I have tried Concerta and Adderol XR but I didn't like the side effects. Has anyone tried any herbal medications or alternative treatments? I would rather he have symptoms of ADHD than be a walking zombie or obsess over tasks that are very trivial. He is too precious to me.
2006-12-14 09:52:47 · 11 answers · asked by Fairygirl 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Grade-Schooler
my son has "adhd" my wife an i believe he is just a naughty boy. he has no meds an we cope! hiding the prob is not solving it.
2006-12-14 10:00:16 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
I have tried some herbal supplements with my 11 year old son & they did not work at all with him. & I tried Eye-Q which is a cod liver oil extract said to be good for ADHD. also didn't do a thing.
so I decided to give him medication as his grades were getting worse & worse (not to mention his behaviour). we started with retalin & it wasn't that great. but when we got him on CONCERTA our lives have been transported because it finally felt like we have a nornal child. His grades have dramatically improved seeing him get A's was amazing it made me feel very proud of him (because i know deep down that he is very smart, he just never applies it to his studying).
HIs behaviour was much better, he doesn't fight all day with his brother or us. he actually listens to what we say & does as he is told. His relationships with his friends have improved & made him popular at school.
the only side effect he gets from the medication is lack of appetite
and during the first month he seems depressed.
other than that i have no complaints whatsoever anymore about him taking medications.
I have also decided to give him his meds during the school year only. so he is off of it in the summer.
2006-12-17 11:21:13 · answer #2 · answered by nadonora 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I had a lot of trouble finding a medication that helped my son too. He is on Daytraina (the patch) now and it is working really well with out any side effects. It has the same stimulant base that Adderal and Concerta have, yet the way it is delivered makes a huge difference. You might try strattera if you want to try a non stimulant based medication. My son was allergic to it though, and it did not help.
2006-12-16 00:44:57 · answer #3 · answered by AlwaysRight 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are lucky enough to live in the States there is a patch that you can get.
Also if you leave your child on Concerta or Adderall long enough those side effects will go away with time. Usually about a month or so. Depending on the side effect. That is one of the big misconception about these medications is the walking zombie effect. If the child is over medicated he will get more hyper. These drugs are stimulates. If they are understand medicated then they won't be as hyper as usual, or it will have no effect at all.
Also a child on these medications has to weened off of them...You really shouldn't just stop taking it. Another option is Dexedrine.
*Note for the comment above mine.....Sometimes the child is unable to learn because of their ADHD. Would you rather medicate your child on school days or have them not learn? My child is in Grade 4 and is reading at a Grade 1 level because I waited so long before putting him on medication. He wasn't able to to learn.
2006-12-14 18:00:17 · answer #4 · answered by yzerswoman 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I was diagnosed when I was in 5th grade. I believe that everyone has it. It just matters to what extent. Some people yes need to be medicated, others don't. MOST CASES ARE MISDIAGNOSED!!! I cant stress this enough. Most of the time there is something else going on. Most of the time it is misdiagnosed for depression. Which is really bad because the medications will produce side effects such as feelings and thoughts of suicide. I really recommend not medicating, and trying to find out what the cause of the problem really is. Try school counselor, new friends, new activities, drama class, ice skating, roller skating, running, sports of any kind, physical activity will diffenetly help! Go to your local health store, Natures Market, GNC, etc, ask them what type of diet he should have (certain food can really make a difference). I hope this helps. Please make sure that it is not something else that is going on! I hope this helps! Good Luck!
2006-12-15 01:29:20 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I tried Concerta, Adderall, and Straterra, and they all did the same thing. Made him zombie like, irritable, emotional and gave him tics(HIs head would jerk and his eyes would blink constantly. I would cry because I thought I had ruined him. I just took him off of that crap and would never give it to him or do that to any of my children again. I would much rather have him the way he is. If you want you can go to a health food store and check out Attend, and Memorin.
2006-12-14 19:17:07 · answer #6 · answered by Blondi 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Been there...done that...will NEVER feed my child legal drugs again as Ritalin turned him into a starving, sleep deprived zombie with no sparkle in his eyes.
We tried hundreds of dollars of "natural/alternative" therapies and nothing seemed to work. All I can tell you is that although ADHD doesn't disappear, you/he will find alternative ways of coping with the problems you encounter because of it. The medications just cover these up. Read book on different strategies such as always placing the back pack in the same spot, a journal for homework assignments, a tutor for extra help, etc. Please keep your son off these drugs, they do cause irreperable harm.
2006-12-14 18:07:02 · answer #7 · answered by me 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
God bless you for that! I haven't ever had to medicate my child for that. I do appreciate your concern for your son. I think that schools and doctors are (generally speaking) too quick to medicate kids today. They just don't have the time to deal with these kids and the kids suffer as a result. I have often thought that if the school ever threatened me to medicate my child (due to add/adhd) or they would call dss or refuse to let my child attend school, that I would simply homeschool my daughter before I put her on medication. Especially if there are no behavioral issues, just the learning part of it. I don't know if home schooling is an option for you, there are actually organizations out there for home school kids with tips and trips and things. Home schooled kids aren't as isolated today as they once were. And there are so many opportunities on the college level now for kids were home schooled that weren't there before. Good Luck!
2006-12-14 18:03:37 · answer #8 · answered by Goddess 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
My brother and sister both have ADHD. They take Stratera, and it really works with the right dosage. The only side effect is mild sleepiness. You should try it. Hope I helped, :),
2006-12-14 18:07:34 · answer #9 · answered by em<3 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i am adhd and when my parents were medicating me we went to 7 different doctors. the problem with children who have adhd is that its hard to medicate them a big no no in adhd medication is retilin it will cause your son to do strange stuff but the medications act differently with different people most of my medications made me depressed all the time
2006-12-14 18:02:58 · answer #10 · answered by onewhowantsanswers 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
maybe the perscription is too strong for him..ask your doc about straterra or REGULAR adderall. adderall XR is for extremely hyper kids.. my brother tried the herbal thing and it didnt work some times certain herbs can make it worse
2006-12-14 17:58:03 · answer #11 · answered by boydshit79 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋