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natural vs medication for ADHD ?update in post ?
ahk00
Posts: 1,420 ✭
Hi all,
I have an 11 year old adopted son who has been diagnosed w/ ADHD for 5 years. A little bit of a back story: he was born @ 26 weeks, was not fed properly by his parents, had a feeding tube, multiple other health issues & was 11 pounds @ the age of 1. Needless to say he has developmental delays but received ST, OT & PT & is catching up. He was held back in K.
Prior to me taking him to have him diagnosed we did behavior charts, counseling & various other things. I wanted to make sure this was truly what was wrong and just not an issue because of the developmental delays. He has been taking stimulant medications for the duration of his dx. When these meds stopped working he would exhibit obsessive compulsive symptoms as well as when the medications were increased. So each time I switched to a new med. He has been on the current med for quite some time but during an IEP meeting was told that he is having to be redirected 22 times in a 25 min time period. Off to the dr we go & the dosage is increased. 1 week in no change. Week 2 he was doing great. Week 3 he was getting in trouble @ school because of the obsessive compulsive behaviors. Isaiah does not get in trouble @ school. I was getting worried as they were becoming worse @ home. I honestly thought maybe he was misdiagnosed & didn't have ADHD @ all but had OCD. Spring break here we come! So off the medications he goes & ALL obsessive compulsive behaviors are gone. He is eating more, having daily BMs (previously he would go days w/o having one), drinking a ton more (typically its like pulling teeth to get him to drink 3x a day) & hyperactivity I would say is mild but not off the chart like the last time I tried this but he is exhausted.
He has been going to acupuncture with me weekly since Thanksgiving & about 15 days ago I started him on an herbal supplement. For a long time now he has been taking the following supplements: fish oil, D3, probiotic & a multi-vitamin. He also takes daily allergy & asthma medications. I have tried diet elimination & the only thing that has helped somewhat is eliminating red food dyes.
We had a med check appointment today & the Dr says "I am amazed that the obsessive compulsive behaviors are gone". She is no longer recommending stimulants for him but is not sure what to do now. She did recommend continuing with the herbs & acupuncture. She did give me a different med @ the lowest does in the event that I need something for school. She has also recommended a psychiatrist. Which I don't like. As a Social worker I have seen a million times: kids go in for one thing & end up on multiple meds to lessen the side effects of the other meds. I do not want to do that. She suggested sending him to school on Monday w/o the meds & w/o telling the school to see if they notice a difference w/o being told. My fear & the dr's is that if they know they will be looking for things to be wrong. I worry because on April 5th he has a 2 hr test at school. He does get pulled out & is with 3 other students during test taking & has the option for a scribe as well as someone to read him the questions. We also discussed non-stimulants but the lowering of the BP & suicidal ideations worry me. And I'm not 100% sure Isaiah would be able to communicate those thoughts with me.
So I guess my question is if anyone has any additional recommendations or herbal supplements that work for them or their little one I would greatly appreciate the advice. Should I go back to trying to eliminate things from his diet since he is off the meds? I am a little (ok a lot) lost.
Amanda
I have an 11 year old adopted son who has been diagnosed w/ ADHD for 5 years. A little bit of a back story: he was born @ 26 weeks, was not fed properly by his parents, had a feeding tube, multiple other health issues & was 11 pounds @ the age of 1. Needless to say he has developmental delays but received ST, OT & PT & is catching up. He was held back in K.
Prior to me taking him to have him diagnosed we did behavior charts, counseling & various other things. I wanted to make sure this was truly what was wrong and just not an issue because of the developmental delays. He has been taking stimulant medications for the duration of his dx. When these meds stopped working he would exhibit obsessive compulsive symptoms as well as when the medications were increased. So each time I switched to a new med. He has been on the current med for quite some time but during an IEP meeting was told that he is having to be redirected 22 times in a 25 min time period. Off to the dr we go & the dosage is increased. 1 week in no change. Week 2 he was doing great. Week 3 he was getting in trouble @ school because of the obsessive compulsive behaviors. Isaiah does not get in trouble @ school. I was getting worried as they were becoming worse @ home. I honestly thought maybe he was misdiagnosed & didn't have ADHD @ all but had OCD. Spring break here we come! So off the medications he goes & ALL obsessive compulsive behaviors are gone. He is eating more, having daily BMs (previously he would go days w/o having one), drinking a ton more (typically its like pulling teeth to get him to drink 3x a day) & hyperactivity I would say is mild but not off the chart like the last time I tried this but he is exhausted.
He has been going to acupuncture with me weekly since Thanksgiving & about 15 days ago I started him on an herbal supplement. For a long time now he has been taking the following supplements: fish oil, D3, probiotic & a multi-vitamin. He also takes daily allergy & asthma medications. I have tried diet elimination & the only thing that has helped somewhat is eliminating red food dyes.
We had a med check appointment today & the Dr says "I am amazed that the obsessive compulsive behaviors are gone". She is no longer recommending stimulants for him but is not sure what to do now. She did recommend continuing with the herbs & acupuncture. She did give me a different med @ the lowest does in the event that I need something for school. She has also recommended a psychiatrist. Which I don't like. As a Social worker I have seen a million times: kids go in for one thing & end up on multiple meds to lessen the side effects of the other meds. I do not want to do that. She suggested sending him to school on Monday w/o the meds & w/o telling the school to see if they notice a difference w/o being told. My fear & the dr's is that if they know they will be looking for things to be wrong. I worry because on April 5th he has a 2 hr test at school. He does get pulled out & is with 3 other students during test taking & has the option for a scribe as well as someone to read him the questions. We also discussed non-stimulants but the lowering of the BP & suicidal ideations worry me. And I'm not 100% sure Isaiah would be able to communicate those thoughts with me.
So I guess my question is if anyone has any additional recommendations or herbal supplements that work for them or their little one I would greatly appreciate the advice. Should I go back to trying to eliminate things from his diet since he is off the meds? I am a little (ok a lot) lost.
Amanda
SMBC: TTC since 12/2014: 3 home attempts: 2 BFN & 1 chemical. 3 medicated Dr assisted IUI's: 2 BFN & 1 BFP (04/24/15) with twins in May (new donor) MC with D&C @ 9w. 4th IUI 09/17/15: BFN. 10/15: hsg good. 11/15: BFN. 01/16: BFN. 05/16: Embryos arrested. IVF failed 06/16: KD BFN 07/16: KD BFN 09/16: IUI #7 with donor sperm BFP-MC at 9w w/ D&C. 02/17: diagnosed with hetero compound MTHFR & clotting mutation. 03/09/17 IUI #8: chemical pregnancy. IUI #9: 04/19/17 BFN LOOKING FOR EMBRYO'S TO ADOPT
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Comments
Personally, based on what you've described, I'd let him do a week of school on the current regimen and see how it goes before changing anything. Chances are he is never going to be 100% symptom-free, and he's old enough that he may be able to start learning coping skills for the residual symptoms (though I realize his maturity level may be a bit behind his chronological age).
I have ADHD (primarily inattentive type), and I can't do stimulants because of cardiac side-effects (had to give up caffeine because of episodes of arrhythmia). I tried Strattera at one point, but it caused my blood pressure and pulse rate to go up (apparently the body processes it as a salt). We tried reducing the dose, but then that reduced the effectiveness, so I just gave up on it (doc offered to give me a beta blocker, but I didn't want to go down that road). I still REALLY struggled with grad school, and there's no way I could ever do a Ph.D. program, but thanks to the coping skills I developed while I was in college, my coworkers and supervisors now are impressed by how organized I am.
Some things that help me are checklists, having a set order that I do things in every day, keeping all my appointments (work and personal) on one calendar, and being sure to get enough sleep (fortunately my baby is usually a good sleeper).
I can't tell you what to do in the meantime, but maybe ask around and see if there are good people near you. Don't let fear of bad doctors make you fear all doctors. You are the mom, you are the expert. A good doctor will recognize that.
I don't know if this is a piece of your son's puzzle, but it might be worth thinking about.
I know the stimulants are now doing him more harm than good. I just hope I can find something that works for him so he can focus at school and other places he may need as well. The other thing the meds have done is slowed his growth down. He has been at 54 pounds and 4 foot for over a year now. His bio parents are 6'6 and 5'8. He is being followed by an endocrinologist and GI. All medical possibilities have been ruled out. Per his growth chart he started slowing down after he started the meds. I'm going to look at the fingold diet as well. I'm sort of damned if I do and damned if I don't.
I truly appreciate the experiences and recommendations. If anyone can see anything that I'm doing that I should be doing differently I'm open to suggestions.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/19355996898/
Lots of info here and helpful people. There are a few NW folks who follow also follow Feingold. We are here to help with any questions you might have.
When she was 15, she tried to commit suicide. In the mental hospital, they determined that her long-use of concerta had caused damage to her brain and that it was making her suicidal. We went off all meds at that point, and started therapy once a week. It was a very rough start, but after two months, she was a different kid.
The last 3 years have been so much better for her. She still has her moments, but she is graduating in 6 weeks, has a job, and has been accepted to nursing school. I'm so proud of her and honestly, I don't know that I could ever put any future children on those meds. I know every kid is different, and Ive seen amazing results with students, but it isn't for everyone. You have to make the decision that is best for you and your child. It is such a hard one when you know they are struggling and you just want something to work.
5/2015-BFN 6/2015-Chemical 8/2015-BFN 10/2015-BFN 12/2015-BFP (miscarriage)
2/2016-BFN 4/2016-BFN 7/2016-BFN 10/2016-BFN 11/2016-BFN 12/2016-BFN 3/2017-BFP!!!
But the best feeling of all: a family friend at a party we were at said "normally Isaiah just sits and is very quiet. Tonight he is interacting and playing with the other kids like he is supposed to". I hate to say this because the thought of him losing himself along the way is hard but I have my Isaiah back. It's so good to see him participating in shows that his cousins put on and acting like an 11 year old.
The thing is, once she was off the meds, she made friends, became social, and really changed personality-wise for the better. She had been so quiet and shy, unable to speak up in a group, and now she is full of sparkle and life. She's opinionated (maybe a bit too much) and shares things with me that she never did before.
Good luck!
5/2015-BFN 6/2015-Chemical 8/2015-BFN 10/2015-BFN 12/2015-BFP (miscarriage)
2/2016-BFN 4/2016-BFN 7/2016-BFN 10/2016-BFN 11/2016-BFN 12/2016-BFN 3/2017-BFP!!!