MY 8 yr old is ADD can any one give me some over counter medicine instead of doctors orders?

Answer 1

i dont know of any medicine but i do know that if she/he eats fish it will help! my brother had add and didnt like the medicines effects and found that fish helped but didnt do the same job as the medicine from the doctors

you should really keep him on the medicine the doctor ordered!

Answer 2

If doctors can't find anything wrong they label it ADD and prescribe medicines they get kickbacks from. The problem with today is that if the child has a short attention span they are sick or something must be wrong with them. If they seem overly hyper-active there must be something wrong. No kids to day have it made. I am only 40 but there was no electronic devices when I was growing up. You got up during summer break and played OUTSIDE all day long. Now kids don't wont to go outside. They have cells, video games and over 700channels on TV to watch. The doctor told my Mon when I was 8 that dairy products were making me hyper active. Then a few months later she saw all the rest of the kids acting the same way. Now not all kids could be hyper active because of Dairy. She put me back on dairy products and saw no change while I was off of them. The doctors of today cant figure out what is wrong so they prescribe the ADD medication. Which is the most prescribed drug on the planet. Albert Einstien had a very short attention span as a child and adult and look what he accomplished. Just let the kids have fun., remember your only a kid once....Thanks

Answer 3

Change the diet - change the behavior.
NO JUNK FOODS AND NO SWEETS!!!!!!!!!!!
I really get frustrated when teachers and doctors label children as ADD or ADHD when all it is a child being a normal child.
For some reason, when young adults attend college to be teachers - someone is brainwashing them into labeling children as ADD or ADHD instead of telling them the truth.
Girls will be girls and boys will be boys. They become active and rambunctious but they do NOT have ADD or ADHD.
Teachers are NOT taught how to deal with these 'normal' kids and immediately demand the parents take the child to the doctor and be medicated. Teachers going down this path will end up making all boys 'wimpy'.
I have 3 children; 2 boys and 1 girl. The boys were 'normal' and the teachers never demanded they be medicated just because they were 'being boys'.
Teachers need to know how to teach 'normal girls and normal boys' - not have them all medicated so they won't have a day where they just might have to show if they really can do their job properly or not!
Doctors; remember, they get 'kick backs' from every pharmaceutical company every time they prescribe their drugs.....
So today's children are stuck being taught by teachers who do NOT know how to really teach students and stuck with doctors who are lining their pockets with 'kick backs' from every prescription they can write for any 'fake' disease they can create.

Answer 4

I have a 9 year old ADHD too. (The DSM-IV, stopped using the term ADD when in was introduced in 1994, They broke ADHD in to 3 categories, hyperactive, inattentive and combined) Sorry it's a pet peeve I have.

Anyway on to your question. We also tried the non medication route when my son was about 8. At the time I had worked in the mental health field for 8 years and felt confident we could improve his behavior through a non medication based behavior management program.

It didn't work, we tried, he tried, he was just unable to focus in school. So we moved on to Stratera it helped, but he was still have major problems at school. 4 months ago we added Concerta in the a.m. along with the 25 mg of Stratera. WOW! what a difference. He's a much happier little guy now. (so are we)

Over the counter-- I'm still working in the mental health field, sort of. I teach an alternative school for children who have severe behavioral issues and can not be maintain in a normal special education classroom. One of my students has discovered that a morning latte or cappuccino literally almost knocks him out, our school has just resently opened a Starbuck's before school in another special education classroom (it's really a neat project).

I've worked with this student for 3 years now and honestly the coffee has had a huge affect on his learning, he is able to focus and complete his work MUCH easier.

I wouldn't make any promises about that working for you child but, if he likes coffee (no sugar) it may be worth a try.

GOOD LUCK, keep working. ADHD kids can learn to manage their disability and can be very productive adults.

Answer 5

The drugs prescribed for ADD and ADHD in children can dramatically effect the child's personality and overall health. I suggest you educate yourself by reading up on the disorder, there is a ton of info on the web as well as in books. I'm sure that most literature will let you know about medications, side effects and alternatives. An experienced child therapist can pinpoint the severity of the disorder and be able to point you in the right direction without automatically prescribing something. Good Luck

Answer 6

My aunt gives all my cousins cooled coffee in the morning before school. They are 13, 12, 10 but she's been doing it for a few years (the 12 yr still needs the prescibed meds some days as hers is worse then the other two)

Answer 7

When it comes to ADD, you really should follow your doctor's orders. Over the counter medications are generally pretty ineffective - you should trust your doctor's opinion and give your 8 year old whatever the doctor prescribes. Obviously you've already seen a doctor or you wouldn't know for certain your son has ADD, so what's the trouble in just following doc's orders?

Answer 8

I can't recommend anything over the counter, but as others have said, fish oil may work. I encourage you to at least research the internet on the medication and side effects before giving it to him or her, and if it seems safe, try it. Keep in mind though, that it is trial and error with medicines. Strattera worked for my oldest son, and I loved it, but my younger son has had to try many different kinds before finding one that works for him. I always research it though before giving him anything. Good luck.

Answer 9

Have your son focus on something stationary on the wall and time how long he is able to do this. Have him do this periodically during the day and you will find that he will gradually be able to increase the time. This is how they are trying to help children without medication. Go to this site and find a doctor in your area that practices this technique. No medication. He has allergies that can be cleared in 24 hours. I had a friend whose son was "autistic" and he is a happy, normal child now.

Answer 10

ADD meds are not sold over the counter you need a prescription from a doctor. Don't be so damned cheap, take care of your child properly.

Answer 11

Get him started on coffee. I began to give my 12-year-old son 1 cup of coffee in the morning when he began having attention problems in junior high school. It helped him to focus in the classroom. (And he felt like I was treating him more like a responsible adult than a child with a sickness.) Stimulants often have the opposite effect on children than they do in adults. I believe that Ritalin and other stimulant drugs should only be used if nothing else works. Coffee is cheap, freely available, and nearly impossible to overdose on. It won't hurt to try it for a few weeks. Good luck!