kendra
New Member
Mother of three; two with Asthma, one with allergies, one with ADHD.
Posts: 22
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Post by kendra on Jun 28, 2005 16:16:16 GMT -5
My son Brian has been diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety. We just took him off concerta and zoloft because he was picking his skin off. (Maybe I'm overprotective, but I thought that was a problem.) Now I'm fine with him in the summer with no meds, but the teachers at the school will not work with him the way he is, not to mention that he doesn't learn as well with nothing. Where can I start to find someone to help him without going back to the meds?
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Post by finnmom on Jun 28, 2005 23:28:55 GMT -5
 Kendra and welcome. You´re not being overprotective, I think picking his own skinn is good enough reason to take a break with med´s  You should take a look at our 2 big thread´s in the top of this alternative section, other one is "how to start" and "new to this"there is really lot of info in there of how to help your child by alternative choises. I hope that´ll help, and some of the better knowing alternative-wizard´s will help you too, just look around, we´ve pretty much covered all the question´s there is of this. GOOD LUCK!!
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Post by catatonic on Jun 28, 2005 23:47:18 GMT -5
Hi Kendra, I too would tend to find picking his skin off something of a concern! Have you attempted dietary modifications at all? We were very fortunate to consult a neurologist whose first recommendation is to look at diet, and changing what he ate has made an enormous impact on my son's acting-out type behaviors. I'd recommend looking at the Feingold Association website ( www.feingold.org ). The basic Feingold diet eliminates artificial colors, artificial flavors, the antioxidant preservatives (BHA, BHT, TBHQ), aspartame (artificial sweetener), and certain naturally high-salicylate foods (apples, oranges, grapes, almonds, berries). We saw a big reduction in hyperativity, oppositional behavior, and impulsiveness. We still had problems with tantrums, but eliminating corn syrup eliminated that tantrums completely. I wouldn't have believed it possible if I hadn't lived it! We've had to make several other adjustments as well...for example, wheat was the culprit in causing my son's vocal tics. As long as he's kept off wheat he doesn't shout, squeal, cluck, the whole range of repetetive barnyard noises. Unfortunately, this didn't solve his attentiveness problems. Supplements have helped in this respect, but he still struggles with focus. And he still has difficulty in group settings where the urge to show off gets the better of him. But compared the how he used to behave, the change is amazing. If you haven't already, check the "Where Do I Start" thread ( adhdsupport.proboards23.com/index.cgi?board=natural&action=display&thread=1074121856 ) for a list of important supplements. Also, look for Laura Stevens' book "12 Effective Ways To Help Your ADD/ADHD Child" for good basic information on a broad range of natural treatments. For anxiety specifically, there are a number of supplements that may help. Magnesium and inositol are probably the two with the best track record. Don't try and start too many things at once, though. You've got the remainder of the summer to get your boy on track. Start him on Omega-3 and magnesium at once, while you look into the possibility of other supplements and dietary modifications. If you have a naturopathic physician near you (check for one here: www.naturopathic.org/ ) you can consult him/her and have some lab tests done to check for nutritional deficiencies. And whatever else you do, keep coming backhere for help and support. Those of us here truly know what it means to have a challenging child. We live it every day. You don't have to go through this alone. |
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kendra
New Member
Mother of three; two with Asthma, one with allergies, one with ADHD.
Posts: 22
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Post by kendra on Jun 29, 2005 14:07:30 GMT -5
I've looked at the Feingold diet, and we're trying it out, as well as trying the Omega-3 vitamins, but I couldn't find Magnesium in a small enough dose for him. He's only 50 pounds. That's the other thing I really didn't like about the meds. He's gotten so skinny you can see his ribs. That scares me.
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Post by Kaiti on Jun 30, 2005 8:32:06 GMT -5
Hi Kendra, and thanks for chiming in Catatonic and Finnmom.
The artificials are a biggy in our house. We are actually reitroducing and trying the apples and oranges over the summer.....along with tomatoes, which he loves. I haven't noticed a big difference yet, then again, most of his problems where at school anyhow.
Good luck Kendra, keep coming back to look, we can always learn more.
Take care
Kaiti
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