HELP! ANY info/imput for treatment of ADHD in children?

Question

8 yr old W/ADHD. meds (Adderall) have serious side effects. any info on alternative med or suggestions?

Answer 1

I have my 10 yr old son on herbs from Native Remidies. Check out their web site it works for my son, he has very mild ADD. We didnt want to use drugs because of all the adverse side effects that we have read. Good luck

Answer 2

My son was also diagnosed w/ ADHD. We used Adderall for first yr. only side effect was no weight gain. We are not using Focalin. He has more appetite and meds seem to be working. We go back every 3-4 months and have his meds rechecked and we re-evaluate progress to see if need dosage adjusted. After a period of time body starts to adjust to meds and meds are not as effective. Same with any OTC pain meds like tylenol. for anyone after so long body becomes immune and the meds will not help at all. Some people have same reaction to Amoxicillin.

Answer 3

Hi, Mom. When your child was originally diagnosed, was he/she put on the Adderall to start or did you try treating with non-stimulant meds first? There are several medications in the non-stimulant(s) category that can give the same benefits, but without all the scary side effects. My son started out on and has continued to take Straterra, which is currently the only medication that has FDA approval for use in treating ADD/ADHD. He takes 18mg/daily (you would of course need to work with your doctor to find the right dosage for your child). It has helped him tremendously, and there are no side effects or long-term worries like possible stunting of growth, depression, overmedication (stimulants are hard-core drugs), etc. This might be a good alternative for you to discuss with your family doctor if you have not tried this class of drugs already. Good luck to you and your family!

Answer 4

There are other treatments other than Adderall. There's other medications like plain Ritalin or Concerta or Metadate. HOWEVER, your child should see a pediatric neurologist who diagnoses and treats ADHD in order to have a proper full evaluation and have his treatment montiored.

Answer 5

Hi there is a book and video of natural techniques helping ADHD . The resources are with Amazon.com. BEING IN CONTROL and BEING IN CONTROL: Natural Solutions for ADHD, DYSLEXIA and Test Anxiety. By Jason Mark Alster.

Answer 6

Research dietary treatment. It has been shown to be correlated with wheat allergy among other things. Maybe see a dietician. Yeah, those meds are heavy duty. Good luck.

Answer 7

My son has ADD. We tried meds and He had too many side effects, He now is on nothing , and is doing fine.

Get him tested with your school. They can give him a special lesson plan, Like, More time on timed tests since he has a concentration problem ect Good luck

Answer 8

Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Science, Buffalo, New York; Attending Physician, General Pediatrics, Women and Children's Hospital, Buffalo, New York; Medical Director, Center for Children and Families, Buffalo, New York




The package inserts for stimulants, including methylphenidate (MPH) products and amphetamine products, warn of the theoretical potential for lowering the seizure threshold in patients treated for ADHD, thus implying an increased risk of seizures for those patients. Yet ADHD is a common coexisting condition in children with epilepsy, and often is their most impairing problem.

Many instances of seizures have been reported in connection with overdose of medically prescribed stimulants, and seizures also have been reported when stimulants of abuse are used excessively. These cases may, in part, be responsible for the concern. In addition, stimulants work by enhancing neuronal transmission via improved neurotransmitter function in critical cortical areas. Thus, it is not unreasonable to consider that this might allow a seizure focus to spread. Laboratory studies have confirmed seizures in animals that have been given significant doses of stimulant medication.

However, the literature has been consistent in finding only minimal risk of increased seizure activity from MPH or amphetamine products when they are used at therapeutic doses. Clinical trials of many of the newer stimulant formulations also have not shown increased seizures in patients taking medication for ADHD when compared with placebo.

Several relatively recent articles are worth noting. Gucuyener and colleagues[1] compared 57 patients with active seizures to 62 patients with abnormal EEGs and did not find any increase in seizures with the use of MPH. Indeed, in most of the patients, MPH "improved the EEG."

Hemmer and associates[2] performed EEG on 179 boys and 59 girls with ADHD at the time of diagnosis; 36 had epileptiform abnormalities, of which 40% were Rolandic spikes. A total of 205 of the children were placed on stimulant medication. Seizures occurred in only 1 of 175 with normal EEG (0.6%); 3 of 30 with abnormal EEG (10%); and 2 of 12 with Rolandic spikes. The investigators concluded that the risk for seizure is higher in normal kids with abnormal EEGs, but that the risk is "...not, however, necessarily attributable to stimulant use."

Gross-Tsur and colleagues[3] treated 30 patients with ADHD and seizures for 2 months with anticonvulsants and then added MPH (0.3 mg/kg), in the morning only, in a double-blind crossover trial for an additional 2 months. In all, 25 of these children had been seizure free before the study and none developed epilepsy; 5 had previous seizures; 3 experienced an increase in seizures; and 2 were stable or experienced a reduction in seizures.

Many of the studies are complicated by the use of other medications.

In summary, new-onset seizures appear to be a rare consequence of stimulant therapy. Worsening of existing seizures is also uncommon and the stimulants appear to be safe, but I would recommend using caution and frequent monitoring of children with preexisting seizure disorder.

In addition, when combined with phenytoin, MPH may reduce the phenytoin level; when given with carbamazepine, the MPH level may increase.

Finally, although bupropion is not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of ADHD, there is some evidence of its effectiveness. This agent carries an increased risk of seizures and is contraindicated in anyone who has a history of seizures, including febrile seizures. I would also avoid bupropion if the patient has a strong family history of seizures.

Answer 9

check out a local health food store...it may help