Alternatives to ADD meds

amother

Tue, May 24 2022, 3:11 am

Please dont turn this into a debate. We are not opposed to medicines, but would love to know of alternatives to helping our child in this area.
We dont have an exact diagnosis yet, but this child had an evaluation and one thing that was found was diffuculties in paying attention and to look into suggestions.
Has anyone been able to help their child without medicine?

amother

Celeste

Tue, May 24 2022, 3:40 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Smaller classroom setting (where I live some schools have small classes or specific classes that are davka kept smaller for kids who need extra help), lots of one on one extra tutoring. For awhile my son couldn't take medication and he was pulled out for two hours a day for one on one tutoring. B'H was mainstreamed back in classroom once he was able to take the medication.
SOME people say no food coloring/ sugar helped their childs hyperactivity, but not sure how much it would help focus.

amother

Latte

Tue, May 24 2022, 4:45 am

L tyrosine

Gaba

L theanine

Magnesium

Lithium orotate

Methylated b vitamins

Gluten free, dairy free, dye free low sugar diet

Treat yeast, parasites and any other chronic infections

Work on gut health

Check thyroid - subclinical hypothyroidism can mimic add

Craniosacral therapy

Reflex integration

Vision therapy

Physio-neuro therapy programs

Address oral ties and narrow jaw

amother

Sage

Tue, May 24 2022, 5:08 am

I don't believe diet plays a role in adhd. I do believe many children with adhd are sensitive to certain foods. My daughter is sensitive to dairy and chocolate. She told me it gives her a headache/stomach ache. She cannot have fried food. We tried supplements and saw no difference. We use medication because we see a difference. And claiming they all have other issues. Please. My mother has had blood work done countless times. She is fine. Besides the adhd. Same thing with husband who also has adhd. He doesn't touch dairy either. There is no proof that removing food coloring helps. I have heard that when they are little it helps with hyperness.

amother

Celeste

Tue, May 24 2022, 5:38 am

amother [ Latte ] wrote:

We tried a ton of these things when my son couldn't be medicated and found absolutely nothing helpful besides for one on one tutoring.

amother

Latte

Tue, May 24 2022, 5:46 am

amother [ Celeste ] wrote:

We tried a ton of these things when my son couldn't be medicated and found absolutely nothing helpful besides for one on one tutoring.

We found them incredibly helpful but they need to be done in a specific, targeted way. Supplements don’t work the same way as drugs and therapies only stick once the brain is already in a healthier place.

amother

Celeste

Tue, May 24 2022, 5:49 am

amother [ Latte ] wrote:

We found them incredibly helpful but they need to be done in a specific, targeted way.

Yes, we worked with a very well respected and well known naturopath. Honestly with a mild case of adhd it may work but my son had a real case of full blown adhd.

andrea levy

Tue, May 24 2022, 5:50 am

We do believe food plays a role. All four of us have attention issues. All four of us do better on a low carb diet.

When I started my medicine dosing course in school I was terrified but what a difference from when I was a child. Sure, forty years of maturity too but no brain fog.

amother

Latte

Tue, May 24 2022, 5:55 am

amother [ Celeste ] wrote:

Yes, we worked with a very well respected and well known naturopath. Honestly with a mild case of adhd it may work but my son had a real case of full blown adhd.

Did they address pathogens?

amother

Tue, May 24 2022, 6:07 am

amother [ Sage ] wrote:

there is no hyperness in her diagnosis, just issues with attention.

amother

Diamond

Tue, May 24 2022, 6:18 am

Tried Omega 3 type of vitamins. Didn't see any change. We did eventually go the medication route and saw an immediate difference. You can try medication for a few days, it doesn't have to be a long term commitment. It's like taking pain relief medication. You feel better within the first 30 minutes, and it lasts a couple of hours. You should be able to see right away if it is working.

amother

Celeste

Tue, May 24 2022, 6:21 am

amother [ Diamond ] wrote:

Well sometimes it takes trial and error to find the right medication. Some kids do horribly on ritalin and great on aderall etc.

Rubies

Tue, May 24 2022, 6:32 am

I've found that the school lunch may provide protein that kids don't eat and that has a big impact on the daily. And sleep!

Try to isolate the behavioral reason beneath the action. Many times by addressing that, it lessens the adhd intensity.

allgood

Tue, May 24 2022, 6:34 am

What was it that caused you to initially take your child to be evaluated? Sometimes addressing that issue may be helpful.
I have found that there are often skills missing and once those skills are addressed a child can do better.
I agree though that medication will sometimes be worth a shot because for some children it really helps

amother

Powderblue

Tue, May 24 2022, 7:00 am

2 kids with ADHD.
1 takes a tiny amount of stimulant and now we get zero comments from the school about not sitting still, bouncing. Perfect kid? No, can still bother siblings, not listening but it isnt due to ADHD... and yeah it works with a seriously small dose. We open a capsule up and give only part of it. Find a doc willing to work with you and to get a smaller dose. Nothing else helped.

The other kid is more complicated. Behavioral, anxiety and other issues beyond adhd. We are working on trying to address those. On a Small dose of a different med but waiting for an appointment with a specialist to see about meds and changing that kid's dose. Also trying OT route for emotional regulation.

amother

Tue, May 24 2022, 7:02 am

Rubies wrote:

As I said, my child does ot have the hyperness. Its only ADD not adHd.

Also, my child has always had the school lunches.

amother

Tue, May 24 2022, 7:04 am

allgood wrote:

Did the testing so that next year when DC goes to high school, they know ehat help is needed (the high school themselves asked for an evaluation).
Apart from the learning issues, needing help with attention was brought up.
But Im not such a great fan of ritalin (personal teasons, I know it can and does help many) so I was wondering what other ways there were to help someone with ADD.

Rubies

Tue, May 24 2022, 7:08 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

As I said, my child does ot have the hyperness. Its only ADD not adHd.

Also, my child has always had the school lunches.

I was thinking about a younger kid as far as food, my mistake.

I'm curious which part of my post you thought referred to hyperactivity?

Eta - I see that you specified add - they're interchangeable this year again in the dsm, I believe.
My post refers to both. Nothing specifically addressed for hyperactivity.

Last edited by Rubies on Tue, May 24 2022, 7:10 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Tue, May 24 2022, 7:09 am

Rubies wrote:

I was thinking about a younger kid as far as food, my mistake.

I'm curious which part of my post you thought referred to hyperactivity?

If you look back at your post you wrote adhd ot add.