My 7 year old son has just been diagnosed ADHD. I want to avoid putting him on medication. What should I do?

Question

The Doctor did a very simple question and answer test. I must admit, based on the criteria for ADD ADHD I am sure that I have it too! He wanted to put my son on the new ADHD drug Vyvanse... which is apparently similar to Adderall. I have read about it on the Internet, but I am very uncomfortable with drugging my child for this "so-called" disorder. I am very confused and I don't know where to turn. Has anyone successfully cured their ADD ADHD naturally?

Answer 1

Diet supplementation with essential fatty acids (omega-3, 6).  If you try this, make sure you research a brand that screens their stock for PCB's and heavy metals.  A good company is Nordic Naturals.  

http://www.healingwithnutrition.com/news...

http://tsangenterprise.com/news90.htm

scholarly literature:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16949...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16777...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11056...

Answer 2

i think the meds will help him

Answer 3

amen to you. your kid is probably normal. i hate the pharma hype too. he just has a lot of energy so keep him active with sports and activities where he can burn off the energy. spend time with him on homework to keep check on his progress and school focus. consider tutoring services if you feel you need more professional help for his studies.

Answer 4

See sections 22 - 25 of my website, on ADD/ADHD at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris and get him in a suitable program.

Give him 2 or 3 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily: (certified free of mercury) it is best if consumed with an antioxidant, such as an orange, or grapefruit, or their FRESHLY SQUEEZED juice. If vitamin E is added, it should be certified as being 100% from natural sources, or it may be synthetic: avoid it.

"krill oil" is even better (www.mercola.com SEARCHBAR: also "ADHD"). Avoid the powerful Central Nervous System stimulants, for the reasons shown.

Answer 5

OK, I was just looking on the Internet and I came across your question.  It sound almost identical to my situation that I went through about this time last year.

My son Keenan was diagnosed ADD ADHD at age 7 and we went through the whole ordeal of the teachers and Doctors pressuring us to put him on medication.  I turned into a certified Internet Research Machine... It feels like I have visited every single site on the Internet when it comes to this topic.  Let me tell you ;)

Every expert has a different opinion, which really freaked me out.  I was not sure at all who to trust or what so-called "natural" products to try.  I tried "attend" and "native remedies" with little results.  

In the beginning I came across a site that looked promising, but I did not try it because it was one of those that looked too-good-to-be-true kind of sites.  I was just very skeptical.

Anyway, feeling frustrated and close to resigning to the fact that Keenan was going to have to be one of those medicated "zombie" kids, I signed up for this 3 steps to conquering ADD ADHD site, and basically EVERYTHING changed for us.  Keenan began to excel in school.  The teachers were amazed and so was I!  

The 3 steps program is basically all about fixing vitamin and nutrient deficiencies.  It teaches you what stuff to avoid and which supplement combinations can make a huge difference.

I am a big believer in "if you are going to try something... then follow it to the "t" so that you will know if it really works.  I must admit, our results are really amazing.  Our entire family is using the supplements suggested in the 3 steps.

Feel free to email me and I will be glad to help in any way I can.  Here is the site http://3stepsadd.com . Again, I know it looks a little hoakey, but I would definitely give it a shot before you try the drugs.

Best of Luck!

Answer 6

I have the same (though its self diagnosed, i'm pretty sure, fits every symptom...)

The only real issue it causes with me is that I have a hard time focusing on just one thing... In school, if I had to focus on only math for even 1/2 hour, I'd go nuts, talk, draw, and just be a general "bad kid" because having only one thing would not keep me attentive. I'd get bored. In highschool it got to the point that I couldn't get through an entire normal class (like a lecture) without doing something else, so I'd either text people, draw, or just sleep. It caused me to miss alot of school but I got through fine.

Even now while I'm answering this question I have to flip back and forth to other pages, answer other questions, check my email, etc. between lines. I just can't focus on answering one question so my mind wanders.

So what i'd do is wait it out. For at least 3 years. Most 7 year olds can't focus on a school if their life depended on it, even if they don't have ADD ADHD. It wont start to cause any real problems until he is a little more mature, around 10 or 12, and should be reasonable enough to be able to focus. If he still can't, I think you can solve it with some extra help rather than medication. Medication is only needed if he gets violent or destructive as some ADD ADHD kids do. Give him other things to do so he isn't only focusing on one thing. Give him a drawing book and  encourage him to doodle during class. Tell him to keep a journal of how he's feeling. For me it was very much an attention span issue so provide him with the tools to focus on multiple things at one time, and it should help.

Answer 7

No, don't put your son on drugs. I think it's terrible the way doctors give out drugs so freely, especially based on simple Q&A test. I would not go back to a doctor. He should at the very least give your son a battery of tests before subjecting him to mind altering drugs!!!

Look up multiple intelligence. We all learn in different ways, and you need to figure out your child's way of learning and support that way. Some kids learn by reading (so buy him books), some by talking (so engage in conversation), some by participating (so take him to educational venues such as museums) , etc. Also, kids have different strengths. Some kids are tough, some are sensitive, some are musical, some are athletic, etc. Figure out what your child's strengths are and figure out his learning style, then support those aspects of him, and the chances are very high he'll be just fine.

Answer 8

ADHD is hard to deal with sometimes. Mostly because of not being able to concentrate.

I say you get a second and third opinion from different doctors.

Since your son is 7, I would try all the alternatives mentioned by the other people first.

If things get worse as he enters higher grades, then maybe medication would be the only way.

Just check it out and be understanding, wait till he is 13-15 and then see if it is really affecting him.

Right now school work is easy, so it might be hard to tell if the ADHD is having a negative impact on him or not.

I am 23 and have ADHD and my 9 year old brother seems to exhibit the same symptoms, but since my parents are oblivious to it, I am going wait till he reaches high school to see if he really has ADHD, then bring it up to my parents.

Answer 9

I don't think you can necessarily "cure" the illness. It stays with you for your life time. The drug just keep you normal.

Answer 10

hey, have you heard of a token system to use for him at school? I use an exit card in my school.

basically every time he is being disruptive, the teacher gives him a token to go and sit quietly in the library, or in the head's office, or somewhere to calm down, or he can ask to use it himself, so that teaches him to recognize when he feels the worst, he can ask, to simply stand outside.

this should also help with confidence, and being able to ask for things calmly, and the teacher should say yes, you may need to meet with his teachers. I believe you cannot cure any disorder, and medication is just hiding it, the best way is to be patient, and there are plenty of forums of parents of AD/HD children on the internet.

hope this helps

Answer 11

My 17 yr old son has ADD/ADHD which was diagnosed in early childhood (3 yrs old) and I resisted putting him on drugs all the way through elementary school. It was 6 years of fighting with teachers, fighting with school administrators, etc..... I didn't care. Their job was to teach my son and if he didn't fit into their little square hole then they could adjust, I would NOT drug my son. Some teachers were wonderful!! And I have learned some very good coping skills - (email me if you would like) Because they understood the disorder but some were beyond horrible. his first grade teacher would take away his recess for misbehaving which only took away an opportunity for him to get rid of some of that energy. When he started Jr High School, he asked if he could try medication. I think dealing with 7 teachers at a time was overwhelming so we tried Adderol. Just 20 mg. And the results were immediate and astounding. He went from C's, D's, and F's to straight A's. He has not turned into a zombie, it has not changed his personality at all. He say's it helps him concentrate, that when he forgets to take it he can't keep things straight or organized in his head. I still do not advocate putting young children on any long term drugs and my son only takes it on school days, not on weekends, holiday, or summers..... If you can find a natural cure - than go for it, we tried them all. I think there are many different kinds of ADD with many different causes including food allergies or nutritional deficiencies. Do try them, all of them. But if you cannot find one that works then do not be afraid of the meds. They are not as bad as some people make them out to be. The most important thing for my son is that I have loved him including and because of his quirks and his energy and his goofy nature....... not in spite of them.

Answer 12

I don't think we should be putting labels on our kids, I don't believe in ADD, or ADHD. All kids are hyper, curious and restless that's nothing away from normal. He will more than likely grow up and act less and less this way as he grows up.

♥

Answer 13

Why are you looking for a cure?  So he has an attention "deficit", what's wrong with that?  One of my kids has an intelligence "deficit" and I dont put her on medication....that's just the person she is, and I love her, quirks and all!  I have a mechanical "deficit" and I am not looking to be medicated.  Please dont medicate your kid because he is hyper and wants to go from one thing to another, what will people in the future think of us when they look back in history and see what we have done to society by drugging our kids purposefully.  If you notice most of the stories of ADHD involve boys, and most boys are just that way, deal with it.

Answer 14

well, michael phelps apparently has ADHD, so maybe encourage him to play sports. it might give him somewhere to channel his energy.

Answer 15

been there,done that.putting a so called ADHD child under medication is not good at all.had a son who was also diagnosed as a possible ADHD case & we had him on dexampethamine & strattera but it only made his behaviour worse so against doctor's advice,i tried one thing that an aunt in canada had told me about:evening primrose oil(said to have a calming effect)but instead of breaking open a capsule & massaging/rubbing it in my son's arm,i made him take it as a supplement together with fish oil(omega 3) & though he still misbehaves,at least he's a lot better.still not totally cured but at least we've learned our lesson about ADHD/ADD meds;they wont solve your child's problem(if he is not misdiagnosed that is)  that 1 out of 3 so called ADHD children on drugs were actually misdiagnosed & that there's NO REAL PROOF on how so called ADHD/ADD medicines helps children at all;if ever,they actually just turn kids into either "zombies" who cant think for & control themselves naturally or "monsters" coz of the see-saw effects of some of these medications(ampethamine in any form, or dose ,in this case dexampethamine ,no matter how "controlled" the administration may be proves to be just that).