Medicating or not medicating for ADHD

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I am new to this and was wondering about weither or not to medicate my son. I really don't want to put him on drugs and my son's doctor really feels that it will be the next step. Does anyone have any good info on herbal remedies? And do herbal remedies really work?

To the board Mom...I’m not too good at this either….lolI’m not going to much help as my kids do not suffer from it but I called a co-worked whose son was diagnosed with ADHD. She had him on Ritalin (methylphenidate) for a few years but swears by this stuff called Nature's Sunshine Focus Attention... She said she gets in at a local health food store and can order it on line… May I ask why you don’t want to have him on any medication?I alkso know someone else who won't start thier day without his pill. But it is a life long process....Without it, he can't focus

I will leave my opinion out of this

I'm thirty-one years old and have to take meds for ADD. There is no way I can get along without them and expect to keep a client for very long. So if he really needs the meds, by all means get them for him.

Having said that, I do believe meds get overused, somewhat, for the purpose of making a child conform to modern expectations and environments, that are misplaced and simply not natural to childhood. I heard of this book, Last Child in the Woods, on the radio around the first of the year. It has nothing to do with herbal remedies and it is not new age or anti-med propaganda. It is more about lifestyle and modern environment and the effects is has on children's psyche and behaviors. From what I heard, I didn't hear the beginning, I thought the author had several good points. While the book is not about ADD or ADHD specifically, I still think it has a lot to offer today's parents.

Follow this link,Diane Rehm Show - Last Child in the Woods, and you can listen to the interview (about 30 to 45 min. long) and decide if it sounds like something applicable to your son's problems and something you would like to explore further, before you run out and buy a book.

Look towards the bottom of the page to find it.

You really need to talk with your doctor about putting your son on medication for ADD. I was on Ritalin when I was younger and it wasn't for me. It made a zombie, I couldn't sleep, and it gave me more problems than my ADHD did! Discuss medication with your doctor and they'll be able to tell you if he needs it or not. Not all people need to take medication for ADD/ADHD. Some people deal with the disorder on their own, which I happen to do. As I said, I was on meds when I was younger but my parents took me off because it made me stay up all night and I was like a zombie, so taking the meds wasn't for me. Medication isn't for everyone, and not everyone needs to use it for ADD/ADHD. I deal with this disorder everyday of my life and it's hard as hell, but I still do it. Just because someone has ADD/ADHD doesn't mean they have to be put on medication because not everyone with this disorder needs it. You need to be careful though, drugs for ADD or ADHD can really mess your child up (it can cause severe behavior changes and you should monitor your son closely if you do put him on it). ADD/ADHD can cause a lot of problems in your life. As I said, I've known that I had it since I was really young and I've had it all my life (which I'm pretty sure it’s something you can't out grow, just something you have to over come). When I was in high school I used to get in so much trouble from my teachers because I couldn't pay attention to them. I couldn't because while they were talking to the class other students would be either talking or making noise and I just couldn't keep myself from paying attention to all the other things in the classroom. It was really hard for my in school because my ADHD would always keep me from doing my very best. When I'd write papers I'd have to stay after class to have my teacher read the paper before I could turn it in because I'd forget to add words or completely leave out important facts. When I would read it, I'd automatically add the words in so I would never know I messed up until a teacher would point it out to me. My parents and teachers would call me the "Social Butterfly" because I'd get bored because I couldn't concentrate(ms?) on my tasks at hand so I'd get up and start talk to anyone and everyone. I do the same thing at work and it’s really frustrating. It’s hard to deal with, but I do the best I can.Just talk to you doctor and check any and all options before deciding to use meds.

Well, I am a student in Middle School, and I was having trouble focusing/relaxing and staying calm. I was started on Concerta, 54 MG, and have been on this medicine for two years. My grades all went up, especially my Conduct grades. I was getting in less trouble at school, and am doing much better overall. I take my pill daily, and if I don't I will almost always get in trouble, like I did before I started. I don't see any negative side effects, except a few headaches when I started, and a headache if I stop it for a few weeks and start again. This is normal thougn, and my doctor also said so.

don't hesitate to listen to that doctor! both me and my older sister have adhd. they were like you in being hesitant about medication, so with my sister (this was before i was born) they tried all the herbal and alternative bullshit, like the feingold diet, and not one of them had any effect other than wasting time. they finally put her on meds, reluctantly. But it was very worth it, and she showed great change (from what i'm told). and they put me on meds when i was diagnosed without hesitation. Both my sister and i are so thankful they put us on them, they make us able to function at "normal levels." also you must look at it this way, it's not like you're giving your son heroin. if he had asthma, would you deny him an inhaler? it's the same thing, adhd should be and is considered a disease, there's no cure, but there are treatments. There is always a small possibility that he'll lose it in adulthood. But for now, if he can't get proper treatment, he'll never learn how to deal with it, and he could be left behind socially and academically. Before i was diagnosed i had social problems that were very depressing. I couldn't concentrate during conversations and would interrupt conversations and even the teacher often, which would lead to many a recess spent inside. and i was by no means a bad kid. it's just a mental deficciency, not a personality trait. i can't tell you how to raise your son, but i can tell you that i think the medication will be something he'll thank you for and will make him happier. also, you must also realize the meds are almost completely harmless...almost because people can have some negative side effects, nothing permanent though. if they show up, just tell the doctor and he'll change the meds accordingly. it took me a few tries to find the right meds and the right dosage. the stimulant is such a small amount, it can't have the negative effects like from other stimulants, like cocaine or the like. they've done studies that show that children on the medication's brains will actually morph them over time so that they function in a more normal fashion. not to toot my own horn but i'm 19th, in my class of 448, have many academic achievements, what i consider to be socially adequate, and am involved in many extracurricular activitities, and i'm not saying i'd be any dumber without these meds, i'm just as smart without them, the point is, without them, i'd interrupt and not listen to my friends, likely annoying them, i wouldn't be able to get myself to concentrate enough to do homework or listen in school, and i wouldn't be as motivated to do all that i do.Sorry if i seem a bit zealous, but it's just something i feel strongly about. when he's young is when he'll best learn how to deal with adhd, but only with good help! which may or may not come in the form of a pill and possibly some couseling which will teach him techniques on how to work with it. There's a pbs special on medical disorders that you may want to check out, and it will show you how a child without help early can just slip through the cracks of school and society.Well, i think i've said all i have to say. Sorry if it seems a bit slurred or mumbled, i'm writing all this half-asleep. Best of luck. I hope it all works out.

i have adhd and i took meds for it for....i gotta think lol 13 years and everyone noticed when i wasn't taking my meds. until i finally learned to control it myself, i would stop taking them and would be a menace to everyone. my belief is, if you should decide to put your son on them try them for about 3-4 weeks to see if you notice a big difference in how he acts if there isn't that big a difference take him off them. at least that's my opinion

Sorry this is soo late. I don't know why I wasn't getting these notices about this board. But anyway. I don't want to use precription medication becasue of the side effects that are associated with these drugs. They are still new most of them and have potentually harmful affects on growing bodies. We have been using Coromega 3 for almost 9 months now and have resently desided that red dyes have been also been affecting him. He has calmed a bit and grown a bit also. My son also had large tonsils and after seeing a study about large tonsils and ADHD, looked into this. His doctor didn't want to talk with us about it so I took him to see a specialist. He had one rather large tonsil that was blocking half of the back of his throat. This study that was done stated that some children diagnosed with ADHD really lacked proper sleep and they found that they had large tonsils that prohibed them from sleeping properly. Once the tonsils were removed it took a 6 months to a year to see any change. At this point that it where we stand. I am continuing the coromega 3 and cutting out the red dye. And he seems to be doing much better.Thanks for the info also. I will check the stuff you mentioned out. I know alot of people jump for joy at drugs but with history in my family with heart disease. I don't want him having problems early because I choose to give him drugs for ADHD when he was 5.

Sorry this is soo late. didn't get replys in my email. I will check out the book. Thanks. I think I will try the library first.

Well, that is the problem. I will be talking with my child's doctor. But, If I come in with some knowledge as to what is avalible to me. I can question him about it. Weither it is prescription or not how can he just blow me off by saying there isn't anything that is going to work other than giving him potentually harmful drugs. I know that there are risks in everything that you would take but some risks are bigger than others. I would like to try a holistic approach before resorting to a bigger risk in prescription drugs. I know that these drugs can help but like you said they can turn you into a Zombie and I don't want that to happen to him either.

That is why I figured I would post here to see if anyone had any other suggestions as to things that would help before resorting to just giving him prescription drugs. So he can learn to control himself.

there is a new drug for treating adhd/add, it's called stratera, you may have seen the commercials for it on tv lol i was on it for the 6 months before i took myself off my meds, it is stimulant free, so it might be worth asking you child's doctor about it. just a thought