5 Tear Old with Adhd?

PLEASE!!!! Get a second opinion! I have 5 children. Two of them have ADHD. My husband and I DO NOT medicate them. There are many other ways to deal with ADHD. I, myself, have eliminated all RED 40 from their diets. This has improved their well being 100 fold. By the way, you are not crazy! Try looking at this website: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/medicating/

GOOD LUCK!!!! -dyesmail-

I have a daughter who was ADHD and ADD professionally diagnosed. She was on Retalin and had no ill effects from the medication. She is now 24 and it made a world of difference in her school work and my own sanity. I would definately get a second opion, I was very leary of putting my daughter on meds but it does make a difference for them also. My daughter said that without it things were just racing.

My mom had taught 42 years years now. And she notices that the younger they put them on the meds for ADHD the worse they behave. The meds tend to make them more sedate or more aggressive. If I was you I would not do it. But I am no doctor. There is a program my mom did called "Brain Booster Technologies" and it helps children with promblems such as ADHD it helps them control they brain patterns so they can become more calmer and more productive. It is like a game so there is no harm to this program. Look into it if you can

The following is a site which I think you will find a lot of pertient information:

http://newideas.net/

Please be sure to consider the child's diet, your diet effects all of your behaviors, we really are what we eat. Avoiding not only sugar but processed food with dyes and preservatives which are harmful is a must. Whole natural food and supplemnts are ideal.

And as one person posted about it being a conspiracy, you would be surprised at what the AMA and pharmacuetical companies will expose us too in order to make a buck. I tend to believe that our increase in behavioral disorders stems from damage that is caused by vaccination. I highly suggest you research the terribly ill effects vaccines are having on our children and our world.

The following documentary has been extremely enlightening

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=86105546792070900...

And this website has several links and articles.

http://www.vaccination.inoz.com/links.html

Finally, The is a peditrician named Dr. Buckley in Mandarin I believe that specializes in behavior disorders.

I hope this helps, many good wishes to you and others with your parenting journeys. S.

I too have a very active 8 yo. People have said for as long as I can remember, "WOW, if you could bottle that energy you could make millions". At four years old he started martial arts at The Dragon Dojo, in Lynn Haven,FL. At first he was attentive, then he was fooling around. He has his good and bad days. His father and I never wanted to have him tested because we weren't willing to put him on any kinds of drugs like that. Even though he had a problem in school with his behavior he always was lucky enough to get teachers willing to work with him and help us to help him. So finally last summer we got him tested for ADHD because he was going into 3rd grade, and I knew FCATs were going to be an issue for a kid who couldn't sit still. He was diagnosed with ADHD, but his doctor knew how we felt about drugging him. Even though he assured me he wouldn't be a zombie like other kids I see. He referred my to Dr. Kenawy at OLIVE LEAVES Health foods stores on 23rd st. He is a nutritionists. Though when my son went back to school this year he had no behavior problems, within weeks of being diagnosed. We reward him when he has good days and he has consequences for not so good days. The reason that I mentioned the martial arts is because it is an excellent outlet for that extra energy. Plus Shihan Weist, the teacher there specializes in helping kids with ADHD. He is great. He demands respects and offers a disciplined yet fun and playful atmosphere. He also rewards the kids for doing well at school or at home. The Mini dragons,3-8 yo have sheets that the parents fill out about chores, or being nice to siblings, and they are rewarded for those things. All I'm trying to say is there are definitely other choices you can make for your child then drugging them. Do some research and be an advocate for your child.

I also have a 5 year old is also on medication. He's not on Adderall though, he's on Focalin. My son is very, very hyper and has to stay busy. He's on 10mg and it seems to help alot. This weekend he didn't have his meds, and I saw the difference of how he is with them. It really helps him alot. It doesn't change his personality, he's still my loveable, funny, entertaining 5 year old. When the doctor gives him the medicine he'll most likely put him on the smallest dosage like 5 mg, and see how he is on that. With so many meds out there, and all the stories especially what Ridelin did, no doctor wants to make your child a zombie. I believe it really helps them calm their mind down, they have so much going on up there, that they can focus on one thing, and not get so upset about it, or stressed. If you do decide to put him the medication, don't use it as a crutch. The meds are there to help them calm down, not make them behave. He's still 5 years old, he's going to get into trouble. He's still going to play and be a little boy. Talk more about it to your pediatrician and tell him what you're worried about. Again I understand, I have two of my children on it, and I think I'm going to have to put my youngest one on it soon. I can see the signs, but I probably won't until she gets into school. They're kids, they deserve to play, but at school when it's time to learn, they need to stay focused and have fun at the same time. Everybody is different and every child is different. You just have to go with what you feel is better for your child. My kids aren't zombies, by no means possible. They still play, my oldest one still argues with me everyday, he has his personality, and he's doing so much better in school. My 5 year, isn't different, he has his times, to where he's 5 and he's a boy so he's going to do weird things, the meds don't turn my boys into zombies. That was the one thing I was afraid of. I didn't want them to loose themselves. My oldest is on Adderall XR, extended relief, it works well on him, but he's 9 years old. So I do think it might be a little too strong for a 5 year old. Ask you're doctor if there's any other meds that he would recommend. Bring up Focalin to him, like I said my 5 year old is on that one, and I like it. Again, and I can't stress to you how much about this, don't use the meds as a crutch, do what makes you feel right about your son, and keep an open mind about it.

Follow the links below. Try this diet my nephew has ADHD/ADD and man has it helped him out tremendously. It is a great alternative to putting you child on major drugs.

http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/health/Diet/Feingold_Die...

http://www.feingold.org/

It was suggested years ago that my 19 yr old son take meds. I replaced snacks with sugar-free and sugar free drinks. I was a teacher and was amazed how many children were on medication. Their personalities change. However ... then on lunch duty, I would see these same children loading up on the ketchup. Ketchup is LOADED with sugar. I'm ashamed to say I think too many teachers and doctors prescribe drugs too quickly because it makes their jobs easier. My son graduated high school and is in college and eats whatever he wants (I assume LOL) but I'm glad I didn't put him on meds. I hope this helps.

www.workathomeunited.com/S.

S.,

I have an 8 year old son and he has never been officially diagnosed with Add or adhd, because my pediatrician does not recommend testing til over 8 yrs and I don't want him labeled and I don't want to be expected to medicate him. Over the past year and a half I have altered his diet and added some supplements. I don't let him have orange juice, it seems to make him worse. I have added more protein in his diet especially for breakfast. I have also cut back on the sugar and added more fruit and veggies and whole grains. I have also been giving him a Nutritional Beverage called Spark and added flaxseed and omega vitamins daily. I have done some research and they have studies show that omeaga in the right form along with neuroactives help with focus. If you have any questions contact me at ____@____.com. I hope that this may help you and give you some things to try before going to meds. I believe that should always be the last resort.

Hi, S.,
Don't let them be so quick to put him on medication. When I was his age I was extremely hyper and never wanted to pay attention in class, i talked non-stop, at home my mom didn't know what to do! She thought maybe she was doing something wrong, so they decided to take me to a child psychologist and see what they thought. Their conclusion was that although i was hyper-active, it was caused from my sugar intake. My mom changed our habits, i only had sugar-free things. That included - no soda, mostly Crystal Light, it's sugar-free, any candy she bought was sugar-free, no sugary snacks - more fruits and veggies, and you can doctor up the veggies, do celery and carrots with peanut butter, things like that. Guess what, everything changed with my behavior. I would say to try and cut back on sugars before medicating him. That's the problem, they don't really want to put in the effort to find out what's wrong, they are to quick to medicate children these days! I have a daughter who is 3 1/2, and i can definitely tell the difference in her behavior when she's had sugar. It's a simple thing to change, and you'll be saving your son from possibly getting into a depression from the meds. Let me know how it turns out.
L.

Please try and stay away from the Adderal. I have a grand child that is on it and it has too many things that can happen to the child. Try changing the diet and get the child involved in more physical activities to burn off some of the excess energy. My oldest child was like yours.

Hi S.,
I think it is very sad that we depend so much on drugs these days. It seems like everyone is on something including our little ones. I think drugs are used to quickly. I believe that many drugs mask the problem and never fix the problem. Eventually that one drug causes other problems and then you have to take another drug because you now have a new problem. Have you tried changing his diet. I don't know what kind of diet he is on so please don't take offense to this. I have heard that changing their diet can help. Try less sugar in the diet and more fruits,vegetables and water.
Sincerely,
L. Jacobs

S.,

You have to do what you feel is right for your son in your heart and soul. If it was my son, i would not put him on drugs, but that is only my opinion. You can try, keeping him on naptime when he is home, cut the tv out of his daily routine and have him work on arts and crafts. My opinion is that I don't belive in drugs for such a small child and before making that decision , i would explore other avenues.

Good luck!!

S.,
My sons teacher has implied that he may have adhd. I know you want to do what is best for your son, but what happened when we were kids? Were we labled and put on drugs? No, what's happened is mothers have to work now because the womens liberation brought about equal rights and now instead of the husband making what two incomes would make and the mother staying at home we all have to work to make that income.
I work and can not spend as much time with my son as I want and so others are raising him and this annoys me terribly.
They have soccer for yours sons age and I think he just needs to play and get that energy out. Ask his teacher what she is doing to stimulate him? He may be bored if he is intelligent.
I do not think any child has adhd, I believe they are just wiggle worms. If he has trouble learning, then it may just be a slight learning disability. Try putting him on Omega three for kids....fish oils are good for the brain.....and safe.
My son wiggles and he is 7, but if you ask him what you just said he will tell you word for word. Too many people in the liberal world want to put lables on these babies and too many video games and tv and not enough outside fresh air are what the main problems stem from.
Once they put ADHD on paper, it becomes a crutch for him and this diagnoses will follow him. If he in fact has it, YOU take the initiative to analyse it, and then try all natural stuff to see if it puts him back on track. I did it that way and when the other stuff was not working, I knew he didnt have ADHD.
My son is extremely intelligent and bored in the classroom. He is academically above average, but socially terrible. I am working on those skills at home.
Please let me know your thoughts about this.
Respectfully Yours,
P.

Dear S.,

If both your teacher and pediatrician think your son has ADHD, it is time to seek help from specialists. That is a psychiatric diagnosis. I would have him evaluated by an expert. You could try getting him in to see Dr. Tridas on Armenia. Look up www.thetridascenter.com . (Good luck) I also know of a Phd. psychologist named Dr. Christopher Iler who does private practice and works with the school system. His job is to evaluate children, but he is not quick to recommend medication. He will teach behavior modification. His tel# is ###-###-####. Both of these people are in the same building but not related to each other. If you son ends up needing medication, he should see a good child psychiatrist to again evaluate need for meds and then prescribe them properly. On another subject, I read that giving your son fish oil supplements may help. Good luck. K.

S.,

You sound like a smart, level-headed mom. You are totally right that your son is too young to be put on medications like those.

Psych drugs are extrememly dangerous. Many have suicide as a side-affect and even the American Psychiatric Association admits that the drugs have not ever been shown to cure any illness. Never.

The FDA forced the manufacturer to place a warning on Adderall for sudden cardiovascular deaths. The FDA warns that Adderall has been known to cause heart attacks, strokes and sudden deaths (all of these symptoms occur in children as well as adults).

In Feb 2005 the Canadian equivallent to the FDA stopped the marketing of Adderall due to 20 sudden unexplained deaths (14 of children).

This is a serious situation and you are wise to ask advice and do your homework. I recommend www.CCHR.org for more info.

As for a solution for your son. Lots of sunshine and play time will be good for him. Also, if you can help make sure he understands what he studies, that will help him too. As a buddy (not as his mom) let him ask you question and explain to him what words mean that he is learning about, etc. The less confused he is and the healthier he is, the easy your job will be.

As for his teacher, kids are wild and energetic and that's a good thing. I was a teacher for several years and active kids do require more energy and attention, but they can also accomplish much more than a quiet, drugged kid will ever accomplish.

Good luck with your son. I'm interested in what you decide and would love to hear from you again.

K. Snelson
Clearwater, Fl

Don't do the drugs. i feel he is still too young. teachers and doctors are always wanting to label a child just because he/she is a little more active than others. My son has ADD and is 13. He is not on meds. He didn't like them and frankly i didn't either. he was a completely different child. I went to the granary in Orange Park and they have a liquid that helps with focusing. it's all natural and it's by buried treasure. we love it.

Good Luck and God Bless!!! Jess

I do not know a lot, but I wrote a paper on this in my masters program. I remember outdoor programs are great for kids with adhd. There are actually programs that are being tested with a more active involvement. Some schools encourage movement while in the classroom. You may want to look for a non-traditional class. New brain research actually shows that movement is an important part of learning. A few private schools have taken this research to heart and formatted kindergarten and first grade without formal desks. As for the medication route, i do not know the answer. I would try everything else before going that route. You can change his diet and give him supplements. I would also pray.

I have 4 year old grandson that I wondered about since he was barely a year old if he had adhd or not. He had no self control, impulsive and was always in "trouble" for something..it broke my heart for him. It was something he could not control on his own. He had started on medication about 4-5 months ago and has helped him so much. He's proud of himself now, he can build a block wall with out losing interest 1 minute into it. If you aren't sure, get a second opinion. Do what your heart tells you to do. Try changing his diet, behavior modifation books are available. I have been a pre-school teacher for 9 years so I have some experience in the field...I worry about what it does to an ADHD childs self esteem when they are constantly in trouble over their behavior. I wish you luck and I would try other avenues before the medication but if you trust your childs teacher and doctor I would give that a try.

Hi S.,
Please keep in mind that I am not an expert in this at all, so please just take it for what it is... an opinion. You did not say what measures have been tried up to this point or what types of behaviors your son is having difficulty with, but I personally feel that it is normal for five year old boys to be active and to have trouble concentrating in class. It sounds like you are a very dedicated Mother and if you are hesitant to put him on medication or are concerned about the effects of the drugs on him, you need to follow your gut instincts and trust yourself. You know your child better than anyone else in this world and you know what is best for him. Maybe you could talk to your doctor and your child's teacher and tell them your concerns and ask about other steps that you could all try as a team to try to control this before you resort to medication. The internet is a great source of information, but you have to be very careful about the sites that you trust. For something like this, I would trust the following websites: Parenting, Parents, Child (all magazine websites) as well as iVillage. I do think that there are some children who truly are ADD or ADHD and that medication is the only way to control it, but I also think that those disorders are highly over-diagnosed and that it is in the parent's, teacher's and doctor's responsibilities to try other options before using medication. You know your child better than anyone in this world, trust yourself, you will make the right decision for you and your child. I personally would not go only on the teacher's and doctor's recommendations, I would find an independent (one that does not work for the school district or in conjunction in any way with your doctor... this ensures that the psychologist is impartial and is not influenced in any way by either the doctor or the teacher) child psychologist who specializes in ADD / ADHD and get their opinion also.
As I stated before, this is only my personal opinion and I do not know the entire situation, so please... take or leave my advice as you see fit.
N.

My 7 year old is very active and unfocused and has been tested but diagnosed as not ADHD. I went to the Vitamin Tree (local vitamin store) and asked them for attention stuff, they sold me Added Attention liquid, Calm Child liquid, and Attentive child wafers. I give her the liquids about 1/2 hour before we leave for school and send the wafers with her for lunchtime. The Teacher says they make a big difference in her. I like her was not going to be happy with the dr giving her meds like that and was very happy when they said she did not have ADHD but the teacher just kept telling me she is very unfocused and did not attend well at school.

I will tell you, it is never an easy decision as to medicate your child, but I know exactly how you feel. My 7 yr old was diagnosed with ADHD when he entered kindergarten and has been through a mess of medications. He has been on Adderall, Riddilen even stuff I had never heard of and is now on a patch that is working for now.
But that's how it works, they can't even diagnose the kids until they enter kindergarten, then it's trial and error to find the right med's in the right dose for your child. But if you know your child has ADHD then it is in his best interst to do the right thing and put him on the med's other wise he will fall behind in school and possibly begin more serious problems.
But again it's a personal call, one I had to think about very long and hard and finally decided my son needs the medicine cuz when he's on it he is calm, he behaves and my other children can actually get along with him, the med's make him like a "normal" 7 yr old little boy if there really is such a thing :)

Get a second opinion, or two, or three. If you have any hesitation to put your five year old on meds, than ask as many professional as you can until a reasonable solution is presented. Always go with your gut instinct.

My son was 5 when he was put on Ridalin... The difference is ENORMOUS! This what before Concerta and Adderall where made... He is 14 now...just ask alot of questions of your pediatrician and make appointments every 6 months to discuss your thoughts and have his blood checked to see for yourself that he is ok... I have tried herbal stuff... it is a bunch of JUNK... don't waist your money... IT DOESN'T WORK! and the diets are no good ...The only thing that I agree with is cutting down the sugar and caffeine...

You will be surprised at the results... You child will benifit better with Friends and in his learning. Imagine that your mind is wandering in a million different ways at once... THAT IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO THESE KIDS... I know because I am one.

Have you considered researching what sugar does in the brain? I have recently come to understand that this plays a big effect on so called-ADD/ADHD etc. It couldn't hurt, actually it would benefit your whole family, to phase out sugar and see if that makes a difference.
Best of Luck!

I'm not a big believer in medicating children when there can be other alternatives. As scary as this might sound, studies have shown that toxic chemicals in your home can be a contributor to ADHD. Even something as simple as Lysol. You see...when you spray a product like Lysol, it releases Neuro Toxins which can "mess with" childrens brains. I'm not saying for sure that is what's happening. Look into safer alternatives. Even an all natural childrens vitamin can work as well. I do have more info if you would like it.

T.
###-###-####

My son was "diagnosed" with ADHD at 3 1/2. We tried the meds, but in the end he was so inactive and not like himself that I took him off. He also developed a tic while he was on the meds that, in turn, needed more meds to control. If you can find an outlet for his energy that can help keep his mind active it helps a lot. Mikey's thing is puzzles, he can sit for hours and work on them and since it is also making him think and use his mind, it calms him down. Another thing that I found worked, some say it doesnt matter, but I think it does... Is to try and limit the amount of sugars and artifical flavoring and colors that are in his diet. When I cut out most of the things Mikey was snacking on with the colors and flavors in them it seemed to flip a switch. Please feel free to email me at ____@____.com if you need to talk about it. It is harded to deal with as a young mom, I know also, I just turned 24 this year so I know what your dealing with. Good Luck!