Son with ADHD and Meds Not Helping!

I know this may have been suggested before, but when I worked daycare, there was a girl with a similar problem. She was extremely difficult to deal with and the parents had done everything. Later they found that it was a food allergy to different things like red dye... it would make her go bonkers... she was so out of control one time she took a blue marker and completely colored her baby brother blue and he came in the daycare like that... it was funny, but not something you want to experience.. Her parents found that giving her dairy products counteracted the foods or dyes that she was allergic to and she calmed down completely. It was like taking care of a different child.

I just want to say that I know how stressful this situation must be on you, I have friends that have children with ADHD. One time one of their children was out of control. They tried several things, including different medicines that did not help. Finally they saw this elderly doctor that told them to take away total access of the t.v., video games, etc., for a minimum of 2 weeks, and introduce something new that the family could do together. The doctor suggested coloring and table games. They thought this to be hopeless, but they where desperate so they tried it, it ended up working. Don't know if this is helpful at all, just thought I'd mention it. Hope things work out for you.

If the meds aren't working, you might ask that they screen him for autism. There are a wide range of things on the autism "spectrum" (including Asperger's). Treatment/management for those will be different from how ADHD is managed.
I'm not familiar with the supplement you mentioned, but I have heard of supplements called glyconutrients helping ADHD and Asperger's. If you like, I can get you some information on them.

I am so sorry to hear of your stuggle. I also have a son who was diagnosed with ADHD. I tried everything, meds, counseling. behavior modification, nothing really worked. My son had a horrible time in school. But he is now 19 and doing well. He has a full time job and a place of his own. So there is hope.
I have recently become educated about a whole food product that contains all the essential fatty acids, omegas 3, 6 7 & 9. Studies have shown that a normal functioning brain needs these and in the right balance. I wish this product would have been available when my son was struggling.
If you would like more info on this you can e-mail me:
____@____.com

I'd be happy to help in any way that I can.

God Bless,
C.

I have heard that nutrition has everything to do with brain chemistry. I've also heard of many parents having good results from using Isagenix nutrition program with their ADHD child. I don't have personal experience with ADHD, but I use the Isagenix program for myself. I could get you a phone # from a parent that uses the program for ADHD if you are interested. I do have CD's that explain how and why it works. One of the big supporters for use with ADHD is Dr. John Gray, author of the Mars & Venus books. He will be doing a small seminar in Granbury on February 9th, I believe. You can contact me by phone or email if you want more information. Hope this helps! God Bless!

S. Owens
###-###-####
____@____.com
sonjaowens.isagenix.com

D.,

Go here http://www.glycoscience.com and look up ADHD. The stuff works wonders!

D.,
I no longer ask our pediatrician or family doctor for advice on meds for ADHD or sleep problems. My son has Asperger's and take Adderall XR which works great for him. My daughter had anxiety and needed a sleep med for a few years. I made the mistake of asking the family doctor and wound up in the emergency room because she went psychotic on us, freaked and didn't sleep and got violent.

A psychiatrist is the best doc to work with for meds. That's all they do. But a good one is key. We see Dr. Dante Burgos of The Holiner Group in Dallas (he takes insurance!!!). It's a very well respected group of doctors.

Your son may need a combination of meds. I know it's awful to think of all the meds our kids take, but maybe he needs one for nighttime.

You're a worried Mom and you want the best for your child. Medication might be the best thing. It might help your child feel normal so he can learn and play like the other kids. Meds can be good.

Maybe an herb will work but they are not run through scrutiny like drugs so I wouldn't put stock in it. I do believe diet and natural methods can help, it just might be harder.

I heard Dr. Rios is good too, but he doesn't take insurance.

First of all, {{HUGS}}, for what you and your family are going through. I have not been in the same situation personally. but I went to school with a mom whose son was in similar situation and she bought a book that addressed the nutritional needs/problems of children with ADHD. I'm sorry I don't know the name of the book but I think she bought it at Whole Foods. But anyways, I beleive it was some type of gluten-free/sugar free diet. And she said it had done wonders for her son. Not sure if it will work for your son but no harm in trying to adjust his diet to see if that will help.

Also, there is a book that got good reviews named "The Minds of Boys" that addresses how the brains of boys are different than girls and thus they learn differently and have different activity levels than girls, etc. And how this can lead to some males being misdiagnosed with ADHD. I don't know if this is the answer to your problems but it is definetley worth reading to help understand how boys think and operate.

Good Luck,
M.

Hi D.,
I feel for you as I have walked this journey with my son, now 10. There is soooo much I could write however I will try and make it short and leave my email for you to contact me on your time.
My son was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 5, meds were a last resort,however we did place him on meds and I kick myself for ever starting them. One med turned into him taking 3 at once. Meds did not work well as we've tried atleast 5 diff. types. The straw, my son was having heart pain...yes, frightening. The doctor,cardiologist wanted to study him for three months with a monitor. All the dr's wanted to send him to another doctor to have yet another diagnosis, ADHD, Anxiety, aggressive disorder. My son changed from a loving son to a angry son, we could not snuggle, kiss or hug. He would push me and his brother, he would scream, spit,say nasty things. I was not settling for this...then I found Dr. Block of The Block Center in Hurst, TX. Before my son saw her I went to nutritionists, naturaopathic physicians which helped some but did not find the root of the problem. Dr. Block is an osteopathic physician. She analyzed my son from numerous tests to find out vitamins, nutrients deficiencies as well as understand his body in order to prescibe to the needs of his body not drug him. She immediately had him stop his meds....to see my son go through detox at 8 yrs old was the most horrifying experience as he struggled with headaches, night sweats, mood swings...all because I gave up and put him on medication. Take this information, along with all the other responses and make your MOM decision...we all have our MOM thermometer I call it...I know my son, what I needed was to find the right doctor who was analyzing him from the inside out, not looking at symptoms....looking at his body functions and what he may be missing...this is what Dr.Block did for our family. Check her website out www.theblockcenter.com Also, email me if you'd like to talk and we'll work it out ASAP. Best of luck to you. Prayers, Doreen ____@____.com

Hi D.! I am a customer of a wonderful all natural company. Several people have had great success withh ADD and ADHD symptoms just by removing the chemicals from their homes. Since 2 of the most popular cleaners in many homes today are registered pesticides it is no wonder all the side effects we are seeing. My son was diagnosed with a "chemical intolerance" something that I didn't even know existed. However once we converted our home to all natural products my son's asthma and eczema were gone. It took only a week for us to notice a difference, and a month before he was off his breathing machine!
I never knew that there was a natural option out there that my family could afford. I thank God everyday that we found this company! Please let me know if I can help you convert your home to better, safer, AND more economical products!
Talk to you soon!
N.

My five year old son was diagnosed with ADHD by a Psychiatrist last Monday and began immediately on Focalin XR 5mg. The drug takes affect within 30 minutes and wears off within 10 hours. After three days we increased his dose to 10mg and have seen unbelievable results. Perhaps this med would work for your son as well. Let me know if you want anymore info.

M.

Hi,

My son is 5 in Kinder and now being "evaluated" for ADHD. I found that there has not been studies done on children under teh age of 6 for the med: Adderall XR. I am hesitant to use meds, but I have found that he is very sensitive to sugar, bad carbs, red & yellow coloring. I started serving him a well balanced breakfast during the week and have found that he does better at school. I myself lead a low-glycemic lifestyle, so of course children need less sugar. As adults we know how to feed ourselves the correct foods to get our blood sugar leveled, but kids do not. They tend to want junk food and when the are on the sugar "high" they are temporarily happy, but when they crash...man they can be tyrants. It all makes sense to me now. So, if your child is sensitive to sugars, bad carbs, and coloring, it is worth a try to change it. But, with kids that are ADD/ADHD, change is tuff, so do with one thing at a time. I hope you find a solution soon.

B.

Let me start by saying I'm sorry your going through all of this . I recently came across this web site that I think every parent should read. www.ritalindeath.com The reason I came across this web site is because I have a 5 yr old girl in Kinder this year she has always been very smart for her age but she is doing horrable in school. I kept expecting the teacher to suggest ADD med. (or a dr appt.) Well after I started looking up differant stuff we came to the conculion she is gifted and talented. The reason I'm telling you all this is because all the GT sites I've been to all mention ADD/ADHD it turns out they (GT students) have all the classic signs of ADD and alot of them get miss digonosed. And end up taking meds they don't need if they get the proper brain stimulion. Anyway Blah blah I've said enough I hope this is something you'll look into.

Hi D.,

I have not heard of Attentive Child but am able to share more information on other non-medication alternatives for your son. Please feel free to message me if you are interested in hearing more about I can share - natural alternatives that have helped other kids get back to being able to focus, behaving well, eating normally, sharing quality time and sleeping thru the night...I'd love to share the information with you if you are still looking for healthy alternatives for your son.

C.

Hi D.,

I'm sorry to hear about your son's condition. I work for a wellness company and we have had so many mothers who have had great succes with our products. Once their kids started on these products their teacher’s noticed a big difference in their behavior and grades. But, most of all there were no negative side affects. I would love to share these products with you.

You can email me at ____@____.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,
J.

Hi, If you get an responses to your question, please let me know. I have a 6 yr old & just moved here from florida & he has turned into a nightmare. hyper doesnt even cover it. I didnt want to put him on meds because I raised my niece who was adhd & they never helped. She was either on speed or a zombi! I will let you lnow anything I find out as well. Thank you, J.

Please consider homeopathy. You have nothing to lose! It works in the hands of a skilled and experienced homeopath! We have seen great improvement in our Autism Spectrum child and even in our whole family. You do need to learn a little about it so you know what's going on. It can be a slow process that requires commitment, but sometimes if the right remedy is found quickly it's a miraculously fast cure! Here is the contact info for our homeopath:

Dani Hudspeth
Natural Healthcare
work ###-###-####

Wow that sounds difficult.

First thing I was would ASK myself is do I believe he is ADHD?

I know that ADHD meds are "speed" but with the ADHD mind it's not supposed to work as speed - I guess the speed allows their mind to catch up to what they are doing physically - (something like that). if he's acting as though he's on speed, maybe its too much meds?

Or if you aren't entirely comfortable with the diagnosis you could have him evaluated by soemone else?

I know someone who's son was dx'd as bipolar but then it turned out he was aspergers. the bipolar meds were making him act worse than before.

anyway, I don't know your son, or what's right for you, but trust your heart. these sorts of things aren't an exact science.

If you are going to see a psychiatrist regarding the ADHD any further I suggest you make sure that he/she specializes in ADHD in children.

My brother-in-law is a pediatrician and he feels that kids should be tested for ADHD and not just medicated for it. Also treating kids with psychiatric meds when they are showing no signs of needing them is a big no no. Some phychiatrist are real quick to medicate and not test. Depending on your insurance they may or may not pay for testing.

Also from my understanding sometimes ADHD can be treated by diet.

I was a nanny for a long time for 3 children which all had issues. 2 of them had ADHD and one had Asperger's as well. I would try to have your son evaluated elsewhere and specifically ask about that. I venture to guess it may be that because of the fact they thought he may be bi-polar.

If you want to talk to another mother who has been through the process, my former employer is very open to that. She is also a nurse practicioner so she knows alot of the medical side of it as well. Please email me and I can set you up in contact with her. (____@____.com)

Good Luck no matter what road you choose. I know from being part of their family for close to 3 yrs what a long process it can be to find a med. that can work for your child. They are all different and all take to them differently.

I have a son that was diagnosed with ADHD at 4. None of the medications worked. We tried Ritalin, Adderall, Dexedrine, and Cholidine. The last thing we tried was Stratera, it is wonderful. The we found out he does not have ADHD which is why the medications were not working. He has Aspergers Syndrome. He still takes Stratera and he 12 and doing great in school.

Hi D..
My 6 year old son, too, has severe ADHD. At 3 years old I knew it, but no one would treat him. At 4 years old, I waited three months for an appointment with a wonderful pediatric behavioralist for my son - it was sooooo worth the wait. He first put Noah on Stratera, and it did not phase him in the least. The doctor also explained to me that it was a chemical thing in the brain that was nobody's fault - I was feeling very guilty and somehow responsible. He then put him on Adderall, which worked great for well over a year, but then he started to build up an immunity for it. He then went on regular old Ritalin, and it was wonderful! Don't be afraid of Ritalin, or Ritalin based medications, because it has been around the longest and has had the most testing of all the ADHD drugs. When his doctor grew ill (and died this past October, sadly), I found a pediatrician through our insurance to start taking him to. I asked before I even made the first appointment if she would treat children with ADHD, and she does. So the new doctor kept him on Ritalin at first, but then explained to me that Concerta was Ritalin based, but lasted longer. So he has been on Concerta since this past summer, and it is still working well - however, he is on the highest dose that he can be for his size because his ADHD is so severe. The herb you asked about - Attentive Child - we have also used, and I could not see that it worked in the least. I wasted alot of money on "natural" things, and none of them worked for US, and I think it is because he is such a severe case. If you had a doctor put yours on Concerta and Straterra, I would find a new doc, because those two drugs cancel each other out. Definitely call around to different pediatricians on your insurance and ask 1. IF they treat ADHD children, and 2. how long have they been doing it?
Hope this helps...
oh, and something else to try: caffeine. When we run out of meds and have to wait for the scrip, we'll give Noah a Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi, or coffee. Caffeine has the opposite affect on the very stimulated brain.

T.

My son is also ADHD and the meds were not working. We also changed doctors several times and lived a two year medication nightmare - medication after medication - side effect after side effect. I am responding becuase we have a similar situation. I have heard of the herb Attentive Child, but have not tried it. I did not know anyone who had ever heard about it and I did not want to experiement on my son. We selected Neurofeedback Therapy with DR. Jackie Keish in Southlake. My son can now function in school wihtout meds. It is not a cure and there are still issues, but the big win is he goes to school with no meds in his system and his teacher can't tell the difference.

I had no success with attentive child, but also heard great things about it. One thing with ADHD is that what works for one may or may not work with another. Be careful with a psychiatric, some are great, others just want to prescribe meds and not try to find out what is really going on.

HI I FOUND A WONDERFULL PLACE FOR JUST YOUR KIND OF PROBLEM.IT IS CALLED THE EXCEL CENTER THEY WORK WITH CHILDERN FROM AGES 5 TO 18 AND HAVE A SCHOOL THERE TO. THEY HELPED MY SON WHO IS 15 AND IT JUST NICE TO KNOW THERE IS HELP THE NUMBER IS ###-###-#### THEY HAVE A VAN THAT RUNS IN THE WEATHERFORD AREA TO. I CANT BEGIN TO EXPLAIN WHAT A HELP THEY ARE.
MY NAME IS T. I AM IN GRANBURY AND I HAVE 6 KIDS TOTAL 2 BOYS 25 AND 15 AND 4 GIRLS 23,22,22,NOT TWINS AND 17.HOPE THIS WILL HELP.

First things first, most people with a mental health issue go through dozens of medications and combinations before they find what works for them. That's normal, don't feel bad about it. Does your child have a solid diagnosis?

I was shocked to read that anyone would diagnose a 6 yr old as being bipolar!! I have a 20 yr old who is bipolar, we struggled until he was 14 to get a diagnosis. They do not like to diagnose young children as being bipolar because their symptoms are not the same as an adult. So getting a bp child diagnosed at 6 is extremely rare. It's a major complaint of parents with bp kids.

There is a website bpkids.org that lists doctors and medications and new laws including school issues for bipolar kids. It might not all be pertinent, but it might also be a good place to start for research on the medication you are looking at.

Good luck!!! And remember to take some time out for yourself.