ADHD diagnosis?

Question

My son has recently been diagnosed with ADHD. He was prescribed Ritalin at the drop of a hat, but after reading about the medication, and seeing the look of horror on people's faces when I told them, I have decided he wont take it. I have ordered something called Synaptol, which is some herbal treatment for ADHD, it sounds good, but I have no idea. My son is also going to visit a complementary health centre tomorrow, but I just wondered if anyone has any views or can recommend anything I can try. I dont want to go down the Ritalin road, it sounds like a really gruesome drug.

Answer 1

Very long answer.. and I promise it is not a cut and paste quickie.. (I hate those)

First of all... Awesome :) good for you!
Finally a parent on this planet with some common sense.
Drugs are drugs and more parents should be encouraging their kids to stay away from them..
I am certainly not a doctor, but I can't understand the logic of giving a brain stimulant to a person with hyperactivity issues.
A child has a brain that is naturally growing and developing.. adding a bunch of synthetic chemcals seems to only complicate matters. The behavior may change for the better.. but does the improvement justify the potential damage? Personally, I don't think it does. I am sure there are a small percentage of kids out there that need some kind of drastic treatment... Little things like not cleaning up your room when asked to, or not doing well on schoolwork should not be interpretated as an indicaton that medical treatment options are mandatory and risky steps should be taken immediately.
Most behavioral issues fall under the responsibility of the parent or teacher, but it seems that psychiatrists are far too willing to offer everyone the easy way out of this responsibility by dropping a label on these kids and drugging them up so they will conform. And that is just sick.
I was doing some research for my sister and found another option for alternative treatment online while I was looking through alternative medicines for my nephew last year.. it is probably very similar to what you have found.
http://www.vaxa.com/ADD_alternative_treatment_remedy.cfm
He is 13 now.. seems to be doing better. A lot of his issues are stress related.. his father has been in the service and away from home for the last 3 years.. it is rough on him. He also has some kind of odd dietary abnormality.. naturally sensitive to certain foods. He is a very healthy kid with a great personality :)

I will also throw you a link to read up on some of the prescriptions that are being offered to children for a variety of afflictions. It is somewhat jaded and loaded with propaganda from the opposite perspective of the drug manufacturers. Really is a fascinating debate. And the questions left unanswered is the reason I am so against the idea that medication is solution.
http://www.whale.to/drugs/whitaker.html

The reality is that nothing can be done to cure the problem until the true cause for the problem can be determined. And right now everybody is guessing.. the drug companines are rushing to convince the public that they have the answer to it without a shred of conclusive evidence as proof of their statements. The FDA that approves the medications is majorly sponsored by the drug companies for their funding. (blatent conflict of interest). The psychaitrists are stuck in a position where if they don't prescribe something, they are taking the risk that the parents will lose confidence in that entire section of the medical field. Everyone involved with the debate is horribly tainted by money.. and the kids are typically left with the negative consequences for the decisions made by the adults with the moral obligation to protect them. Alternative medicine may or may not be as effective.. but at least it is natural. That makes more sense to me as a first option.
I encourage you to get a couple opinions before you choose any course of action for your child.. the treatment options out there right now are very shady for these types of things. Not enough is known about it.
Research all you can on it.. there is a lot of good information out there from the perspective of the parents that are in a similar situation. Both sides of the debate have valid points.

A lot of it is a shift in society .. 20 years ago, the general perception would have been.. 'ahh.. it's ok.. he's just a kid being a kid' .. and today it is more like 'wow.. your kid is a spoiled brat.. you should really do something about it'
Same child.. different decade.
Experimental drugs may always be an option, but try everything else first.. If an adult wants to be irresponsible and ruin their lives by being a drug addict.. so be it.. I am also a parent.. and my daughter would have to be VERY out of control for me to even consider it. Dangerous and destructive, yes.. I would consider it.. anything less, no way.

In the interest of fairness, I will also give you the medical side of things and leave you to make your own informed decision..

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/adhdmenu.cfm
This website will give you the clinical perspective on the affliction .. and symptom/treatment/prognosis information

http://www.drugs.com/condition/attention-deficit-disorder.html
This website will give you all of the prescription information for every drug that is FDA approved to treat ADD/ADHD.

Yes, there are a lot of things that anybody can say against what I have written.. But, you don't have to be a doctor to understand that when the negative side effects of a drug show a 400-600% increased chance of occurence over placebo, you are taking an unnecessary risk. When that statistic comes down to reasonable levels and can be independently proven.. my opinion will change dramatically.

Answer 2

ADHD is quite well understood, and the effect of Ritalin as well. If you see an effect of Ritalin, he has too little dopamin in his brain, and he will be very much helped with Ritalin. You don't add anything which should not be there, you just correct a subnormal level. The effect on himself and his surroundings may sometimes be remarkable, I know it from my family. The negatives are quite limited.

ADHD is also associated with low levels or noradrenaline, and there is a medicine (Strattera?) that corrects this without effecting the brain directly. This could help your son, and you will probably be less concerned about it. Be also aware that excercise has an effect which mimics noradrenalin, and I have seen by my son that he can concentrate well on long walks. So keep him in action!

There are some cases of ADHD that can be corrected with herbals and alternative treatment, but I guess these are cases where the main reason is eating habits or lack of attention from others.

You can always help your son by giving him more attention, but the extent of success is decided by how sever ADHD he has got, and how much time and energy you have. If you try, but reach your limit without success, you should look for other options. A boy with ADHD can be unhappy, very unhappy. Ritalin does not change that overnight, but if and when he starts to succeed better in life, he will not want to go back to start.

Answer 3

Hi. I have ADHD, and have all my life. I'm 31 and have tried some different medicines. I took Ritalin for years, and it never really did me wrong. I was just a little skinny from it is all. The one disadvantage to it is there is sort of an "up" after you take it, and a "down" when it wears off.
I recently switched to Zyban (or Wellbutrin or Quomen depending on where you live, it's the same med). It has just more recently been used to treat ADHD. It seems a little milder and is a steady release type drug, no highs or lows.
The only problem I see with this, is I've heard it's not usually used to treat children in the US, but it's worth asking your doctor about, perhaps he can be given a small dose. It's a very commonly prescribed drug, and is used most often as an antidepressant.
If it turns out your child really will need medicine, I urge you to do it for him. Kids with ADHD turn into adults with it, and behavior can be a lot more destructive in adult life. My parents knew my diagnosis and chose not to treat it, but once I went out own my own, I started the medicine and noticed such an improvement in quality of life.
Good luck to both of you!!

Answer 4

It's too bad that some people have a knee-jerk reaction to Ritalin, like the people you describe. Likely, they don't know much about it. When used correctly, it can truly have a profound positive effect on the child and his/her relationships with peers and adults. Since there there have been no studies that show herbal/alternative methods work (perhaps a placebo effect) you would be wiser to ask your son's doctor, or other docs with ADHD experience, about some other medications, like Cylert or others.
As a middle and high school teacher, I have seen the dramatic positive effect properly used ADHD drugs, including Ritalin, can have on kids. If Ritalin really does scare you, then try another medically recognized/proven drug rather than herbal stuff. It's your son's emotional well-being that will be at risk if he isn't appropriately treated. Good luck!

Answer 5

Does he have an IEP? If he does then having the diagnosis of ADHD might be the only thing helping him keep it. If he does not have any diagnoses then getting an IEP will be more difficult. Why are you trying to fight the diagnosis so much? If you do not agree then you can write a letter requesting a neuropsych evaluation. Chances are that the school district would not have anyone qualified to do it and then they would have to pay for you to get an IEE Independent Educational Evaluation in that area.

Answer 6

Check out Straterra. It is not a stimulant like Ritalin. I personally have no objection to Ritalin or it's cousin Adderall when prescribed correctly in the proper dose. Some people have a Pediatric Neurologist manage this vs using a Psychiatrist.

Answer 7

Listen to prozit,Catl ady, and Lil samm. My son has ADHD and he has been on several different meds. Ritalin did not work for him. Alot of people do not believe in ADD and ADHD. My son was put on wellburtin when he was 12. One thing I have learned over the years is to have structure.
Keep on a schedule, When my son had

changes in his, he would be more out of control. School work was always one on one. The only way school work would be completed was if I sat down everyday with him and helped him through it. There was alot of times when he would not hand in his homework, because he would forget to. His teachers and I had a paper to sign everyday to each other to know if he turned it in. I had Many phone calls from them so we could help in the best way we could. The best you could do is fight for your child for the best education for him. Believe me you will have fight on your hands. Don't take no for an answer from your school system. good luck

Answer 8

Dehydration is a possible cause of ADHD, have him drink 8 literal cups of water per day.

Also help him by reading the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

Answer 9

My son is on Concerta. He has his good days and his bad.