit up. He touched his brother’s suit and gestured…’me.’

We explained what was happening. That brother got to wear his suit just for fun.

There was no meltdown. No screaming. No hitting.

The morning wasn’t ruined.

Cooper got dressed with his shorts and leggings. And headed off to school.

This is all because of anti-anxiety medication. It’s that simple.

And here is another photo from our babies baptism yesterday. Cooper was able to come to the church at the end of mass and take photos with us. That has never been possible before.

We are very cautious about sharing information about medication with the masses. If you have question, please join our Supporter Group. We would love to have you over there! Jamie and I do Facebook Lives weekly, we do giveaways and you get an inside look at our family. It’s also a safe, nonjudgmental place to chat! Click HERE to learn more.

Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting a special needs child. Because you’re never alone in the struggles you face. And once you find your people, your allies, your village….all the challenges and struggles will seem just a little bit easier. Welcome to our journey. You can also follow us on Facebook, subscribe for exclusive videos, and subscribe to our newsletter.

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