How Have You Handled ADHD Without Medication?

I've heard about the 'dye' thing that Lisa mentioned. My friend cut all dyes out of her family's diet. Her son IS medicated though. But perhaps removing dyes has helped. (you'll have to buy WHITE cheddar. Orange cheddar has dye in it!)

I have heard that a gluten-free diet has been shown to reduce the problems from chemical imbalances found in ADHD or autistic kids. I have a medical article I can dig up if you would like it.

Good luck!

I'm afraid I have to agree with Beth. Sometimes it is necessary for medication.
We tried it ALL. Detox, changing diet, vitamins, very expensive cognitive therapy...you name it. My son would just cry b/c he was trying so hard, and ask me what was wrong with him.... which broke my heart.
My doctor asked me this... "This is a chemical imbalance in your son's body. If he was diabetic, would you refuse to give him insulin?"
Now it has been night and day, straight A's, and my son is much happier b/c of it. We did try several until we found the right one, and he is on the smallest dose possible.
I think Jilly613 is also right. There are many children that are misdiagnosed, and small things like vitamins can make a great change in those children. My advice is this... try everything you can, but if it doesn't work, don't be afraid to try the medicine.

Good diet helps, stay away from dyes, cokes, sugary foods/drinks and add Vitamin B6 chewable. I'll try and make this short bc lots of info. Father has done tons of research on ADHD, ADD, OCD and many other disorders. Found majority, first 3 plus a few, are linked to lack of B6 in the brain. Brain can't store it like it should so child needs extra to counter. My brother was one of the most extreme cases of ADHD and OCD seen by many doctors. When medication would ware off he would go into an extreme rage to the point of needing to be restrained then would go into a comma state for hours on end. Once my father figured out B6 and how much B6 he needed he was able to get to the point where during the summer the vitamin was all he took then during school he would do the vitamin with a small dose of Aderol. Most of the children are extremely smart and have high IQ and when you start heavily medicating they aren't able to use their brain the way they are capable of doing. BC of my father's findings they now make B6 in a chewable for children. If one dose doesn't seem enough you can try a second. They can't overdose on it, if they receive too much the body will just dump it and they'll be tired and want to sleep. Depending on his age and weight he may need more. If average size child one dose should be sufficient.

Hi J.,

My youngest was diagnosed with ADHD. I never medicated but if she had been under anyone else's care, she would have been. My sister recommended detoxing my home to help and I did. Her behavior changed almost immediately and continued to improve to the point that the doctor removed her diagnosis. We also started her on an absorbable multivitamin/mineral complex and she is doing great. I had no idea I had been poisoning her with the household products we used in our home. Once we removed them, and even their residues, the whole family felt better.

Detoxing can be simple (it was the way I did it) and inexpensive as well. It's helped all of us. I could never go back to the old way....

God bless,

M.

1) Taurine has marvelous effects on me

http://intelegen.com/nutrients/add.htm

2) processed foods and artificial colors and flavors can wreck havoc on a child. Sugar and artificial sweeteners and MSG can as well.

3) Gluten/wheat in some children cause severe behavioral and/or developmental issues. My oldest had meltdowns 15-20 times a day until I removed gluten from her diet entirely (although at first she was worse as she went through withdrawls.)

Sorry to say we tried it all and nothing really helps as much as just flat out medicating.
We don't have the luxery of doing homeschooling , if we did we'd likely be med free but it's not fair to the other kids in her class for my daughter to be a distraction to them and her self.
She is gifted and ADHD- c She's brilliant but has no self control or focus.
There aren't any good studies out that say the diet change or holistic approach actually works consistently.

edited to add
we tried all of the above suggestions , we still do vitamin supplements (flaxseed oil omega -3s, Vitamin B complex, magneisum , vitamin D and an absorbable vitamin ) on top of no sugar,or dyes and added in caffeine (works the opposite in ADHD kids) but they do not help enough.

edited to add:
if your child is a zombie on ADHD meds it's the wrong med or the wrong dosage. These medicines no longer do that. My daughter has been on ADHD meds for over a year and has never been a " zombie"

on very good test to see if he really is ADHD is to give him a coke zero, no sugar but has caffeine , If he reacts positively , if it doesn't get him hyped up but settles him down then he's really ADHD but if it puts him into high gear then he's not truly ADHD

When our son was diagnosed, my husband and I neither wanted to put him on the narcotic medications. So, I went to our local nutrition store (Peak Nutrition). There I found a homeopathic therapy. Since the homeopathic Hyman's teething, gas, and ear tablets/drops had worked well for him, I decided to try this product.

The main one is called Attend. There are complimentary supplements Memorin and Extress too. We started him on the Attend when he was in Kindergarten. Initially, he took one pill. The directions said to try small dosage for a few weeks then adjust as necessary. After a few weeks we would not tell a real difference. So, we uped it to 2 Attends. This helped immediately. He stayed on this dosage until the spring of his 1st grade year. He was having troubles in school, so we got the Memorin and Extress to go with the Attend. He's in 3rd grade now and takes 2 Attends and 1 each of the other 2 each day.

These meds have not been a cure all, and he still has some bad days. But, they are definitely a God send over seeing him in a zombie state with no appetite and stunted growth.

I have to say that this past summer he totally changed physically and matured tremendously. His behavior, ability to sit still, concentrate, etc. have changed completely. Everyone that knows him comments on it. But, I have to add his teacher this year is what I call "old school". She doesn't let them get away with anything and holds them accountable for their actions. They have to keep their desks a certain way, hang their backpacks a certain way, walk in the hall a certain way, you name it, she's strict about it. This regimented format works very well for him, as it would any ADHD person.

We have thought about the diet change and decided it was just too complicated for our lives. There is no way we could every eliminate all preservatives and fast foods from our diet. We don't have time. With a 2 income family, extra curricular activities, it just won't fit.

We have had really good luck with behavior modification therapy and the Feingold Diet. ADHDDIET.COM

I commend you for starting with the natural approach. I am not completely against medicating but only as a LAST resort. Each child is affected by ADHD differently and medication isn't necessary for all of them. My son may have ADHD. He's been given a diagnosis but I'm still not sure if this is what's going on, despite what the doctor said. I have done a lot of research on this topic and I agree with every single thing I have read from the previous posters. A lot of good advice here.

Here's what we are trying. I feel like it all working but I need more time to get a better feel for what is working and what is not. Multivitamin, B vitamins, vitamin D, a good quality fish oil and probiotics. Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason for his behavior but I can tell you that he is very sensitive to sugar (not all children are as sensitive as others). NEVER allow sodas. These are the worst. From what I have researched, true ADHD kids respond well to a dose of caffeine (Google it and do a little research....here's a good one http://www.livestrong.com/article/74378-treat-adhd-caffei.... It's hard to get caffeine in a young child without sugar. Don't use sodas though, it will backfire. I haven't noticed much improvement for us but I recommend you play around with it. I recently met someone who uses a caffeine drink that they purchase from some supplement company (I'm sorry that I don't remember the name) but they said it is working great for their two ADHD kids. I would also fool around with eliminating gluten and dairy products (casein). This is a very difficult diet but doable once you adjust. It wouldn't hurt to have him tested for food sensitivities. Don't go to any old allergist for this; find a doctor (not necessarily an allergist) who specializes in Autism, ADHD, Aspergers, etc. A regular allergist could care less about food sensitivities and is only concerned about food allergies. Do not be fooled, however. Food sensitivities have very subtle but very real effects on people, even adults (for example, the person who gets frequent migranes/headaches, the moody person, irritable person, tired or hyper person, etc). You probably should up the protein intake in his/her diet too. So, what I am getting at here is try all of these things recommended but one at a time so you can see any changes. Also, keep a very detailed journal so that any changes will be more clear. Lastly, pay attention to your child's behavior when sick (even a minor cold). I see huge behavioral changes when my child's immune system is being taxed. Good luck.

1. Cut out ALL processed foods. No pre-packaged, pre-sweetened, artificially flavored food. This means stopping all fast food, all Kraft Mac N Cheese, no packaged jellos, no sugary cereals. This doesn't mean you cannot eat some sugar, but buy and consume only non-sweetened cereals and then add your own natural sugar.

2. Your child is not a chemistry set. With that you can experiment with many of the miracle oils available in market. But be very careful, as oils are stored in the liver and can lead to toxic levels if given too much. You can usually safely double a dose, but not more without the liver storing them. So, keep a log and try the Fish Oils, the Omega 3's and 6's, or Flaxseed Oil, or Cod Liver Oil, or Vitamin E.

3. Make sure you child receives lots of outdoor play and natural sunlight for natural Vitamin D.

4. Cut out all white flour. Eat only whole grain breads and cereals.

5. Eat lots of high quality proteins: eggs, fish, chicken, tofu. Meaning, eat protein every meal and as snacks. Don't snack on junk food and sweet treats. Those sugars cause too much of a spike in the body's ability to metabolize and cross over into the brain too quickly. Making it very hard to focus and concentrate.

6. I recommend you see a D.O. A Doctor of Osteopathy. They have great medical tips and practice gentle manipulations that would be hugely beneficial.

When I was teaching, I saw diet work well. Protein ever 45min, low perservatives.

Dear J. B, I praise your effort to want to deal with ADHD without medication. In this context, I just heard an interesting lecture. Sometimes ADHD is overdiagnosed. That is, children that learn better in other situations (other than traditional sit down schools) are diagnosed with ADHD when actually they just do not like to sit or do not learn while sitting. They are more physical people -- I am no expert, but I would get a second opinion before deciding this is what my child has....
Best of Luck. Jilly

I read an interesting article recently. http://www.cspinet.org/new/201006291.html

I've been trying to cut out dyes from my whole family's diet. You wouldn't believe what you find them in! Anyway, not sure if it will help, but wanted to share anyway.

Although my child is too young to have this type of diagnosis (2 years old), I did hear about a wonderful doctor in SA that takes a non-medicated approach to ADHD and I hear he's had great success. It may be worth the trip for you or he may know of someone in your area that has same type of practice. Good luck.

http://stelzerchiropractic.com/Childhood-Development-Center/

I know that some people have noticed a difference after making sure their kids had no food dyes.
FD&C red was a common one they swore made a difference.

I have no scientific proof of that.

omega 3's are reputed to be successful in treatment of adhd. Ive been using it for anxiety and its amazing. check out drsears.com for more info

I actually spoke with a mom on Saturday who has seen great results with her two kiddos (one is autistic and the other has ADHD) in taking the same nutritional supplement that my family is taking. Let me know if you'd like more information about it! This may be what helps you too!

My sister had ADHD and growing up my mother cut all artificial colors and flavors out of our diet, as well as salicilates (natural sugars that occur in some fruits like apples and grapes.) I'm not sure where she found this diet I think it was one a doctor developed, but it really worked. Red food coloring tended to be the worst. We still ate a lot of normal foods and even junk food but it was all natural. My sister was severe ADHD and we managed it for a long time with no meds.

Hope you find something that works for you!