Advice please : medication at school.

moomoomama27

FBaby wrote: »

I'm confused as to why she can't take it in between two lessons. Is the medicine tablets (I am guessing if they refer to paracetamol) so why would she have to wait for lunch time? Dos she need to go to an office to get the meds or does she keep them herself? Surely it isn't a case of needing to take it on the dot?

She has two meds mood stabilisers that cause sedation, we have played around with timings but that half an hour makes a huge difference. It has nothing to do with paracetamol but does need a 4 hour gap. The timings cannot really be changed, unless we want massive disruptions to her ability to function.

Edited The school have been made aware if the importance if timings and the consequence should these not be followed. I have been completely specific with them.

moomoomama27

newcook wrote: »

I don’t mean to sound rude by asking this but if she is happy for the rest of the kids to know she is off to the nurse to take her meds (though not saying to them which ones), why does she not want to take them at her desk during the lesson?

She finds taking oral pills very hard, gets a bit distressed sometimes and gags, it takes a few attempts to be successful , she certainly couldn't take meds in class without causing more of a disruption than slipping out for a few mins!

lostinrates

moomoomama27 wrote: »

She has two meds mood stabilisers that cause sedation, we have played around with timings but that half an hour makes a huge difference. It has nothing to do with paracetamol but does need a 4 hour gap. The timings cannot really be changed, unless we want massive disruptions to her ability to function.

That's understandable, medication timings can be vital.

Some timings are easier to adapt than others, how would previous and later ones be effected if the timings were changed to either ten thirty or twelve forty five, have you tried those?


Is she allowed to collect her pills at ten thirty and quietly swallow them at eleven?

I think best result here will be give and take, keeping her health a priority. Tbh, disruption I can understand being a big issue for under sixteens, but these adults in education should be able to cope with the routine of someone leaving once a day for medication, but your daughter will have to accept it will cause some people to 'make a thing' out of it potentially.

Its also worth thinking ahead as to how it will impact with exam timings.

moomoomama27

lostinrates wrote: »

That's understandable, medication timings can be vital.

Some timings are easier to adapt than others, how would previous and later ones be effected if the timings were changed to either ten thirty or twelve forty five, have you tried those?


Is she allowed to collect her pills at ten thirty and quietly swallow them at eleven?

I think best result here will be give and take, keeping her health a priority. Tbh, disruption I can understand being a big issue for under sixteens, but these adults in education should be able to cope with the routine of someone leaving once a day for medication, but your daughter will have to accept it will cause some people to 'make a thing' out of it potentially.

Its also worth thinking ahead as to how it will impact with exam timings.

We have tried moving them but the moods seem very sensitive to the timings as well as the fact she becomes so drowsy she can barely function to complete the day! She struggled through the first week back adapting timings because they refused, but she got so worked up she refused to go back for a few days. The school nurse liased with the supply to allow it, but since the return if her regular tutor things started again yesterday.

She's allowed to have the pills so she literally would have to leave at 11am and be back less than five mins later.

She's 17 now and in sixth form, so I would have hoped there would have been a bit of give and take, unfortunately her tutor has big issues with her, can't see past her earlier behaviour as a cry for help, and seems hell bent on making life hard for her. She told me by 11am they are more or less just getting on with work, so she wouldn't be walking out through instructions, it seems so convenient to me, that I'm not sure why they don't accommodate it?

Her CAMHs councillor has called, said it's unacceptable and she'll be contacting the school for us, so fingers crossed it can be sorted, it's causing her real anxiety.

snowleopard61

moomoomama27 wrote: »

She finds taking oral pills very hard, gets a bit distressed sometimes and gags, it takes a few attempts to be successful , she certainly couldn't take meds in class without causing more of a disruption than slipping out for a few mins!

Ah, that makes a lot of sense; otherwise while of course she is completely entitled to her privacy, it was hard to see how discreetly taking the pills was more likely to arouse curiosity than always going out of class at the same time.

Very much hope the intervention from CAMHS with the school is successful. I too have a daughter (in her twenties) with bipolar disorder, who was on medication for depression when at school. She too received varying degrees of understanding from the school.

Buzzybee90

This sounds very odd, children are allowed out of class for small periods of time (e.g. The toilet) so why not this?

rpc

moomoomama27 wrote: »

Unfortunately her head of year and head teacher aren't sympathetic to mental health illness.

Then they need to grow the f*** up. They have legal obligations that could have serious consequences for them if they stuff them up.

Breaking the Equality Act tends to be expensive.

A large part of the problems with mental illness are down to this stigma and not being taken seriously. You break a leg, everyone piles on sympathy. Your brain "breaks" and you are just trying it on.

At a meeting I requested they basically reacted as if I was another parent who couldn't accept I had a naughty child and needed a diagnoses as an excuse.

Which is part of the problem.

But unless they are medical professionals they don't have much choice other than agreeing to do what the doctor says. To do otherwise is a bit like telling the guy in a wheelchair to take the stairs because you don't believe his story.

moomoomama27

Buzzybee90 wrote: »

This sounds very odd, children are allowed out of class for small periods of time (e.g. The toilet) so why not this?

Exactly the point I raised, but apparently it's the fact that it's at a regular time that's the problem!

I recieved a call from school, so CAMHs were quick! They want a meeting Monday about it all because apparently there are issues that they wouldn't discuss on the phone, I asked if Thursday and fri she could be allowed out at 11am while I await the meeting and was told " if it was convenient with the tutor she would be allowed to go at or thereabouts 11am"

I quoted the equality act at them and told them I felt she was being discriminated against, and if she wasn't allowed out I would be making a formal complaint. I believe it's a personal thing now!!

firefly5

I sympathise, I also find it difficult to swallow tablets, sometimes I drink a whole pint of water before they go down, and I hate taking them when there are other people around because of the gagging!

tom9980

A child's bad behaviour even with a disability is still bad behaviour, it shouldn't be tolerated either way. For years teachers have suffered disruption and countless hours of teaching time lost due to bad behaviour which deserves punishment and consequences and frequently parents come up short in this regard and often make excuses for their child. For this reason teachers can often become frustrated and as human beings it is an understandable reaction that they see this diagnoses as a convenient excuse.

Your approach needs to be open and willing to discuss the problem in a private discreet manner (i.e it never becomes playground gossip) you need to understand your daughters past behaviour is now counting against her, so do explain that to her.

Instead listen to these concerns the school has and LISTEN to them carefully don't stamp your feet and demand you get what you want but try to get them to see that her behaviour has changed due to counselling and medication. Explain the reasoning for the timing of taking the drugs and the gag reflex she suffers trying to take them. (my wife suffers the same reaction)

Tell them you understand they have reservations but you want to solve the problems they are having so that she can take the medication she has been prescribed at the times she needs to so that she is able to continue her studies with as little disruption as possible for everyone involved including other students.

Don't go in to that meeting demanding anything or quoting your daughters rights it simply wont work out well, you will get written off as another loony parent (rightly or wrongly)