If Your Adolescent Has ADHD: An Essential Resource for Parents (Adolescent Mental Health Initiative)

by Thomas J. Power

Parental supervision is another key to preventing stimulant abuse and diversion. An adolescent may gradually assume more responsibility for taking his or her own medication. But you should still keep a watchful eye on how things are going. Try to spend some time with your teen every morning, even if it’s just a couple of minutes over breakfast. This gives you a chance to observe your teen actually taking the medication. A predictable routine that links taking medication to a daily activity, such as eating breakfast, also helps your teen remember the medicine every day. Check the medicine bottle on a regular basis to make sure it contains the right amount of medication. If the bottle goes from full to half-empty in a couple of days, you know there’s a problem that needs to be addressed. Store the medication in a secure place where siblings and visiting friends can’t take it accidentally or on purpose.