My friend has a son who is 6 years old and he has been on several different meds for his adhd. He is extremely hyper and doesn't know how to deal with himself. My girlfriend has been having a very hard time with this. Does anyone know of something that she can do? I told her I would ask you and she seemed very excited about it.
Thanks,
i have heard that are certain dietary changes that can be made in order to improve ADHD symptoms. tell her to ask her ped. about it or go to www.webmd.com.
Omega 3's for kids and a natural multi-vitamin from the health store.
I know this isn't very conventional, but maybe your friend can speak to her doctor about something herbal to help her son. Maybe she could try scenting the home with lavender as it is a calming scent...provided no one is the household is allergic to it. There is also chamomile tea or catnip tea...you can find those at herbal stores. But always check with a doctor or licensed herbologist before taking any herbal preparation especially when you are taking any prescription medications because they may have reactions together, or cancel each other out, boost one another, anything that other medications can do.
Your friend may also want to seek a second opinion about her son's diagnosis. My son was diagnosed with ADHD around that age and we tried every med available plus counseling and the behavior just got worse. Two years ago (at age 14) my son was re-diagnosed with manic-depressive disorder and put on the appropriate meds. ADHD meds will make manic-depressive disorder worse. Now at age 16 he's out of special ed at school, on the football team and in ROTC, and a joy to be around. He still goes to counselling twice monthly but his moods are now stabilized to the point where he is able to stop and think before he acts.
my son was diagnosed with that whenhe was 6, there are some drugs out there that make them worse, or make them zombies...the one medications that seemed to hel my son is "concerta"...and yes some things they ea can contribute to the way they act...check out the webmd site as the other mother said...and ask aobut "concerta" it didnt have any real bad side effects like some of the others...one he was on, iwould know the name if i heard it, made himevil...and very mean towards me and his dog...good luck
L.
C.-
Besides seeing an MD for this, has she tried counsleing? Just to help herself learn how to better deal with her emotions, the frustration of dealing with a difficult child.
Yes there are many meds out there designed to help control the symptoms of the ADHD, but they can't "cure" the underlying problem. The only thing she really can do is learn how to better cope with these problems and the way she feels.
A lot of employers offer an EAP program through their insurance that will get you a few counseling sessions for free. I would also reccomend looking via the web for support programs of other mothers dealing with difficult ADHD children.
I have a cousin with ADHD and can understand the meds turning them into zombies, not working well. However it is also the ONLY time he is under control and not bouncing off the walls. It becomes one of those "pick your poison" issues. Go insane from never being able to control your kid, or turn him into something you really wish he didn't have to be and feel bad about that. Perhaps either option wouldn't seem near as bad if she herself had some professional coaching on how to deal with all those issues.
We wish her the best!
Has she tried Concerta? My daughter used to take Methylin (or methylphenidate depending what pharmacy you go to...it's generic for ritalin) only she would build a tollerance to it to quickly. They switched her over to Concerta and she's doing great on it. However, Concerta isn't for everybody...my son was on it and he started ticking. They tested him for terretts and it came back negative, so they took him off the Concerta and the ticking stopped. Apparently he can't handle a stimulant. They put him Straterra...now it takes a bit for the straterra to build up in the system and actually work, but it's ok...better than nothing anyway. Then another thing that might help to is a parenting class called 1-2-3 magic. It's only one 2 hour session, but it's designed for kids with ADHD and that might help too. Also they're finding that kids that have ADHD also have another problem as well...ADHD doesn't often travel by itself. Wish her luck.
