Son with Possible Inattentive ADD

My personal opinion (and this is just an opinion) is that ADD is a symptom, not a disease in itself. There are many different causes (just as there are many different causes of a cough or a sneeze).

Your child could be bored, way behind, have toxins, food allergies, misunderstood words, vitamin imbalance etc. I'd check into ALL of those things before looking into medication, which in my opinion is dangerous.

Many kids who show ADD symptoms actually have food allergies. I've also read that a magnesium deficiency can lead to ADD symptoms. My ADHD symptoms were a result of being bored AND allergic to eggs. Once I was properly challenged as a child and eggs were eliminated from my diet I was perfectly fine—even excelling in school and college!

My stepdaughter showed ADHD symptoms in school as well. The solution for her was to take sugar out of her diet, get her on a regular sleep schedule, eliminate TV and video games at our house and homeschool her so we could help her 1 on 1 because she's not as fast as the other kids at school. She would get behind and then goof off because she didn't understand what was going on. She's now reading at grade level and is ahead in math and science.

As for alternative methods, get him tested for vitamin deficiencies (like magnesium), get him tested for Candida (which has very similar symptoms to ADHD) and get him tested for food allergies. All of these can be handled without the use of psychotropic drugs!

Good luck!

ALl I can say is you know your son best. My cousin was diagnosed with ADD put on meds and now seems like a completely different person. SHe was fun and goofy and now seems to have no personality. Make sure your son is actually ADD and not just bored. I believe in check check double check. IF this doc says yes- get a 2nd opinion before starting and med type program. Lastly, I heard change of diet can help.

Go On line and find out as much as you can about ADD/ADHD.Look into the the different medications and side effects. It's good when you can talk to your physician and have prior knowledge of options available.Good Luck.

Hi J C
My advice....listen to the Dr.'s. These days people can sway you from "medicating" your child because it is perceived as wrong or harmful. Medications do help people and they can help children. There are 100's of medications out there to help children with ADD, or whatever the Dr. determines is the case with your son, and they won't necessarily give a negative "change". ADD/ADHD is a chemical imbalance in the brain....the same as anxiety, depression, and postpartum.....and even though Tom Cruise says there is no need to medicate for postpartum I'm guessing there are a lot of moms out there that disagree :) You can have your son neurologically tested, where they will do a round of testing that will determine if he is ADD.....and insurance will pay for it. The problem with "alternative" testing/treatment is that it is not covered by insurance. There is a place (I believe in Naperville) called Peiffer Treatment Center....it will test magnesium levels and dozens of others but it is very costly and insurance won't cover it. There is also "brain imaging" (both of these you can google) but again not covered by insurance and that is THOUSANDS. Ultimately like I said listen to the Dr.'s, they have spent countless hours and years educating themselves to help people in these situations...not moms that have opinions and no degree ;) Do research....go to Barnes and Noble and read....everything....from books on ADHD to books on alternative approaches....research online....read as much as you can and then between that and the advice of your Dr. and then you knowing your son, you should be able to make a decision on the best course of action!! Go with gut! Best Wishes and Best of Luck!! Kris

your son should be tested first- the school by law has to test or if you have the right finances you can get a psychiatrist on your own. ped can only prescribe med after getting the result of the test. my son has tourettes and wasnt technically diagnosesd but it is a symptom of tourettes so he is on a medication- the neurologist originally gave him focalin- made him bounce of the walls- because of my sons tourettes he can not just have any med- he is now on straterra which has done wonders for him. many people used add meds just on school days during the school year and discontinue the meds over the summer. Good luck!

In addition to what N D said -- read up on Sensory processing disorder and see if any of that fits your son. My son has SPD and food sensitivities. He went through 6 months of occupational therapy to learn coping mechanisms and changes in diet (for the food sensitivies) and no longer has attention problems.

Ask your ped about vanderbilt testing from National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality (NICHQ). They are rating scales for both parent(s) & teacher(s) to see where deficits occur. You and your ped can then see the best course of treatment. Whether it be a psych work up or alternative treatments. You don't have to go with stimulant medications until you are comfortable and that is if you ped thinks your son's ratings warrant that type of treatment.

I have a son that was diagnosised with ADD 8 years ago. The doctors immediately put him on medication. I did not like the results from the medication. Being a nurse, I took him off the medication and began reading about ADD and talking with others who were in the same situation. I took the sugar out of his diet and watch the foods that he ate. No more sugar, decreased the carbohydrates in his diet and no red dye. This did help, but there were still problems in school. I found a school that works with behavior children and this has been a blessing. The school works with him at his level and pushes him to excell. He will be graduating from 8th grade in 2 weeks. We are not out of the woods yet. But I found that he has to be in a structured enviroment, therefore during the summer I have to keep him busy. It is a lot of work, but our children are so worth it. Go read about ADD/ADHD and you will find quite a bit of information. pd

I have a blog devoted to Primarily Inattentive ADD. The URL is http://primarilyinattentiveadd.blogspot.com. Thanks for reading!

My son's pre-school teacher said that she believed he may have ADHD without hyperactivity with impulsivity (it is still called ADHD not just ADD). Then, his Kindergarten teacher suggested he be tested, he was and was borderline. In fifth grade his grades (and up to that point) were not very good at all except for math where he was correcting the text book and teachers. I requested that he be given the tests by his school for the entire gammut of things just to rule them all out (no cost). It was then determined that he should be tested for ADHD. His pediatrician met with him alone, with his dad alone, with me alone, with all of us, with some of us. After a half dozen meetings and 'testing' he determined that he did in fact have ADHD, and said that meds were definitely in order. We tried several different combinations and finally found the right combo.

My brother whom I bounce things off of was TOTALLY against any medication therapy. My son was on the meds for around 10 days when my brother saw him next and said (with my son out of the room) "Whatever you have him on, or done DON'T CHANGE IT! ! ! He's a different kid, he's finally Dan!" My son used to be very brooding and stay in his room when company came (if he was allowed) and rarely if ever wanted to talk to anyone. When he got regulated on the meds, he wanted to be around others and initiated conversations. He just completed his first year of college where he made the Dean's list and was awarded a high honor academic achievement award. I should also mention that he was one of only 80 selected nationally to gain admission into an advanced architecture program. Around Christmas he stopped taking the ADHD meds and is still thriving. In my opinion, one would treat pneumonia, an ear infection, migraines, get glasses to aid with vision. I would never let my child suffer when there is help. ADD and ADHD are PHYSIOLOGICAL issues that can be helped with proper diagnosis and medical treatment. I wish you luck.

I have a son with inattentive ADD. Here is a good website that can help you prepare for your visit. http://www.help4adhd.org/
Our pediatrician recommended Dr. Kyle Bonesteel, a neuropsycologist, with offices in Lombard and Schaumburg--visit http://www.nhahealth.com/ for more information. Before going the medication route, we are pursuing biofeedback treatment. Good luck!