ADD / ADHD
Follow Up Appointments and Refills
Appointment Scheduling on Line
Thank you for taking an active role in your child’s healthcare. The diagnosis and treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can at times be frustrating and difficult. Fortunately, behavior management, along with medications can help your child lead a normal and fulfilling life. Finding the right medication and the correct dosage to assist each individual child is tricky and can be time consuming. Therefore, it is important that you work very closely with your primary physician, your child’s teacher and your child to find the right dose. Finding the right medication and dose is a trial and error process and may take multiple appointments.
Many of the medications used to treat ADHD are stimulant Schedule 2 drugs and do have possible side effects such as appetite suppression, insomnia and high blood pressure.
These prescriptions cannot be called into the pharmacy but must be written on a special prescription pad. They must be written monthly for most pharmacy plans and only a 30-day supply can be dispensed at one time. These medications have gained popularity as street drugs and state and federal drug agencies carefully monitor their use. While your child is on this medication we do require routine follow up visits as listed below.
Once your medication regimen has been established, routine visits must be kept every 6 months in order for us to continue refilling these medications. Once a year this follow up will be done at the same visit as your well child check-up. Depending on your insurance company; two co-pays may be assessed for this combination visit. Yearly check- ups are mandatory for children on these medications.
When requesting your monthly prescription, we ask that you give us at least one-week notice. This is very important in order to ensure that your primary physician has had a chance to review the chart personally and that correct dosage and follow up has been ordered.
Prescriptions can be mailed to your home or left at the front desk for pick-up.
LINKS TO MEDICATION MANUFACTURER WEB SITES
To continue receiving medication refills we recommend the following appointment schedule for newly diagnosed ADHD patients. These visits are very important in order to appropriately monitor your child’s height, weight and blood pressure and may vary at the recommendation of your primary physician.
- Initial consult: Medication started
- 1 month after consult: Medication follow-up visit with nurse practitioner (or primary physician if necessary) for the purpose of reviewing dosing, side effects and progress
- 3-4 months after Initial consult: Follow up visit with nurse practitioner or primary physician
- 6 months later: Follow up visit with your primary physician.
