Help! Natural Treatments for ADD

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  • kelly_a
    kelly_a Posts: 2,010 Member
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  • Chibea
    Chibea Posts: 363 Member
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    Back in the day there was this ancient remedy for ADD. It's called "smack the sh1t out of them". Typically, this results in children who listen, focus on what you say, and, in general, act less like feral animals.

    Nice one baotzu! When i was growing up (in the 80's) nobody had ADD or ADHD or peanut allergies and all that crap - what a joke. And to tikafly, i can open and reply to any post i want here, its a free site

    Just because you *can* do something doesn't mean you *should*. I know it's the internet, but damn, some manners would be nice.

    Yesterday i read something like this....sometimes you have to put on your big girl pants before coming to the forums. Stop being so sensitive and move on

    So.....you can come into a thread and be rude....but other people can't call you out on it? Oh, the irony and hypocrisy :laugh:

    You rock!
  • PamelaGatorMom
    PamelaGatorMom Posts: 348 Member
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    I actually am finding this thread VERY helpful with a child who at the age of 10 was just diagnosed with ADD & we tried 4 kinds of meds all made him sick.

    Plus it is interesting because he's had issues with stomach aches most of his life.

    As a parent I was always questioning all the kids with lables & feel that it starts at home with DISCIPLINE, DIET, & STRUCTURE!! Funny we don't have sodas & caffiene in the house but would never let my child have it...now I'm wondering if a glass of tea may help him out.

    In addition my child is VERY well behaved (I do believe in whooping an @ss if I need to) so not ever ADD child is out of control!
  • Chibea
    Chibea Posts: 363 Member
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    Note: the 'ignore button can really clean up a thread for you :smile:
  • jjrichard83
    jjrichard83 Posts: 483 Member
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    If you are going to give him these drugs, be prepared for mood swings, and outbursts - remember it's not his fault. Another thing I remember besides not being able to sleep at night was it completely eliminated hunger. I may go 10 hours without wanting food. I know this may be a plus for some people, but that along with the rest is not good.

    Depends on how he will deal with the meds. I would try a latte in the morning as someone else stated first. If you go the meds route, don't expect them to tell you of their symptoms b/c they will be too confused or unsure. Watch out for them yourself (without her/him knowing you are).
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
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    Only SOME ADD meds have unwanted side effects. I had hardcore terrible ADD throughout my childhood, where it really wasn't an option for me to go unmedicated if I was to survive school. We had to try a few different drugs (Ritalin, Cylert, Prozac, Adderall) over the couse of about 7 years before finding one that worked best for me. Don't give up on ALL meds just because one or two don't work.
  • abberbabber
    abberbabber Posts: 972 Member
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    For those of you who tried the drugs, what were some of the side effects? What should parents be looking for in their kids, if they decide to try meds? Where there things you wish your parents had been more aware of when you were on different medications?
  • fabandfit4life
    fabandfit4life Posts: 8
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    Back in the day there was this ancient remedy for ADD. It's called "smack the sh1t out of them". Typically, this results in children who listen, focus on what you say, and, in general, act less like feral animals.

    Nice one baotzu! When i was growing up (in the 80's) nobody had ADD or ADHD or peanut allergies and all that crap - what a joke. And to tikafly, i can open and reply to any post i want here, its a free site

    Just because you *can* do something doesn't mean you *should*. I know it's the internet, but damn, some manners would be nice.

    Yesterday i read something like this....sometimes you have to put on your big girl pants before coming to the forums. Stop being so sensitive and move on

    So.....you can come into a thread and be rude....but other people can't call you out on it? Oh, the irony and hypocrisy :laugh:

    You rock!
    Thank you all for your support and suggestions and I am sorry to see there are so many HATERS here. I do believe that a lot of disease and ailments go hand in hand with nutrition and exersice and i'ts not just about losing weight and being vain. With that being said this is for who said in the 80's there were not this diseases I am sorry to call you out on your ignorance but I do believe that back in the 80's we did have kids with ADD and ADHD and due to ignorance they were just not properly diagnosed and were labeled as a problem children that grew up to have a very low self esteem because of it. I remember this kind of kids in school with me and they were always singled out and treated as stupid and trouble makers.
    My child is one that I do discipline when it is needed and called for but I also want to find help for him and not punish him for having ADD.

    One more thing, i'ts funny how some people complain about these post being off topic but do not complain about any other post that are offensive or obsene that are totally off topic from a fitness and nutrition standpoint.
  • fabandfit4life
    fabandfit4life Posts: 8
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    I actually am finding this thread VERY helpful with a child who at the age of 10 was just diagnosed with ADD & we tried 4 kinds of meds all made him sick.

    Plus it is interesting because he's had issues with stomach aches most of his life.

    As a parent I was always questioning all the kids with lables & feel that it starts at home with DISCIPLINE, DIET, & STRUCTURE!! Funny we don't have sodas & caffiene in the house but would never let my child have it...now I'm wondering if a glass of tea may help him out.

    In addition my child is VERY well behaved (I do believe in whooping an @ss if I need to) so not ever ADD child is out of control!
    Very well said. I also believe in whooping an @ss but like I said before I dont want to punish him for having ADD and i'ts just getting to be so hard at school for him where he is getting to the point of loosing his self esteem.
  • abberbabber
    abberbabber Posts: 972 Member
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    I actually am finding this thread VERY helpful with a child who at the age of 10 was just diagnosed with ADD & we tried 4 kinds of meds all made him sick.

    Plus it is interesting because he's had issues with stomach aches most of his life.

    As a parent I was always questioning all the kids with lables & feel that it starts at home with DISCIPLINE, DIET, & STRUCTURE!! Funny we don't have sodas & caffiene in the house but would never let my child have it...now I'm wondering if a glass of tea may help him out.

    In addition my child is VERY well behaved (I do believe in whooping an @ss if I need to) so not ever ADD child is out of control!
    Very well said. I also believe in whooping an @ss but like I said before I dont want to punish him for having ADD and i'ts just getting to be so hard at school for him where he is getting to the point of loosing his self esteem.

    My friend's daughter is extremely well behaved, as well. He NEVER has reports from school about her behavior and very, very rarely has to correct her at home for any kind of serious behavioral issues. Her biggest issue seems to be concentrating; she's easily distracted and easily frustrated (we think there might be some LD involved, possibly some dyslexia) so homework takes twice as long as it otherwise might, especially if she has to actually read something. But acting out, running crazy, yelling, etc? Not an issue with this child.
  • Chibea
    Chibea Posts: 363 Member
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    I actually am finding this thread VERY helpful with a child who at the age of 10 was just diagnosed with ADD & we tried 4 kinds of meds all made him sick.

    Plus it is interesting because he's had issues with stomach aches most of his life.

    As a parent I was always questioning all the kids with lables & feel that it starts at home with DISCIPLINE, DIET, & STRUCTURE!! Funny we don't have sodas & caffiene in the house but would never let my child have it...now I'm wondering if a glass of tea may help him out.

    In addition my child is VERY well behaved (I do believe in whooping an @ss if I need to) so not ever ADD child is out of control!
    Very well said. I also believe in whooping an @ss but like I said before I dont want to punish him for having ADD and i'ts just getting to be so hard at school for him where he is getting to the point of loosing his self esteem.

    My friend's daughter is extremely well behaved, as well. He NEVER has reports from school about her behavior and very, very rarely has to correct her at home for any kind of serious behavioral issues. Her biggest issue seems to be concentrating; she's easily distracted and easily frustrated (we think there might be some LD involved, possibly some dyslexia) so homework takes twice as long as it otherwise might, especially if she has to actually read something. But acting out, running crazy, yelling, etc? Not an issue with this child.



    I never hit my child, and he is extremely well behaved.

    There are two different manifestations of this problem - one is the inability to attend with hyperactivity and the other is just inattentive. I think it makes a big difference which type you have as to how you address the issues.

    My son, who has the inattentive type, has reacted to some of the medications with feelings of frustration and anger toward others. He is, by nature very quiet and thoughtful, so he really disliked the feeling. He said it changed his personality. His doctor told him she would agree for him to stop the medication, but to be open to trying it again later. That medication was Adderal. He is older now and really needed to increase his focus for his high school classes, so he tried Vyvanse. It seems great. His only complaint is that he has some test anxiety which he has never experienced before - many ADHD kids like testing time because it isn't as boring and difficult to pay attention and there are fewer distractions than a normal classroom day.
    He is not a big eater, so I have to really push him to get nutritious meals into him.

    Other than he keeps forgetting to take it.....:tongue: It is working great.
  • fabandfit4life
    fabandfit4life Posts: 8
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  • Kimberly3013
    Kimberly3013 Posts: 78 Member
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    Personal experience, I have an 18 yr old who was put on Adderall against my wishes by my ex-husband who didn't want to deal with him. He only took it for about 4 months and he is off it now. He now has studdering problems when he talks. He didn't like the way it made him feel, he said it made him sick to his stomach and he never felt like eating. He had trouble sleeping all the time. He was tested in the 2nd grade and the doctor stated that he was bored and that was the reason for his misbehaving. I also have a 9 yr old who teachers for the last few years have been trying to get me to put him on meds. I have refused and have been trying things more like rewarding for good behavior, his teacher is doing the same. He loves to help out so she lets him help her do things on his good days. He still has good and bad days, but nothing like harming other kids or dangerous activity. Doctors have told me to use fish oil, and to stay away from food/drinks with red dye in them.

    I worked for a family physician for several years. Many of the ADHD medications are "black box labeled", this is the label given to medications by the FDA before they decide to discontinue them due to their side effects. I spent almost 2 yrs giving kids baseline EKG's to monitor their hearts because one of the side effects is enlarged hearts and spontaneous death due to heart enlarging. I am not trying to scare you but I have researched many of the drugs and it scares me to let my kids have them. Having to give healthy kids EKG's was a big reason for me staying away from them. There might be kids out there that really need them and that is the parents choice. I would ask your physician for natural ways to help rather than go to the meds.
  • abberbabber
    abberbabber Posts: 972 Member
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  • Illona88
    Illona88 Posts: 903 Member
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    There was a bit about treating ADHD with food on Food Hospital.
    Definitely worth a watch for people who want to treat their kids or themselves with diet before trying meds (the whole series is worth a watch, it shows how to be able to treat lots of different illnesses and disorders with food).

    I looked it up for you and the "case file" for a kid with ADHD can be found here: http://foodhospital.channel4.com/cases/case-file-ezra/

    It has videos taken out of the actual episode, but I don't know if you can watch it outside of the UK as well. If you can't, you can find the entire episode on tubeplus: http://www.tubeplus.me/player/2106340/The_Food_Hospital/

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