Need some advice about ADHD/ADD

[WifeofBath]

Originally Posted by cori n wes mom You may want to work on taking out artificial dyes as well to his diet...some have good success with that.

I highly recommend taking artificial dyes out of his diet. Check out what Feingold has to say on them The Feingold Diet Program for ADHD

I have tried to eliminate as many artificial colors and sweeteners in my sons diet as I can. It's a daunting task when you discover just how many foods have artificial colors in them. And it also means taking away many of the "fun" kid foods that so many kids like and enjoy. I don't allow Jell-o pudding or gelatin, fruit snacks (like BC and Kelloggs), Froot Loops, Lucky Charms and the like, colored candies like MnM's & Skittles. I didn't believe that taking them out of his diet would have much of an effect. But I have witnessed him going Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde one too many times after ingesting such foods to dismiss it as coincidence or hogwash. Eliminating them from his diet as much as possible does have a positive affect.

Originally Posted by Mama Stu I know this sounds crazy, but have you tried 8oz of Mt. Dew first thing in the morning. Research it. There has been success with this in treating ADHD children.

I have heard this too. I am still a little leery of giving my son Mtn. Dew b/c it contains HFCS and Yellow #5, an artificial coloring. And also due to the fact that I was dx about 3 months ago with Adult ADD. I drink coffee every morning and have for years. I can honestly say that the coffee has never made me feel better in regards to the ADD. But meds have worked wonders for me. (I'm NOT saying that meds are the answer for everyone, just the answer for ME)

Like another poster said, work with your pedi, his teachers and staff at school. But lastly, it comes down to you as his Mom and your gut instinct. Research all the options, and there are many now, and go with what you feel will be in the best interest of your child.

I wish you, and your son, all the best in this.

[Hoshi]

HERE, have a giant post! Pardon my hot air!

EDIT: By the way, on the mountain dew thing...ehh...I doubt it. Most of the ADD'ers I know don't notice any difference at all from caffeine, and those that do only have a little less fatigue - no help with concentration. It doesn't increase dopamine or norepinephrine significantly - only a little. You'd have to have a massive amount. And it's very, very short-lived. Not to mention that a tolerance builds incredibly fast. It's akin to treating a broken leg with a bandaid.

And the whole artificial color thing - I'm pretty skeptical. The reliable research I've come across always indicated that there was no positive effect from any of these limited diets. I have, and still do, believe that medication is the most effective treatment - especially when coupled with behavior modification and learning to cope with difficulties by finding new ways around problems.
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I have ADD (Combined type), though I was not diagnosed till this year. Since then, I've done massive amounts of research and got my hands on every ADD/ADHD-related journal article I could in my University's library.

If you think it is ADHD, take him to a psychiatrist who has had experience with ADHD. Call and ask! Many regular doctors (or psychiatrists without much ADHD experience) don't really know what to look for and diagnose kids with ADHD when it really is not the problem.

I know a lot of people talk about "natural alternatives", and I'm probably gonna get a lot of flac for this, but that stuff is pretty much a sham. Every study (peer-reviewed, double blind, of course) I've seen on the subject shows that these things just DON'T work. And I'm not surprised. Why? Because the problem is a chemical one....a neurotransmitter problem. Stimulant medications incread dopamine and norepinephrine, which greatly helps ADHD symptoms.

Interesting tidbits: ADD/ADHD brains are actually underactive. They have less glucose uptake than regular brains, meaning less activity. When given stimulant meds, they look much more similar to activity levels in normal brains. Also, children with untreated ADHD can often have smaller brains than treated (w/ medication) ADHD children and normal children. Brain growth also can often lag 3 years behind where it should be. Which I find a little scary. Oh, and untreated ADHD'ers are at a greatly increased risk of substance abuse, alcohol abuse, and to begin smoking (think self-medicating). Those on ADD medication had their risk cut in HALF!

I'll talk a little about meds.
Things I've tried:
Adderall IR (instant releases)
Adderall XR
Focalin
Strattera

What I'm on for the long haul now:
Adderall IR 20mg 2 times a day (or 3 if it's an intense school day), along with Celexa 30mg for anxiety/crazy mood swings that are kinda associated with ADHD. It works for me. Side effects? For me it was only dry mouth, which is no big deal if you just chew some gum.
Strattera, the non-stimulant ADHD drug, was by FAR the worst. Very few people find Strattera helpful, and it's darn close to being taken off the market in the UK by their gov'nt because it rarely works and has side effects from hell. I'm a very peaceful person - and within a week of starting it, I felt no joy or happiness - only extreme rage and irritation. I felt *homicidal*....I obviously took myself off the meds immediately.

Stim's get a bad rap from people who seem to think they're dangerous. Honestly, they are safer than most drugs out there as long as there are used as directed and the doctor makes sure there's no pre-existing heart conditions. If you want to REALLY learn about ADHD, read up on things by Dr. Russel Barkley. Here's an interesting collection of excerpts from one of his lectures: http://www.cognitivesolutionslc.com/adhdexec.pdf ... as he said, "The stimulants are the safest drugs in all of psychiatry and pediatrics. And let me add one other thing. They’re also the best studied of any drug you put into the mouth of a child."

If it IS what he has - please, don't delay treatment for fear of the drugs. Oh how I wish I had known when I was a kid! And how my family wishes! I was rejected by peers in middle school because I seemed erratic sometimes and just did things that got on their nerves. But it was all things I did because of the ADD. I had an above average IQ but did poorly in school, especially after 5th grade. I would forget homework or I'd lose it. My mind seemed...not right. After a while, you stop caring about school and just start to believe you will fail because you are stupid.
My family knew something wasn't right because I could seem so, so smart, then sometimes seem quite...dim, if you will. I felt stupid. But it was torture since I could FEEL the intelligence, I knew I had the knowledge. But the crazy racing thoughts and being unable to focus on ideas or get them out the right way....well, you start to think the only explanation is that you are dumb. It got so bad that I demanded my mother take me out of public school and do homeschooling because it was ruining my life and made me feel like I was completely incompetant.

I spent SO much time trying to work around it - work around the trouble with remembering things by making lists, and tried working around the trouble remembering textbook material I read. Finally, when I sat in the library for 5 hours trying to get through a chapter that should have taken less than 45mins.... I sobbed. I went home and sobbed while I mourned my wasted potential and wasted time. All I could see in my future was failure because I could not make my mind think straight. I couldn't keep from doing stupid, impulsive things. I couldn't make my mind not feel like a snowstorm with a gust whipping fuzz through my head. I couldn't keep my apartment clean, couldn't keep up with appointments and obligations, and I felt cut off from friends because of the crazy shifting moods and thoughts and stupid impulses. It felt like I always was juggling one too many things and that my life was a house of cards, always on the verge of being blown away by even the slightest breeze. And so it had felt for years.

Finally, after a few doctor appointments and several tests/questionaires to rule out other conditions, I was diagnosed with ADD. It all fell into line. After starting adderall, I was able to study. I could sit down and read. I could think before I spoke. I could manage my time. I studied because I looked forward to it since it was no longer just a futile effort. Tedious tasks that seemed impossible before suddenly became quite do-able. I still have to work harder than most normal people - it isn't perfect. But it's so, so much better than it was. I could never go back...it was pure hell.

You learn to adapt and make lots of lists....and do studying in the morning/midday. But the medication helps immensely. It helps me be who I always felt I was. It slows the crazy thoughts and allows me to focus on one thing. The difference between un-medicated me and medicated me is glaringly obvious to my friends and family. The unmedicated me is spazzy, impulsive, easily irritated, moody, easily distracted, has trouble remembering even simply things, and gets frustrated/gives up easily. The medicated me is calm, collected, happy, quick to learn, dedicated, and patient.

Can you imagine what it's like to put SO much effort into something only to see no benefit from it? Can you imagine how heartbreaking it was to try so, so hard, only to fail? And to realize that you're pouring every ounce of your effort into, every bit of your soul, and that it just isn't enough? And to feel like there's something blocking you - some sort of wall - in between you and your future and goals...and that wall being in your own head? It makes you so ashamed...and you begin to grieve....to grieve for your wasted potential, to mourne for all the wasted time and chances of your life. And then knowing that you will never live up to the goals you set for yourself and worked so hard for.... I can't tell you what it feels like...it's beyond dispair.

Some people like to vilinize the medication, but I just have to roll my eyes when they do. It saved my life. It saved my future.

[cori n wes mom]

Originally Posted by Hoshi HERE, have a giant post! Pardon my hot air! EDIT: By the way, on the mountain dew thing...ehh...I doubt it. Most of the ADD'ers I know don't notice any difference at all from caffeine, and those that do only have a little less fatigue - no help with concentration. It doesn't increase dopamine or norepinephrine significantly - only a little. You'd have to have a massive amount. And it's very, very short-lived. Not to mention that a tolerance builds incredibly fast. It's akin to treating a broken leg with a bandaid. And the whole artificial color thing - I'm pretty skeptical. The reliable research I've come across always indicated that there was no positive effect from any of these limited diets. I have, and still do, believe that medication is the most effective treatment - especially when coupled with behavior modification and learning to cope with difficulties by finding new ways around problems. ------------------------------------------------------ I have ADD (Combined type), though I was not diagnosed till this year. Since then, I've done massive amounts of research and got my hands on every ADD/ADHD-related journal article I could in my University's library. If you think it is ADHD, take him to a psychiatrist who has had experience with ADHD. Call and ask! Many regular doctors (or psychiatrists without much ADHD experience) don't really know what to look for and diagnose kids with ADHD when it really is not the problem. I know a lot of people talk about "natural alternatives", and I'm probably gonna get a lot of flac for this, but that stuff is pretty much a sham. Every study (peer-reviewed, double blind, of course) I've seen on the subject shows that these things just DON'T work. And I'm not surprised. Why? Because the problem is a chemical one....a neurotransmitter problem. Stimulant medications incread dopamine and norepinephrine, which greatly helps ADHD symptoms. Some people like to vilinize the medication, but I just have to roll my eyes when they do. It saved my life. It saved my future.

I just wanted to state...just for clarifying sake....I only mentioned the no dyes in the diet....as it seemed they were looking to start out with alternative diets. Some kids are "allergic" so to speak to the dyes .. Have an internet friend who uses it for her son...because the reg ADHD med were messing with his blood pressure...so they had to find alternatives for him...and that one actually worked (she has another son ADHD...the diet does squat for). But I have 3 kiddo's...with 10 medications between them (none for ADHD but one is on Reglan...so that one is rather contraversial)...and that same kiddo is on oxygen to boot...so I'm definitly not "anti-drug".

[lbrown1618]

Every child reacts to each med differently.
The key to ADHD meds is trial and error. For that very fact, that each person reacts differently to each drug.

Originally Posted by Hoshi Strattera, the non-stimulant ADHD drug, was by FAR the worst. Very few people find Strattera helpful, and it's darn close to being taken off the market in the UK by their gov'nt because it rarely works and has side effects from hell. I'm a very peaceful person - and within a week of starting it, I felt no joy or happiness - only extreme rage and irritation. I felt *homicidal*....I obviously took myself off the meds immediately. Stim's get a bad rap from people who seem to think they're dangerous. Honestly, they are safer than most drugs out there as long as there are used as directed and the doctor makes sure there's no pre-existing heart conditions. If you want to REALLY learn about ADHD, read up on things by Dr. Russel Barkley. Here's an interesting collection of excerpts from one of his lectures: http://www.cognitivesolutionslc.com/adhdexec.pdf ... as he said, "The stimulants are the safest drugs in all of psychiatry and pediatrics. And let me add one other thing. They’re also the best studied of any drug you put into the mouth of a child."

Strattera may have been the worst for you, but for some ADHD'ers, its the only thing that DOES work for them. My DD tried the stimulants first...Ritalin and Adderal...to no avail. She actually had a similar reaction to Ritalin that you had on Strattera. And Adderal had zero effect on her

Strattera has been my DD's savior! I'm not opposed to stimulants at all, obviously since we tried them. Just didn't want OP to get turned off to Strattera simply because "very few ppl find Strattera helpful". Her child may be one of the few that do benefit from it like my DD.

[Mama Stu]

Actually the Strattera is what my grandson is on too. He had a bad reaction to the first medication they tried him on which I believe was in the Ritilan family. The Strattera has worked great for him. I didn't mean to imply that I am anti-meds because I am not at all. I just think sometimes the medical field is quick to diagnose and the schools are quick to want children medicated. My grandson says the Strattera makes him tired, but we just recently found out he has Lymes Disease so that could be what is making him fatigued and not the meds. I think each parent should decide what is best for their child , be it medication, or natural remedies.

[JenVi]

Thank you all for the wonderful replies. We have filled out the paperwork for the pediatrician and we will go from there. More than likely we will start some kind of meds soon.

Jen