Summer Break from Medications

Should my camper take a "summer break" from any medications?

We generally discourage breaks from essential medications — but for some non-essentials, camp life might make them less necessary. Full days, structured activity, exhausted-and-asleep-fast nights, and well-rounded meals mean things like melatonin or daily vitamins may not be doing much work over the summer.

If you still want your camper to take them, that's fine — just treat them like any other medication: blister-packed, with a doctor's note.

What about ADHD medication specifically?

This one's different from melatonin or vitamins. Our experience has been that campers who take ADHD medication during the school year do better staying on it at camp too. Yes, camp has fewer sit-still, high-focus activities than a classroom — but we consistently see campers on their regular ADHD medication have a more successful, more enjoyable summer than those who take a break from it. If your camper's doctor supports continuing their ADHD medication through the summer, we'd encourage sticking with the routine.