My son (newly diagnosed inattentive ADD) and my husband and I will be seeing the psychiatrist next Monday after having a couple of weeks to do some research on my own and digest this thing. I have to say, quite frankly, I am terrified of the medicines to treat ADD. I am well aware of the 50% or so likelihood that ADD untreated will result in some sort of chemical addiction in my child. That alone scares me. What scares me more than that and makes me feel like I am doing my child wrong is the contemplation of treating his already difficult life with Amphetamines or something similar which could also lead to addiction. All the posts from actual people taking Ritalin, Adderall, etc. who say they have become tolerant to the dose and need to either stop for a while or increase the med...all sounds like I am contemplating turning my son into a speed junkie. Just thinking about putting him on medication (which is what the psychologist is lobbying for, therefore the appointment with the psychiatrist), makes me feel awful. There will be behavioral treatment along with anything else we do, so I am happy about that. At least he can learn new ways of coping and achieving better results with his schoolwork and life in general. Am I making too much of this? Other parents feel the same way? On the flip side, now that we have an idea of what is going on with him, I feel a duty to do what is right to help him the most. What, if any, research is available on the efficacy of natural supplements to help ADD? I couldn't find any. SO TORN!!!!!!
Last edited by DoubleVision; 06-10-2004 at 10:24 AM.
My son is thirteen years old. He was diagnosed with ADHD when he was in Kindergarden. I always knew something was wrong and when I started researching ADHD, it all finally made sense to me. We started off with Ritalin (sp?) and it was awful. He did not respond very well. It made him zombie-like and it made his stomache hurt and he could not sleep. I took him off of it and decided that we would just work on the behavioral aspect of it. Surley with lots of help from us and his teachers, we could do this without medications. It did not work. He struggled with school, friends, impulsivity, ect. Finally I was talking to a friend and her son was on Adderal. We decided to try that and have never regretted it. My son does not like taking the medication, ironically because it calms him down and he seemed to like being hyper (like on speed). Over the years he has come to realize the difference between when he goes without and when he takes it. We take him off of it every couple of years (during the summer when he doesn't have to preform at school), and I can tell a difference and he can to. It has gotten to the point when he will come to me and say "Mom, I can't concentrate, I think we need to start the medicine again". He does not crave the medicine, but now wants to be able to relax and concentrate. Something I have learned along the way is that if ADHD medication does not calm them down and it only makes them hyper, then they do not truely have ADHD. Something else to consider is the new non-stimulant Strattera.
In response to setting your child up to be a drug addict, it is my opinion that all ADHD children are predisposed to addictions and the ADHD child whom is not treated is at the greatest risk of drug and alcohol addictions. God bless you and your family.
I agree with mheltzer. I've been treating my 9 year old with Adderall and the difference has been incredible. His 3rd grade teacher estimates that he has progressed 1 1/2 grade levels this past semester. He clearly benefits from this medication. He has told me that his thoughts fly when he's not on the meds and when he is medicated he has one thought at a time. If this is truly the appropriate treatment, it will immediately become apparent. I resisted this through second grade and into third. I so wish that I had started earlier.
I do want to point out, however, that it still takes incredible stamina to parent an ADD child. The difference between before and after medicating is that now all of our efforts bring success, not failure. We still have to put in extra time. Before the meds, we faced frustration at each turn.
This past semester he could concenrate to learn his math facts. He learned all of them in 3 months. His comprehension was low before because his eyes bounced around the page. Daily oral reading now has taught him to "see" every word. We're 3/4 through Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (750 pages). Last year this would have been impossible. Now, as he reads aloud he discusses the plot and tries to pick up clues about what might happen next. His teacher says that he has jumped from below to above grade level. It takes time but I am certain that it is worth our effort.
We had some side effects at first, but they have all but disappeared. I do not believe that he is physically addicted because if we skip a couple of days he does not exhibit any type of withdrawal. Then he is fine the next day that he takes the meds. For us, when it's in it's working. When it's not, it's OK. Each kid is different, but you'll know almost immediately. Something will improve. It takes some time (a few weeks) for their confidence to pick up, but you'll see some improvement. And when they realize what they are capable of, you'll see leaps of improvement.
My son (newly diagnosed inattentive ADD) and my husband and I will be seeing the psychiatrist next Monday after having a couple of weeks to do some research on my own and digest this thing. I have to say, quite frankly, I am terrified of the medicines to treat ADD. I am well aware of the 50% or so likelihood that ADD untreated will result in some sort of chemical addiction in my child. That alone scares me. What scares me more than that and makes me feel like I am doing my child wrong is the contemplation of treating his already difficult life with Amphetamines or something similar which could also lead to addiction. All the posts from actual people taking Ritalin, Adderall, etc. who say they have become tolerant to the dose and need to either stop for a while or increase the med...all sounds like I am contemplating turning my son into a speed junkie. Just thinking about putting him on medication (which is what the psychologist is lobbying for, therefore the appointment with the psychiatrist), makes me feel awful. There will be behavioral treatment along with anything else we do, so I am happy about that. At least he can learn new ways of coping and achieving better results with his schoolwork and life in general. Am I making too much of this? Other parents feel the same way? On the flip side, now that we have an idea of what is going on with him, I feel a duty to do what is right to help him the most. What, if any, research is available on the efficacy of natural supplements to help ADD? I couldn't find any. SO TORN!!!!!!
The bottom line is, it's your son and you decide, not the psychiatrist, on the use of meds. Therapy alone may or may not solve the problem but you could try that alone first...also, look into other possibilities of symptoms like Visual Spatial Learners, or even eye problems.... I recently read about convergence insufficiency as a case of ADD like symptoms.
Hopefully he has had a full physical to rule out any health problems that could be a factor. Sometimes kids feel pressure too, from teachers, peers, parents or all that could cause some behavioral and learning problems.
THe reason I mention this is my nephew. His parents were very demanding and impatient with him, which lead him to be very frazzled. He got the ADHD diagnoisis last year, and the first drug was Adderall. He was fine on it at first; grades improved and all, but soon his personality and moods changed. He was aggressive at times, then would cry needlessly other times. His yelling backtalk at his father was completely out of his normal character as he's always been a sweety. So they try Strattera, the moods stuff changed and again he seemed on track. But after awhile, the sleep/severe fatigue stuff (strattera side effect) became more than his parents could take, especially when the doctor's only answer to the side effects was to up the dose! This infuriated my brother-in-law after months and months of this so he said enough!
So then my nephew went off all drugs; his parents let up on him pressure-wise and became 100% more patient with him....also, the new school year brought a teacher from heaven, as she encourged him so much he actually started enjoying school and his grades became very good. His ADHD problems have become almost non-existant overnight.
Needless to say, there are widespread reasons for children's problems/behaviors, whether it's health or eye related, dietary, stress, or simply being a different type of learner and all can be explored before resorting to meds, which in themselves have the ability to create their own set of problems.
If your worried about the 50% future addiction possibility, it's obvious there are many other factors that contribute to addiction than just ADD; Addiction is a psychosocial phenomenon and can happen to anyone, not just ADDers.
As far as supplements/natural go, fish oil is supposed to be good; also, B-vitamins, calcium and magnesium. Some people swear by amino acids. Natural stuff for the brain is based on the fact that many neurotransmitters in the brain are actually created by protein synthesis; but protein needs vitamins and complex carbs to process properly. Complex carbs are protein-sparing, they are used for energy to process the proteins and also prevent the body from using protein for energy. So nutrition plays an important part in neurotransmitter creation and function.
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