Who treats ADHD without meds?

[mamabear2three]

My daughter has pretty severe ADHD combined type. We have been using meds this school year and for a couple reasons, I'm considering taking her off of them and trying some other methods of dealing with her symptoms. 

 

For those of you who manage without meds, can you please tell me your most helpful tools and tricks? 

[OneStepAtATime]

I don't know if this will help at all or not, but of the friends I have who's kids are on meds they all had to work through several options and dosages before they found a really good balance.  Have you tried switching?  One family in particular found a patch of some kind was a HUGE game changer.  It worked sooooo much better.  If you want, I can ask her the name....

 

As for not using meds, hopefully there will be lots of responses that will help you.  Good luck!   :grouphug:

[Mandylubug]

Well, we aren't managing YET but we are coming off of meds starting today and trying Gaba and Vitamin B complex currently. We were having panic attacks. We just need help with inattention and focus. We can deal with all the other ADHD issues if we can just help these two areas.

 

:grouphug: best wishes in your journey! Meds have made it possible for my DS to progress and show how truly talented he is. Sadly, they come with unpleasant side effects.

[mamabear2three]

I've asked the pediatrician about switching meds a couple times, but she told me that what I'm telling her about my daughter's behavior and health say that she is tolerating the meds really well. Our issues are minor, but they trouble me - she has trouble gaining weight, (I have to focus daily on making sure she eats enough) and she has to take melatonin to sleep. Then we will have days where she is gloomy and moody and "tired" and has tummy aches so she won't want to eat. Some days it seems the meds don't help much and we have to modify our schedule and I usually call school off for the day (she won't be hyper those days, but can't focus to save her life). All the other days are inbetween - where the meds seem to have made a huge positive impact on our lives.

 

And I have to say I'm kind of tired of the prescription hassle. 

 

And while we aren't having panic attacks, we have a major issue with anxiety and some days are so severe she can't go to the basement to feed the dog - and she usually has no issue playing in the basement for extended periods of time.

[Mandylubug]

I've asked the pediatrician about switching meds a couple times, but she told me that what I'm telling her about my daughter's behavior and health say that she is tolerating the meds really well. Our issues are minor, but they trouble me - she has trouble gaining weight, (I have to focus daily on making sure she eats enough) and she has to take melatonin to sleep. Then we will have days where she is gloomy and moody and "tired" and has tummy aches so she won't want to eat. Some days it seems the meds don't help much and we have to modify our schedule and I usually call school off for the day (she won't be hyper those days, but can't focus to save her life). All the other days are inbetween - where the meds seem to have made a huge positive impact on our lives.

 

And I have to say I'm kind of tired of the prescription hassle. 

 

And while we aren't having panic attacks, we have a major issue with anxiety and some days are so severe she can't go to the basement to feed the dog - and she usually has no issue playing in the basement for extended periods of time.

 

:grouphug: I so understand the frustration!

[OneStepAtATime]

I wish I had some good suggestions.  I do have sympathy, though.   :grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

[wapiti]

I wouldn't be satisfied with the ped's response.  I'd look for an expert in adhd meds.

 

If you are committed to trying a non-med route, I'd probably do as much reading as possible and also search long and hard for a naturopathic/integrative-type of doctor who is likewise very experienced with trying to help adhd.  There may be bloodwork needed to point toward particular vitamins/supplements/etc.  I'd look at Bock's book but there are several others

[PeterPan]

Wow, those are enough complaints to scare me away from meds for my kids, and I'm the one in our family wishing they (or at least dd so far) were on them!   :scared: 

 

As far as alternatives, how about the basics?  There's a whole book of underlying physical problems you can be looking into.  (ADHD Does Not Exist by some [editorial comment removed] whose name I forget)  The guy is just being inflammatory with the title, so ignore it.  Point is, you definitely can look into the physical things that might be *contributing* to her problems or aggravating them.  OT issues (sensory, retained primitive reflexes, etc.) are definitely an issue with my dd.  Food allergies, environmental allergies, sleep apnea.  Just basic physical stuff.  Developmental vision issues, especially convergence, can cause symptoms.  When my dd doesn't wear her bifocal contacts, she has attention issues.  Seriously.  Omega3 deficiency.  

 

So you can deal with those things and then look into cognitive therapies and things that actually help the attention and working memory issues.  Neurofeedback and Cogmed are the two biggees.  That's not even dealing with the question of supplements.  I mean, did God MEAN for us to eat french pine bark or is that some kind of mutant idea? I don't know, but it seems to help some people.  (a source of pycnogenol)

 

So for my dd, having dealt with most of those things (allergies, sleeping, omega 3, etc.), my goal is to get her more OT for the sensory, get some neurofeedback with that OT, then do Cogmed, then consider meds.  But I have this naive hope that when we've done those other things we'll be satisfied enough that we won't feel the need for the meds.  That's the dream.  Cogmed has research behind it and neurofeedback has just enough to be worth trying.  

[wapiti]

I mean, did God MEAN for us to eat french pine bark or is that some kind of mutant idea?

 

My dear, dear OhE, you have such a way with words  :lol:

[PeterPan]

My dear, dear OhE, you have such a way with words  :lol:

Hahaha, but seriously I've been thinking about this for some time!  Yes, I can't even try a supplement without being philosophical about it.   :lol:    It's actually why we haven't tried it, because it doesn't seem very, well, very natural.   :lol:

[wapiti]

.

 

[PeterPan]

I'm off to the grocery; today my list includes cordyceps.  Yes, that's spelled correctly :).  It's some type of mushroom extract.  What's amazing is that the grocery sells it.

 

I have some pycnogenol in my cabinet, right here above the computer.  I think I bought it for asthma boy a while back, but forgot about it because he was not swallowing pills at that time (now he does).

Ok, so you can take your mushroom extract, or you can just eat the stupid mushrooms, kwim?  And people always have some reason whatever.  It just seems like in our house when we try to do the thing EXTRACTED from reality, it causes a problem.  But when we just eat the food it was from, bam, good results.  So we eat mushrooms daily, eat this daily, eat that daily.  So you eat the thing daily to get the medicinal effect.

 

I remember this person, who was a poor college student at the time, asking me if this wonderpill supplement with kale and this and that would help her, and I asked why she didn't just go buy a bunch of kale and actually EAT it?  Foreign concept.  

 

Total rabbit trail.

[sbgrace]

My son doesn't tolerate ADHD medications (ups anxiety/OCD to unmanageable levels). I have not found any supplements that do what the (non-stimulant even) ADHD meds did for ADHD, but they don't ruin his sleep and make the anxiety off the charts.

 

I guess I'm saying that I would give my child ADHD medication if he could tolerate it. I haven't found a terribly effective solution.

 

When we first tried pycnogenol, I felt we had better response than we did when we put him back on post ADHD medication trials. But he's about 10 pounds heavier, so the dose is proportionally less. I did the higher of the two doses used in pediatric asthma and ADHD trials. I can't remember now which was actually higher, because we started it originally for asthma. He also takes phosphatidylserine. Those two together help some. I got comments from adults in activities he was in before and after starting about his behavior and focus being better, and i see it here too, but it's not dramatic. He takes theanine too, though in the evening before bed.

 

As far as behavioral approaches, I'm working on mindfulness with him, and some other less specific things. Vision therapy helped him in huge ways, but didn't put a dent in ADHD stuff. Neither did correcting sleep apnea. But those things have helped other kids with similar issues.

 

 

 

 

[wapiti]

. 

 

[mamabear2three]

So I wonder if some of the sensory tools would help? Like one of those inflatable pillows you sit on, or a resistance band across the feet of her chair? Something to fidget with that might help her focus?

 

What about essential oils?

[Mandylubug]

I have successfully used essential oils to put mine to sleep. Haha. It didn't help mine with inattention or focus. Not even peppermint and citrus. If I wanted help with them going to sleep, I'd be happy. I have heard of others being successful with oils. We just haven't found the right combo I suppose.

 

We have used Lavender, cedarwood, vetiver, citrus, peppermint, and several other blends.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

I've asked the pediatrician about switching meds a couple times, but she told me that what I'm telling her about my daughter's behavior and health say that she is tolerating the meds really well. Our issues are minor, but they trouble me - she has trouble gaining weight, (I have to focus daily on making sure she eats enough) and she has to take melatonin to sleep. Then we will have days where she is gloomy and moody and "tired" and has tummy aches so she won't want to eat. Some days it seems the meds don't help much and we have to modify our schedule and I usually call school off for the day (she won't be hyper those days, but can't focus to save her life). All the other days are inbetween - where the meds seem to have made a huge positive impact on our lives.

 

And I have to say I'm kind of tired of the prescription hassle. 

 

And while we aren't having panic attacks, we have a major issue with anxiety and some days are so severe she can't go to the basement to feed the dog - and she usually has no issue playing in the basement for extended periods of time.

 

 

I have a child with this issue, and we medicate.  We make sure he has things like full calorie protein drinks to drink throughout the day to help increase caloric intake. Full fat ice cream or a milk shake for bedtime snack. 

 

Cyproheptadine also is an option to increase appetite, you take it in the evening since it can make you drowsy and can boost appetite.  It is an old antihistamine that happens to make folks hungry.

 

[merry gardens]

No formal diagnosis oh adhd here, but I have my suspicions so I'm going to pipe in with my suggestions:

 

#1 Exercise--preferably outdoors. Outside play is a regular part of our day, and if it's missed for any reason the behaviors change. On bad days, I sometimes make ds run around the yard just to burn off his energy and he comes back in with better focus. We also have a mini trampoline in his room which gets a lot of use in winter.

 

#2 Coffee/caffeine. My husband and I both drink coffee in the mornings. Sometimes when I go to work with my son and notice he's having more trouble focussing, I'll pour him a cup. He likes it. Unlike many of the other supplements people try, coffee is well researched and found to have very few negative side effects.

 

#3 Consistency. Parenting is hard work. We recently watched Mary Poppins and the phrase "firm but gentle" comes to mind. There are certain behavior modification techniques often recommended to parents of children for managing adhd, and a lot of those techniques look like good, old-fasioned parenting to me. Maybe you're already doing that, but I thought it worth mentioning.

 

#4 Treat/remediate whatever else may need to be treated or remediated. It may be eyes, ears, small muscles in the hands, memory, eyc. It may involve Orton - Gillingham , Linda mood - Bell or some other special materials for dyslexia or dysgraphia or dyscalcula. Use materials appropriate for whatever other learning disabilities may be on top of the adhd.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

No formal diagnosis oh adhd here, but I have my suspicions so I'm going to pipe in with my suggestions:

 

#1 Exercise--preferably outdoors. Outside play is a regular part of our day, and if it's missed for any reason the behaviors change. On bad days, I sometimes make ds run around the yard just to burn off his energy and he comes back in with better focus. We also have a mini trampoline in his room which gets a lot of use in winter.

 

#2 Coffee/caffeine. My husband and I both drink coffee in the mornings. Sometimes when I go to work with my son and notice he's having more trouble focussing, I'll pour him a cup. He likes it. Unlike many of the other supplements people try, coffee is well researched and found to have very few negative side effects.

 

#3 Consistency. Parenting is hard work. We recently watched Mary Poppins and the phrase "firm but gentle" comes to mind. There are certain behavior modification techniques often recommended to parents of children for managing adhd, and a lot of those techniques look like good, old-fasioned parenting to me. Maybe you're already doing that, but I thought it worth mentioning.

 

#4 Treat/remediate whatever else may need to be treated or remediated. It may be eyes, ears, small muscles in the hands, memory, eyc. It may involve Orton - Gillingham , Linda mood - Bell or some other special materials for dyslexia or dysgraphia or dyscalcula. Use materials appropriate for whatever other learning disabilities may be on top of the adhd.

 

These are all helpful, but caffeine is still medicating.

 

 

You should be doing most of these things even while medicating. Medicating isn't in isolation.

 

[PeterPan]

My dd got the jitters when she tried coffee last summer for a couple weeks.  She did it at her grandma's house, since it was available anyway.  She found it hard to get a consistent dose that gave her the benefit without making her tired.  When she came back after those two weeks her hands were literally shaking.  It was like her mind was more focused but her BODY was worse!  That scared us both, so we agreed that wasn't a way we'd approach it.  

 

Obviously everyone is different and for some people rampant use of caffeine works.  It's not really accurate to say it's without consequence.  Coffee is linked to bladder cancer, and of course you'll have the chemicals from the plastic and boiling water.  (not to be morbid or anything, lol)  

 

One of the other things I've been meaning to explore is exactly *what* the stimulant meds stimulate.  If you take caffeine, it's stimulating your adrenals, your whole system, and addictive (and fatiguing to people with weak adrenals).  I really don't know if ritalin, etc. have that same effect on the endocrine system or if it's *limited* to brain function?  Just something nuanced I've been trying to figure out.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

My dd got the jitters when she tried coffee last summer for a couple weeks.  She did it at her grandma's house, since it was available anyway.  She found it hard to get a consistent dose that gave her the benefit without making her tired.  When she came back after those two weeks her hands were literally shaking.  It was like her mind was more focused but her BODY was worse!  That scared us both, so we agreed that wasn't a way we'd approach it.  

 

Obviously everyone is different and for some people rampant use of caffeine works.  It's not really accurate to say it's without consequence.  Coffee is linked to bladder cancer, and of course you'll have the chemicals from the plastic and boiling water.  (not to be morbid or anything, lol)  

 

One of the other things I've been meaning to explore is exactly *what* the stimulant meds stimulate.  If you take caffeine, it's stimulating your adrenals, your whole system, and addictive (and fatiguing to people with weak adrenals).  I really don't know if ritalin, etc. have that same effect on the endocrine system or if it's *limited* to brain function?  Just something nuanced I've been trying to figure out.

 

Hmm, I don't really know that one. Other than to say the individuals who use Ritalin vs caffeine in my family don't seem to have the same bad effects as lots of caffeine.  I'd be interested in knowing this.

[Mrs. Tharp]

We medicate and I recently asked my ds's psychiatric nurse about this topic. She said that her top two recommendations for helping ADHD without medicating were to eliminate food dyes and to supplement with fish oils.

 

The only other things I've found to help somewhat are consistency, routine, structure, exercise, and high protein meals.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

We medicate and I recently asked my ds's psychiatric nurse about this topic. She said that her top two recommendations for helping ADHD without medicating were to eliminate food dyes and to supplement with fish oils.

 

The only other things I've found to help somewhat are consistency, routine, structure, exercise, and high protein meals.

 

Specifically fish oil high in EPA.

[Zoo Keeper]

:bigear:  Keep talking here folks, I find this conversation compelling (tree bark, mushrooms, coffee and all...) 

 

Let's just say that something's gotta change here at the zoo, :biggrinjester:  :boxing_smiley:  and some family members are very against meds for this. 

 

:bigear:

[JDoe]

For those of you who manage without meds, can you please tell me your most helpful tools and tricks? 

 

May sound silly but the most helpful thing I ever did was to eliminate internet, or more specifically use OpenDNS to block everything except schoolrelated sites until they all finish everything they need to do for the day.

 

Not using meds, as the situation is not completely out of hand and is improving as they get older.

[PeterPan]

:bigear:  Keep talking here folks, I find this conversation compelling (tree bark, mushrooms, coffee and all...) 

 

Let's just say that something's gotta change here at the zoo, :biggrinjester:  :boxing_smiley:  and some family members are very against meds for this. 

 

:bigear:

Yup, that's what we're dealing with.  I'd love a magic pill cure, but I'm not really confident on mandating that for someone else's brain, not when it seems to be a process fraught with SO many problems.  (side effects they can't get over, not liking how they feel on the meds, trying many different meds before the right one, getting the right one and then having it stop working, problems when it's filled as generic, on and on)  

 

May sound silly but the most helpful thing I ever did was to eliminate internet, or more specifically use OpenDNS to block everything except schoolrelated sites until they all finish everything they need to do for the day.

 

Not using meds, as the situation is not completely out of hand and is improving as they get older.

I think that MIT study (was it MIT?) found the EF and brain pattern issues were still there even in the cases where the kids seemed to "outgrow" the ADHD.  In our case, high school is becoming the insurmountable wall.  You could fudge it and make it work in the younger grades.  It's hard to predict for someone else what will happen, but I think it's fair to warn that things could change, either for the better OR for the worse, lol.

[mamabear2three]

This is very interesting - my DH is very against stopping the meds, ironically. And honestly, when we started the meds, they were such a life saver for us in so may ways. Maybe I just need to add some things in to level out the moods and see how that goes.

[Ottakee]

Are you seeing  a pediatric psychiatrist?  I would not just rely on a pediatrician for this.

 

We use Country Life Omega 3 mood (2 per day), Vit, B and D, etc. and they help but we still need the meds.

 

Has your doctor done any blood work to check for thyroid, anemia, blood sugars, Vit B and D levels, etc?  Our psychiatrist does this on a yearly basis and did a baseline before starting meds.  She also checks liver and kidney functions.  I am very pro med but not so pro having a pediatrician just prescribe a stimulant and send you on your way without first ruling out any other physical issues that could be at at play (allergies, etc. too), getting baseline blood work, and ruling out other mental health concerns---anxiety, mood issues, depression, etc.

[Mandamom]

Yup, that's what we're dealing with.  I'd love a magic pill cure, but I'm not really confident on mandating that for someone else's brain, not when it seems to be a process fraught with SO many problems.  (side effects they can't get over, not liking how they feel on the meds, trying many different meds before the right one, getting the right one and then having it stop working, problems when it's filled as generic, on and on)  

 

I think that MIT study (was it MIT?) found the EF and brain pattern issues were still there even in the cases where the kids seemed to "outgrow" the ADHD.  In our case, high school is becoming the insurmountable wall.  You could fudge it and make it work in the younger grades.  It's hard to predict for someone else what will happen, but I think it's fair to warn that things could change, either for the better OR for the worse, lol.

 

I have to concur. Dh wasn't diagnosed until he was in his 30s although it is obvious that he has always had it and didn't develop it over night. I also see it in his brother and sister. He dropped out of high school school even with a 150+ measured IQ, major financial issues -- that impacted me, loss of jobs, etc. over many years.

 

Last year after finally getting health insurance  he decided to start ADHD meds for the first time. Since then he's gotten a job -- although so far not enough hours (me working 2 jobs for the past 8 years has been exhausting) and things are a little more consistent around the house -- don't look at the garage though ;) He's also managed to lose around 50 pounds, too. He has recently started working with one of his karate sensei's to help him figure out some more organization strategies.

 

I post this because ADHD is something that can and does affect adults. It would be wonderful if everyone just grew out of it. 

[lilajoy]

My son hasn't been diagnosed officially, but he is very spacey/inattentive, and sometimes hyper, and the support team at his school (he receives occupational therapy twice a week for sensory issues) all seem to think he has ADHD. I'm a teacher, and he does seem a lot like many of the students I've had who have ADHD. We are going to get him evaluated, but in the meantime, we're trying to treat him without medication in the hopes of avoiding having to give him any. His biggest issue in school that he doesn't pay attention when the teacher gives directions and is highly distractible when asked to do anything that requires sustained effort. 

 

So far (as in, for the past month or so), we've been giving him high-dose fish oil with a 2:1 EPA/DHA ratio, B-vitamin complex, and Pedi-Active, an over-the-counter supplement. So far we do see some good results. Nothing dramatic, but he is more focused overall and his episodes of serious inattention and hyperactivity are short-lived, though they still occur. His mood has also improved; he has fewer meltdowns, and the ones he has are very short-lived. Of course, since we are doing several things at once, it's hard to know which is helping or whether they are working together. But that's what we're doing for now. No miracle, and he still definitely has attentional issues, but there is an improvement.

[geodob]

You could try an inflatable pillow?

Which could keep her secondary level of attention focussed.

 

Attention isn't a single thing, where we can only have one point of attention at a time?

Rather, our brain constantly maintains multiple points of attention, at any moment.

But with these multiple attention points, they need to be managed and each maintained at a level of priority.

Within a hierarchy of overall attention.

So that with attention difficulties?

The difficulty is actually with managing all of these different points of attention, and keeping them at their required attention level.

Which is an acquired skill, that we learn how to use.

Where the focus needs to shift to learning how to manage attention?

[Zoo Keeper]

Thanks to all of you for "thinking out loud;" it DOES help, even if I don't have answers yet. :willy_nilly:

[EKS]

We found that a protein breakfast helped. 

[Mandylubug]

We found that a protein breakfast helped.

and all four of mine fight me with breakfast. They'd all want cereal or something bad and pout with a good breakfast.

[Crimson Wife]

I wouldn't be satisfied with the ped's response.  I'd look for an expert in adhd meds.

 

If you are committed to trying a non-med route, I'd probably do as much reading as possible and also search long and hard for a naturopathic/integrative-type of doctor who is likewise very experienced with trying to help adhd.  There may be bloodwork needed to point toward particular vitamins/supplements/etc.  I'd look at Bock's book but there are several others on my shelf :)

 

Our biomed dr., Sandy Newmark of UCSF, wrote a whole book on treating ADHD naturally. He also has a video out of a lecture he gave on the topic (be forewarned that it's really long). http://uctv.tv/search-moreresults.aspx?keyword=newmark&x=0&y=0

 

FWIW, however, we tried every suggestion Dr. Newmark had and it still wasn't enough to resolve the symptoms. He's not totally anti-pharmaceutical and agreed that if the natural treatments were not enough and the symptoms were interfering with DD's ability to function in daily life (they were), that medication would be appropriate.

 

It did take some trial and error to figure out what works, but what seems to be working best is a small dose of a short-acting stimulant (Methylin) in the morning and a small dose of a non-stimulant (Clonidine) at night. Giving them together seems to work much better than either one alone.

[mamabear2three]

Are you seeing  a pediatric psychiatrist?  I would not just rely on a pediatrician for this.

 

We use Country Life Omega 3 mood (2 per day), Vit, B and D, etc. and they help but we still need the meds.

 

Has your doctor done any blood work to check for thyroid, anemia, blood sugars, Vit B and D levels, etc?  Our psychiatrist does this on a yearly basis and did a baseline before starting meds.  She also checks liver and kidney functions.  I am very pro med but not so pro having a pediatrician just prescribe a stimulant and send you on your way without first ruling out any other physical issues that could be at at play (allergies, etc. too), getting baseline blood work, and ruling out other mental health concerns---anxiety, mood issues, depression, etc.

 

We don't see a pediatric psychiatrist, although a psychologist diagnosed her. We recently did a full blood workup because of extreme exhaustion during the winter and everything was normal except vit. D so we are supplementing that.

[JDoe]

I think that MIT study (was it MIT?) found the EF and brain pattern issues were still there even in the cases where the kids seemed to "outgrow" the ADHD.  In our case, high school is becoming the insurmountable wall.  You could fudge it and make it work in the younger grades.  It's hard to predict for someone else what will happen, but I think it's fair to warn that things could change, either for the better OR for the worse, lol.

 

I am aware of that, but you also point out the reason I will try to avoid meds if possible. It is someone else's brain.

[Crimson Wife]

I am all for trying natural remedies first, but just like I would not deprive my kids of their glasses nor my hearing impaired child the hearing aids that are on order for her, I would not withhold ADHD medication when natural treatments have been tried & symptoms remain.

 

My little one is now able to participate in many activities she previously could not due to the impulsivity and distractibility.

[Crimson Wife]

DP

[PeterPan]

I am aware of that, but you also point out the reason I will try to avoid meds if possible. It is someone else's brain.

Well I'm not saying I take that to extremes.  For *safety* issues I'd do it in a heartbeat, no questions asked. (severe implusivity making them unsafe) If the dc were not able to accomplish basic academics (reading, etc.) even with appropriate modifications, I'd do it, no questions asked, for the sake of the reading.  Both my kids (adhd and the adhd/asd/3SLD) learned or are learning to read without meds, so that wasn't on the table.  

 

The only reason I mentioned it is that now dd is old enough that it really has to be a blended decision.  It's not the same with an almost 16 yo as with a 5-12 yo, kwim?  With younger ages, you just decide.  With a child this age, she has some input and has to own it, either way.  And really, we're making fundamental decisions about how important certain things are and whether they're WORTH medicating for or whether we'll just go a different direction and say oh well.  

 

I definitely am not say it's one pat decision for all ages or that we can't choose.  That's the whole point of parenting, that we DO have to choose. But at 15/16 that choice is going to involve the kids.  She has been reluctant, dh opposed, and I felt like I needed to exhaust other options before I weighed in with any force/imperativeness.  ABSOLUTELY I feel I have the right and can and will when we've exhausted these things.  Right now the only thing that is exhausted is me trying to fill out all the paperwork for stuff, lol.

[Mom22ns]

Ds was labeled ASD long ago, but I think ADHD inattentive type is what he would probably be labeled if he were getting a new eval now. 

 

We always managed without meds. We tried them last fall because his very heavy class load was taking SO much time. He got straight As, but it wasn't unusual for him to spend 12-14 hours on school each day. The meds were an unmitigated disaster. He tried two before refusing to take another pill. He pretty much lost an entire month of school. They made him depressed, changed his personality... it was terrible. 

 

We are back to managing without meds. I'm not sure how much struggle that will cause next year when he starts college, but it is his choice and we support it. Exercise, healthy diet, lots of time management strategies, and working with disability services are all focuses.

[HS Mom in NC]

There's a list of articles on the right side of this page: http://www.diannecraft.org/articles-by-dianne/

 

Diane Craft is a staple at homeschool conventions.

[JDoe]

 It's not the same with an almost 16 yo as with a 5-12 yo, kwim? 

 

Agree with that and with your other observations.

[PeterPan]

2Ns' experience is actually part of what bothers me, that we can't afford, at this point, to lose months or a semester (or more) fiddling around with meds to see if we could get them to work.  That loss would be even worse than the loss from inattention.  And yet *some* kids start meds and just have an instantly positive effect.  Sigh.

[Ottakee]

2Ns' experience is actually part of what bothers me, that we can't afford, at this point, to lose months or a semester (or more) fiddling around with meds to see if we could get them to work.  That loss would be even worse than the loss from inattention.  And yet *some* kids start meds and just have an instantly positive effect.  Sigh.

If you are considering meds, I would suggest starting the process now of getting the appointments, evals, any blood work, etc. and then you could start the meds in the summer.  I know it is harder to tell exactly how effect they are but you wouldn't risk loosing any academic time.

 

It took us a few trials but once we found the right one, my dd gained 2 years worth of academics in a semester.  The difference was that dramatic.

 

One thing to consider as well, is that some ADD/ADHD kids turn to self medicating in highschool and esp. college.  They might be downing tons of pop, Monster or energy drinks, alcohol, drugs, other "supplements" that are not tested/approved, etc.  Certainly not all do, but ADD/ADHD makes them at a higher risk for experimenting.

 

What does your child think of trying meds?  Do they want to try?  Not want to try?  Willing to try supplements/coffee?  I agree that a teenager should have a lot of input into their medical care as in just a few years they will have total care and you want to guide them through the decision making process now while you can.

 

The thing to remember, esp. if you go to a top notch psychiatrist, is that trying meds doesn't mean you need to continue them if they aren't working or have terrible side effects.  Most stimulants can be stopped if they aren't right and a new one trialed in relatively quick succession.  An expert is also most likely to be able to narrow down the best choices for each particular patient as well based on symptoms, age, gender, family history, etc.

[kbutton]

Most stimulants can be stopped if they aren't right and a new one trialed in relatively quick succession.  An expert is also most likely to be able to narrow down the best choices for each particular patient as well based on symptoms, age, gender, family history, etc.

 

We lost very little time to finding the right stuff. We tried on long-acting, and my son was awake (but happy, productive, cool, calm, and collected) for 36 hours. Then we tried a generic of short-acting. Bingo. We upped the dose as needed (not a big deal at all because the doc prescribed 5 mg tabs, and we just increased by a tab every couple of weeks). Our only snag was when we used a different pharmacy and got a different generic than the one from our first pharmacy. It took one week to figure out that the new generic caused anxiety. It took that long for a pattern to emerge--if my son was better able to verbalize his feelings, I think we would have known much sooner. The first generic never gave us trouble.

 

I know it's not that easy for everyone. I do think summer is a relatively low risk time to try things out. Even if you school in the summer, I assume it's a lighter load.

 

Not pushing...just noting that problems (for us) were so obvious that it really didn't waste time. 

[kbutton]

I wouldn't be satisfied with the ped's response.  I'd look for an expert in adhd meds.

 

I agree. 

[geodob]

Coming back to your wondering about the value of sitting on an inflatable pillow?

Some research was just published, that supports the use of balance balls, wobble chairs, inflatable pillows with ADHD.

http://www.newser.com/story/205663/study-why-kids-with-adhd-need-to-squirm.html?utm_source=part&utm_medium=foxnews&utm_campaign=rss_health_syn

 

Though their research being done, which is looking into 'developing attention control skills'?

Which is using some computer games to help to develop the ability to maintain different levels of attention.

Also to help develop impulse regulation.

 

As an example of this?

Perhaps you could imagine in the bottom right corner of your screen?

Their is a flashing green dot, about half an inch wide. 

That flashes once a second.

But this 'dot' changes to different colors?

When it changes from green to blue or purple, that is fine.

But when it changes to yellow, you have three seconds to click on it, or the page that you are looking at will be closed.

Though if it changes to red, then you only have one and half seconds to click on it.

 

Perhaps you could try and imagine working with this 'flashing dot' in the corner of screen?

How you would have to manage multiple points of attention?

So that you can continue reading this, but also keeping an eye on the flashing dot.

At first when it changes to any other color, you might have an impulse to immediately go and click on it.

But over time, you will probably learn to inhibit this impulse?

So that you first identify the new color, and then choose your response.

 

Where the crucial point, is that attention and impulse regulation, are acquired skills.

That you could learn how to use and cope with this 'flashing dot in the corner', and still keep reading or writing.

 

So that treating ADHD, could also be looked at as developing the skills to manage and regulate attention?

As an acquired skill.

[PeterPan]

So Geodob, there's an app for that?

[Heathermomster]

Well, DS was diagnosed inattentive ADHD last fall.  Interactive metronome helped some.  Taking him to the PT and dealing with his developmental motor issues  helped.  Digging in and working on structure has been the most helpful, but then DS is not hyper at all.  DS gets by, but I keep thinking about mindfulness training and neurofeedback.  I have a mindfulness book and hope to focus on that once the school year ends.  Bouncy balls for sitting and squeeze toys do not help my child at all.  In fact, using those items will cause DS to utterly lose his attention.  To cope with missing directions in the classroom, DS now uses an Echo Smartpen.

 

I spoke with BIL about his ADHD.  As an adult, he uses a life coach, stays away from video games, takes meds, and recommends an author named David Allen.  BIL is a highly successful business exec who graduated from the University of Chicago.