Need Advise from Moms with Experience with Adhd Meds

Maybe he doesn't need meds. Try BrightSpark - Homeopathic remedy temporarily relieves hyperactivity, distractibility and impulsiveness in children.

I have heard a lot of success stories from people who treat their children's ADHD homeopathically. The right remedy will be effective and won't make him sick. It may be worth finding out if there is a good classical homeopath in your area with experience treating adhd.

My almost 8 year old has ADHD. We are still trying to find a med that continues to work. One medicine gave him an upset stomach so we made sure he snacked throughout the day. His teacher is okay with him snacking more than the other kids in his class. It helped a lot. He never complained about his stomach hurting again. (we took a box of cheez-its or whatever he wanted and let the teacher give him the snack, so she could make sure he wasn't taking advantage of the situation.) (her son also has ADHD so she has been where I am...its a big help) So all I can do is suggest is let him snack.

I would do everything under the sun to rule out ADHD and having to place my child on meds... his body might be rejecting the meds because he might not need it. I agree with the food-allergy... and below are symptoms of a wheat gluten allergy.

Unexplained fatigue, irritability, increase in appetite, the ability to lose/gain weight fairly easily, itchy skin, bruises that take too long to heal, muscle aches and pains, joint problems, unexplained bloating, cramps, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, lactose intolerant, iron deficiencies, dizziness, frequent headaches, depression, feeling "scatter-brained", memory troubles, and brain / social behavior disorders.

It is called Celiac's disease and it's actually very common, affecting 1 out of every 122 Americans. Usually it is misdiagnosed as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Crohn's disease, IBS, and for children - ADHD. There are no pills to be prescribed (thankfully); the only cure is to stay free of Wheat Gluten for the rest of your life - makes you one heck of a healthy person. When all else fails, ask for the wheat gluten allergy blood test before getting on meds for something that they won't be able to cure anyway.

Good Luck!

Hi C.,

I understand how difficult this is. That is one reason I started working with a company called isXperia. We help people rid their families of traditional medicines and offer all natural alternatives. OPC+ or a form has been around for 14 years with over 40 years of research. It is an antioxidant which comes in a powdered form, you mix a small amount with water for a small twice a day drink. Good taste, easy to take and it goes into the system within 5-10 minutes. You can order a free sample (although we are on a short backorder as the new receipe is coming out). www.isxperia.com/S.. If you want all natural product that works well, I suggest you try this. Just fill out the health survey and you can get a free trial. You can also call or email me for more information. We know this product works great for kids and especially ADHD. You can also increase his B vitamins as this will help with mental focus and clarity.

I have no experience with the meds, but I do know that my mom helped my brother with his ADD, (only it was called hyperactivity back then) by giving him a food allergy test (the kind from a naturopath). When he ate the foods on his list, it completely changed his personality. It turned out he was sensitive to everyday foods like wheat and eggs for instance. But every person is different. She was given a prescription for ritalin for him but never had to use it. Should you want to go that route.

Hi C.-

I know most people that tell you to avoid meds are offering their advice with good intentions, but I also know that they have not walked in your shoes. My step-son has been diagnosed with ADD over and over again since he was about 4 (he is now about to turn 14). His mother refused to put him on ANY type of medication and his grades and behavior continued to get progressively worse as he got older. He came to live with us last year and we put him on Adderal as soon as school started. He has been on the Principal's Honor Role since and was just inducted into the National Junior Honor Society last week. I know first hand that ADD is a real disorder and that sometimes medication is the best way to handle it. If you have not already tried Adderal maybe it will work for your son without making him sick. My step-son sees NO side negative effects and it does wonders with his ADD.

Good luck and keep up the good parenting!

This sounds so similar to our experience. My 10-yr-old son is ADHD (inattentive type) and this summer we decided that we needed to turn to medication after trying unsuccessfully to work through it without meds.
We tried Straterra first. It worked really well but he lost 5 pounds in 6 weeks and would often complain of stomachaches and his doctor said we should try something else. He had a horrible withdrawal from Straterra when we stopped it.
Then we tried Focalin, but it affected his mood horribly and he began having angry outbursts all of a sudden. So we stopped Focalin after just a few days.
We went back to Straterra because it's the only non-stimulant med. We've tried giving half doses in morning and at night with the 18 mg. pills to see if it would help with the stomachaches but that didn't really make a difference. He complains of stomachaches still (not every day but probably most days) but we really feel like we're stuck without many options. He needs the medicine to do well at school.
I'll be curious to see if any other moms have suggestions. Good luck!

Hi C.,
My son is very near 15 year old (yikes! lol) and he has been on Adderall for a few years now and is doing quite well. Has maintained Honor Roll for about 4 years in a row. He takes Clonidine at bedtime to make him fall asleep otherwise he would be up all night. Mood effets and symptoms are little to none. I give any medication 6-8 weeks for the 1st side effects to go away. Most go away after it is in the blood stream.
Good luck.

Yep...these meds can be very harsh on the tummy. Do you give him his meds with food? I've found that can help; I usually give my son his meds with something high protein (some sliced meats or a protein bar). It also gets some food in him before his appetite gets cut by the med.

Best of luck!
L.

My son has been on Focalin for a year. We just had his 6 month checkup to see how he was doing. He hates taking it, but feels a lot better when he does take it. Well, his doctor is switching him to Vyvance (sp?), which has been on the European market for over 10 years, if I remember right. I haven't fully researched it yet. DS has lost 4 lbs, and because he's tall for his 8 years, he's just a little underweight. Focalin wasn't supposed to affect the appetite, but real world experience, such as with my son, has shown that it does make them lose appetite and sleep. I give DS melatonin chocolates, too, with his Dr. approval - I get mine from Dreamerz.com. Local health shops carry it, but I prefer to deal direct and they always send me samples with good pricing.

DS was also getting really dark circles around his eyes on Focalin, which I felt was unacceptable. Finally the Dr. agrees with me. He ran a blood panel to check for about 160 factors, just to be sure DS was ok internally and that the Focalin didn't affect any numbers (a baseline had been done last year), but also that we weren't dealing with any other biological condition that could be causing the eye, sleep, appetite and mood issues. We'd tried Strattera or Adderall first, but it just made him grumpier. Focalin made him grumpy in smaller doses, but upping the dose helped.

The Dr. also mentioned that Focalin was marketed as also not causing upset stomach like other meds cause. Well, that also proved not true. DS had reported occasional upset stomach, and the Dr. kind of pooh poohed it, but did note it. No matter what med, try to keep something w/protein in his body to help w/any nausea. These kids lose their appetite, but they really need to eat small, frequent meals.

The other issue we have is that DS has a hard time taking the med in the morning before school. The school can also see a huge difference when he doesn't take his med. They volunteered to have DS come to the nurse's office each morning to take it, when he's not so rushed as he is at home in the mornings. His ADHD makes getting ready slow going.

I would make a list of your concerns and symptoms on the Focalin and contact your DS' doctor. Our Dr. requires us to come in every 6 months just to see how he's doing, but will also take note of any questions or issues I have in the meantime. New research shows it's not all it was supposed to be, but also the fact that new meds have entered our market should make having updated choices easier.

We have had a very noticable improvement in our daughter (age 7, 2nd grade) with a daily regimen of an amino acid called L-Theanine (derived from green tea) 100mg 2x/day accompanied by a fish oil capsule and a whole foods multi-vitamin. When we keep this up twice daily, she is much more focused, compliant and just more "herself". Here's a link to one story about a family who saw great improvement when their sons took L-Theanine.
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/196441.aspx?option=print. Blessings!!

I know my parents were able to control mine with caffeine. The thing that helps me best is Diet Mt. Dew. It has to be Diet because the sugar would counter react and work against the caffeine. Mt. Dew has one of the highest caffeine amounts and it helps me to stay focused and calm me to a point of function. But before Diet Mt. Dew came around they gave me coffee...trust me it does work. I had a special ed student that I worked with that was ADHD and I talked to the mom about trying it because they didn't want him on meds and the Diet Mt. Dew worked (I gave the student some the same day that I talked to his mom and didn't tell him what we were trying) and later that day he came to me and said what was in that cup? I told him and he said well how come I was able to work and focus?

He figured it out on his own. Caffeine is one of the ingredients in the medications for ADD and ADHD. Good luck!

C.-
I have two boys both with ADHD. My oldest with Adderal and the other is on Focalin. I tried to switch my oldest to Focalin and he had a bad reaction to it so we went back to the Adderal. Neither of them have had any stomach issues however. One recommendation would be to possibly have him take it with milk. Both of my boys take it pretty much on an empty stomach so if your son has been taking it on a full stomach perhaps switching to an empty one may help or vice versa.
Good luck. Iknow how important it can be to find the right med. We went on a roller coaster with the oldest one and ended up back on the med he started with but each child reacts differently to each medicine.
Good Luck!