adhd advise needed....

nanettecole

I don't know if I am in the right place but, I hope you can help. My 14 year old has adhd and he's been on several medications. He is now asking to not take medication anymore. I gave in and he hasn't taken anything since before he started his freshman year. I don't want to force him to take the meds so, I'm looking for more natural alternatives. I heard that giving him coffee could help. Has anyone else heard this? Can anyone suggest other alternatives? Your help would be greatly appreciated

ToastieSimons

I do know a family (the dad is a family dr) and their eldest son has ADHD (they've also mentioned he has Aspberger's recently) and she has given him coffee since he was about 4 or 5.  When he needs to calm down they say it is a quick fix, it's not medication because it doesn't last long, but if he really needed an extra boost to calm down they would give him coffee.  For some reason caffeine in kids with ADHD (I'm not sure if it affects any other diagnoses) has the opposite. 

nomadica

Has your DS been in therapy for behavioral management of ADHD symptoms? Working with someone who specializes in ADHD would likely help him in both the short and long term. The best outcomes seem to be in those who use both medication and behavioral treatments. GL!

carlinlp

Auntie:

- Personally, I don't get why some people think it's cool to give caffeine laden drinks to a child but give others the side eye for using prescribed medications. Heroine is natural too, doesn't make it a safe and effective choice.

Medications are synthetic man made chemicals that carry a host of potentially dangerous side effects. Coffee is natural with few side effects, none that are potentially dangerous. Yes, heroine is natural too, but it's an illegal natural drug, so yeah, big difference. I would personally not medicate and at 14, I think it's important to honor his wishes and it sounds like you are. What's his diet like? Many ADHD symptoms can be managed with simple diet changes. On paper, my husband and my daughter appear to have ADHD when you look at a list of symptoms. The list for food allergies looks almost the same. We improved their diets, got off the standard american diet, no dyes, no preservatives, no gluten, etc. They are both so much better and happier. The 4 A's book by Dr. Bock may be helpful to you. Feingold.com is a good place to start when considering diet issues.

carlinlp

-auntie-:

carlinlp:

Auntie:

- Personally, I don't get why some people think it's cool to give caffeine laden drinks to a child but give others the side eye for using prescribed medications. Heroine is natural too, doesn't make it a safe and effective choice.

Medications are synthetic man made chemicals that carry a host of potentially dangerous side effects. Coffee is natural with few side effects, none that are potentially dangerous. Yes, heroine is natural too, but it's an illegal natural drug, so yeah, big difference.

I would personally not medicate and at 14, I think it's important to honor his wishes and it sounds like you are. What's his diet like? Many ADHD symptoms can be managed with simple diet changes. On paper, my husband and my daughter appear to have ADHD when you look at a list of symptoms. The list for food allergies looks almost the same. We improved their diets, got off the standard american diet, no dyes, no preservatives, no gluten, etc. They are both so much better and happier. The 4 A's book by Dr. Bock may be helpful to you. Feingold.com is a good place to start when considering diet issues.

Glad the diet worked for your family. Feingold usually doesn't according to recent evidence based research done on it. I stand by my post in Parenting that I would explore biofeedback in this situation.

Chemicals are chemicals whether naturally occurring or bioidentical. Caffeine seems pretty benign but for certain kids with, say cardiac issues, it could present a health hazard. Natural isn't always without risk. Naturally sourced melatonin has been linked to BSE in the UK.

We didn't do feingold - I just suggested it as a place to start looking when considering diet issues.  That diet was not the right choice for our family.  We chose real, nourishing foods.  We got rid of processed junk, dyes, everything artificial, etc.

I get what you are saying about coffee, I really do.  But when you look, side by side, at the risks of coffee and the risks/side effects of a drug, not even close to being on the same level.  I would probably not give my child coffee either though.  I'd start with fixing the diet, whole foods, tons of veggies, fruit, high quality meats, essential fatty acids.  See what that fixes and go from there to target any remaining symptoms.

A whole foods nourishing diet, rich in vitamins and minerals, will never be a bad decision, regardless of the ailment.

carlinlp

Don't I know it! I have a 14 year old who used to want nothing but sonic and taco bell. He watches his friends eat subway before every football game while he eats nourishing foods, protein, fats, veggies. Here is the shocker: he WANTS to eat this way because he likes it. He didn't at first, it was tough to wean him off of crap food that was dead. The last time I gave him sonic, after months of not having it, he puked it up because his body didn't recognize it as food. It's been a journey with him, but you know what? He's highly educated about food, he's 14 and he can go head to head with just about any nutritionist out there and hold his ground. He likes the way he eats. His friends are not only supportive of him, they are also learning and changing the way they eat for the better. His gf has adhd and has made changes to her diet and is seeing progress. Eating healthy is not shameful, quite the opposite. My other children are proud of the way they eat too. My 6 year comes home and complains that kids are always asking for her lunch because it looks so good. Processed foods are not good for anyone, we all know it. I think it short changes all kids, not just those with SN, when we deprive them of proper nutrition because it's too hard or too much work.

timeforthetruth

carlinlp: 

Dumbing down to so-called acceptable diets of today is the solution to nothing.