I have been considering for some time now changing my daughter from her Adderall to a natural supplement program. I'm waiting for the summer break so that she can have plenty of time for the supplements to begin working before the next school year begins and she will be at home for me to observe. The supplement I'm considering is Becalm'd which I have read many positive reports both here and on other websites. My concern about this product is that it's supposed to calm you down, relieve stress, depression and anxiety. That doesn't fit my daughter. Her ADD is the type that she is inattentive and lethargic. She doesn't need to be calmed down - if anything she needs to be stimulated. I think that's the reason Adderall has worked so well for her. I've shown her doctor samples of her school work with meds and without and her comment was that it was a "dramatic" difference. And it is. But, if there is anyway I can get her off this potentially dangerous drug and use something natural, I'm all for it. I'm just don't want to waste my money, as I know becalm'd is pricey, on a product that's not going to work for her type of ADD. From what I've gathered, it seems to be more suited for the hyper types of ADD. I would appreciate any thoughts on this (this means you Free Spirit! )
Hi. beCalmd is actually good for a wide variety of conditions. (depression being one) True some of the ingrediants can be "calming" for the hyperactive person. But it also helps with focus. Many times kids with ADD inattentive type seem lethargic because they are always daydreaming. They arent really tired or depressed, just off in their own little world.
DL-Phenylalanine is in beCalmd. For those who are hyperactive this can be calming. For others it has a mild stimulant like effect.
You mentioned your planning to wait for a break to start the supplements so that they will be effective by school time. This unfortunantly is pretty unrealistic. The longest break is 2 1/2months (summer vacation) Some supplements will show some good effect in some people in very little time. Most of the time it takes between 1-4 months. Your child will also be going through some issues when going off of this med. As you know adderall is an amphetamine. After taking this for an extended period the brain becomes acustom to it. It takes the brian time to heal, time to balance itself back out, and time to learn how to work correctly. During this time your daughter is likely to have very severe ADD symptoms. Don't let this discourage you!! As a way to minimize the problems I suggest that you start her on a supplement that is safe to take along with her meds. (beCalmd is safe to take with adderall) Start with low doses of the supplement and work your way up, while working the supplement dose up begin reducing the dose of medication. The end goal being to get the correct dose of supplements and the lowest dose of meds possible (hopefully none)
If the beCalmd is not "activating" enough on its own you can add a small dose of L-Tyrosine. So, instead of taking beCalmd 3 times daily, take L-Tyrosine once, and beCalmd twice. L-Tyrosine is VERY cheap and works well for many ADDers. (Omega3s are also important!)
P.S. How many mg is she currently on per day?
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"It's a damn poor mind that can think of only one way to spell a word!" --Andrew Jackson
Hi. beCalmd is actually good for a wide variety of conditions. (depression being one) True some of the ingrediants can be "calming" for the hyperactive person. But it also helps with focus. Many times kids with ADD inattentive type seem lethargic because they are always daydreaming. They arent really tired or depressed, just off in their own little world.
DL-Phenylalanine is in beCalmd. For those who are hyperactive this can be calming. For others it has a mild stimulant like effect.
You mentioned your planning to wait for a break to start the supplements so that they will be effective by school time. This unfortunantly is pretty unrealistic. The longest break is 2 1/2months (summer vacation) Some supplements will show some good effect in some people in very little time. Most of the time it takes between 1-4 months. Your child will also be going through some issues when going off of this med. As you know adderall is an amphetamine. After taking this for an extended period the brain becomes acustom to it. It takes the brian time to heal, time to balance itself back out, and time to learn how to work correctly. During this time your daughter is likely to have very severe ADD symptoms. Don't let this discourage you!! As a way to minimize the problems I suggest that you start her on a supplement that is safe to take along with her meds. (beCalmd is safe to take with adderall) Start with low doses of the supplement and work your way up, while working the supplement dose up begin reducing the dose of medication. The end goal being to get the correct dose of supplements and the lowest dose of meds possible (hopefully none)
If the beCalmd is not "activating" enough on its own you can add a small dose of L-Tyrosine. So, instead of taking beCalmd 3 times daily, take L-Tyrosine once, and beCalmd twice. L-Tyrosine is VERY cheap and works well for many ADDers. (Omega3s are also important!)
P.S. How many mg is she currently on per day?
Free ~ Spirit,
Concerning doses on the beCalmd...I know that you have to take it VERY consistently, but I was wondering 2 things actually. 1.) The directions say take 2 tablets 3X's daily. That get's quite expensive if you're trying to stay consistent. So, can I do 1 tablet 3X's daily? Also, since most of the ingredients can be bought in any drug store, is it advisable to buy the ingredients separately and cut the pills if necessary to make the doses comparable to what's on beCalmd? I noticed the tablets are VERY pure with NO additives, etc.. at all, but I'm just trying to see if there is a possible cost-effective alternative that still accomplishes the same thing.
6 is the top dose. Not everyone needs 6per day. To ask if you can take it 3 times per day and get results is not a question I can answer. Everyone responds differently. 3 may work just fine for you, but it may not.
Buying the ingrediants one at a time (this is what I have to do now) is a lot cheaper. Its certainly an option, as long as you dont mind going to the extra trouble.
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"It's a damn poor mind that can think of only one way to spell a word!" --Andrew Jackson
Actually, I was going to start her on becalm'd around the end of April or first of May so she would have longer than just the summer break. She is out of school from end of May until almost the end of August. I will gradually wean her off the Adderall. She currently takes 25 mg of Adderall XR once a day. I've tried the lowest dose possible but for the medication to be effect, she requires this high dose. There is a noticeable difference for her even between 20 mgs and 25 mgs. She doesn't take the meds when she is on any kind of school break or even weekends. The biggest difference I see in her when she is not taking the medication (besides the obvious inattention) is that she wants to eat constantly, especially sugar, and I know this is a form of self-medicating. If I don't constantly monitor her eating habits, she can put on 5-10 lbs in a blink of an eye. I may go ahead and start on becalm'd now since it can be taken with Adderall. I really pray this product will work for her and I can throw the Adderall in the trash!
Question About Becalm'd 
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--Andrew Jackson
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