At the end of the line re ADHD meds

ectomorph

Mon, Mar 18 2019, 11:35 am

I think I think a big part of the problem is that ADHD and autism are global descriptors of many many subtypes of different attentional and social issues.

That's why what works for one can be a disaster for another and it's very much trial-and-error to figure out what works for your child.

Someone I know with a child with ADHD it turned out to be lead poisoning. It's just impossible to treat based on it being diagnosed as ADHD or Autism or whatever you need to go with the individual family and the individual child and try several different approaches.

amother

Periwinkle

Mon, Mar 18 2019, 11:53 am

ectomorph wrote:

Yea that makes sense. It's just totally overwhelming.

ectomorph

Mon, Mar 18 2019, 12:06 pm

amother wrote:

Yea that makes sense. It's just totally overwhelming.

I would start w basic blood work. If child is anemic nutritional supplements are more likely to be helpful.
Then try stimulants. These workfor most kids
Then try the non stimulant meds like strattera
Also try individual talk therapy. Can help shift family dynamics that aren't working for your kid

amother

Periwinkle

Mon, Mar 18 2019, 12:09 pm

ectomorph wrote:

Have done every single thing listed above. Maybe there is another non stimulant med besides strattera that we haven't tried. I guess that's my last option.

amother

Aquamarine

Mon, Mar 18 2019, 12:13 pm

You've tried every ADHD drug, but have you tried other drugs that help with ADHD even though they don't primarily treat it? I'm thinking of Wellbutrin (and its generic). It's an antidepressant/anti anxiety that works on dopamine instead of serotonin and has been shown to be slightly beneficial for ADHD. There are others too. Antidepressants aren't as addictive or fast acting or tolerance-building like stimulants. They might help alone or augmenting an ADHD med.

There's also behavioral interventions. Like, does he have the basics of food, sleep, exercise, outdoor time, etc all in check to set himself up for success?

ADDitude online magazine has some great tips around everything adhd

amother

Periwinkle

Mon, Mar 18 2019, 12:18 pm

amother wrote:

He's doing really well on zoloft emotionally so wouldn't want to switch him to wellbutrin right now. Goes to soccer and plays outside a lot, rides his bike etc. Sleep isn't bad. We have a relaxed happy home. We did play therapy/ talk therapy which he hated. will be starting music therapy as that appeals to him, he's quite musical. Has a great relationship with my and my husband and actually loves his school.

I think I need to look into more non stimulant meds for adhd and see where that brings us?

amother

Periwinkle

Mon, Mar 18 2019, 2:33 pm

ectomorph wrote:

Op honestly it sounds like your son is doing absolutely amazing and you're doing a wonderful job

sometimes you just have to push through a challenging few years and hope you have wonderful adult

I really appreciate that. And I know that it will hopefully get better- but its so complicated with him and when I say he's not learning anything at all in school, I mean nothing at all. He can't sit, can't concentrate, can't process. The school has no clue what to do with him at this point, they agree he's too mature socially for a special ed school, they just don't know how to help him. I'm just sad.

mimom

Mon, Mar 18 2019, 2:55 pm

We did something unconventional with DS. We pulled him out of school for half the day because he wasn't focusing, learning at all. At home he is being so much more productive BH. He is learning to play an instrument, reading lots of high interest, quality nonfiction and fiction books, writing stories, doing work on computer, learning with a tutor. It's far from a perfect situation and it's no picnic for me but he is definitely producing more now. Who says sitting in a desk for 8 hrs a day is the only way to learn?

amother

Periwinkle

Mon, Mar 18 2019, 2:57 pm

mimom wrote:

Can he focus and get engaged in any activities at home? Does he read, get absorbed in lego, projects, drawing, etc?

Rarely. It takes him a long time to get into something- he can play soccer for three hours straight, but focused play like lego, drawing reading etc is far less enjoyable for him. He was never the type of kid that could build elaborate block structures etc, unless its a whole activity with other people and more like a social event sort of thing with friends.

levlongnprosper

Mon, Mar 18 2019, 5:01 pm

amother wrote:

Hang in there! Your son is lucky to have such responsive and accepting parents. Sounds like you're trying every angle to give him his best shot at life.

amother

cornflower

Mon, Mar 18 2019, 7:55 pm

Take you child to a functional MD. You will not regret it. They will use precision medicine to do specialized neurotransmitter testing so that you can determine exactly which imbalances are causing the adhd symptoms and they can look at genetic variants that will affect how you child metabolizes different psychotropic drugs to come up with the most effective forms for your child. In addition, they are are trained to act as detectives and find root causes for the symptoms, such as hidden food allergies and intolerances, gut issues, chronic low level infections, etc, all of which can affect the brain, and provide a treatment protocol accordingly.

Even if this is not an option right now, there is so much you can do on your own to tackle this at a root cause level. Removing gluten, dairy and food dyes can be extremely effective, as well as cutting sugar. Treating for strep, yeast overgrowth and parasites. Supplementing magnesium and b vitamins. Phosphatidylserine and phosphatydilcholine are supplements that work well for adhd. Gaba, l theanine, 5 htp are all very calming.

amother

Silver

Mon, Mar 18 2019, 8:05 pm

If you’re looking for an alternative to meds, any homeopathic treatment is going to be to try to get to the root of the problem...not how to treat the ADHD, but where is the ADHD coming from. Meaning, why is the brain acting this way- what is the brain missing (I.e certain vitamins or fats) that is not letting it function properly. Or, which part of the body is not functioning right (airway/sleep issues? Gut health?) and therefore not giving the brain everything it needs to work right.

If you truly feel like it’s time to try something different, I’d go to a functional medicine doctor. They can look at all the symptoms together and try to piece together the whole puzzle. They can also do lab testing.

If you don’t want to go that route, then I’d at the very least recommend diet changes. I know that’s what you said you don’t want to do - but you can’t expext the body to function well when it doesn’t have good fuel. Watch the magic pill on Netflix and then you’ll get a better idea of just how much food affects our brains.

sarahmalka

Mon, Mar 18 2019, 8:16 pm

amother wrote:

OP here- Thank you all for all these responses. Yes there is some underlying depression/ anxiety. We started zoloft about two months ago and he responded amazingly, he's feeling good, happy, social etc. So we figured we'd try ritalin again because he's in a better place emotionally- but it was awful.
He was diagnosed by a pediatric developmental specialist and again by a psychiatrist. he has no signs of ASD- super friendly, loves people, connects easily and extremely popular. But he can't sit in class. and he can't focus on learning. And he's falling further and further behind.

To the person who mentioned genetic testing- specifically for the MTFHR gene?

This isn't a child I can put on a keto diet. He loves his snacks and pizza etc and we aren't a rigid household, I can't imagine him going through his day denying himself every snack in the book. I just don't think its possible- he has zero self control. it would just end in him cheating, hiding or stealing.

OP has he been evaluated for dyslexia or another type of learning disability?

MTHFR variants are not uncommon in the general population, it's not just an ADHD thing but it's good to know. Can be checked via blood or sample like saliva or cheek swab. There are two variants and both should be checked: C677T and A1298C.
I would have also characterized my DC as having no self control as regards food but they do make smart decisions and hold back (dyes, soda). With repetition and explaining I found some diet changes to be possible.

amother

Mauve

Mon, Mar 18 2019, 9:18 pm

Have you tried OT - sensory therapy? That worked for my son.

Also, my son was later diagnosed with anxiety and went on meds for a short period of time and that really helped him. If your son is getting worse on ADHD meds, then he might have an underlying anxiety/depression that the medication is exacerbating.

What also helped my son was working out, especially core strengthening exercises.

Another thing - are you sure your son really has ADHD? My friends son was diagnosed with ADHD and put on medication. It helped him but caused him to get OCD so they stopped it. A few years later, her son was found to have severe dyslexia, and once the dyslexia was addressed and he was able to read, his "ADHD" suddenly disappeared. Another friends child was allergic to gluten, once he went off gluten he was a different child.