Post by catatonic on Dec 30, 2003 9:47:08 GMT -5
John,
Lookin' like a good list here. Hope your boy doesn't mind choking down handfuls of pills!!!
Definitely a magnesium deficiency. A 400mg tablet is what I'd use, and I'd give it in either morning or evening, whichever is easier for you.
I give mine in the evening because there is some research pointing to the fact that it may help with sleep. I don't know if that's the case or not. Since we began Feingold, my boy doesn't suffer any sleep problems (no more night wandering, up at 4am for the day, 2 hours to fall asleep...all history!) However, it doesn't hurt to cover all the bases.
The B-50 is a capsule, one of those gelatin ones with powder inside. It smells nasty, tastes nasty, and has a tendency to get stuck halfway down. Don't EVER make the mistake of opening one thinking you can mix it with juice. Gross, gross, gross. This is without a doubt the vitamin my son hates most of all. He's pretty tolerant of the others but will still on occasion try to flush this one or hide it under a sofa cushion. Don't expect it to be popular! I give this in the morning because for my boy it has a noticeable effect on emotional lability and I want him as stable as possible during school.
On Vitamin E...you can get by on a 100 IU capsule once a day. However, the higher amount will not hurt and since Vitamin E is an outstanding antioxidant, giving more (within reason, of course) will provide even better protection against free radicals.
On Vitamin A...I've never found Vitamin A amounts to be particularly relevant for ADHD. If you want to go with the official Dietary Reference Intake amount, then aim for around 600mcg or roughly 1,000 IU (beta carotene). However, since your body converts the beta carotene, you won't overdose if you give an excessive amount. You may, however, turn your child into a little orange Oompa-Loompa!
A final thought on magnesium...your boy's level is quite low. It may simply be lack of magnesium in the diet (nuts are extremely good sources of magnesium) or it may be that he has difficulty metabolizing magnesium. If this is the case (as it is for my boy) you will find that correcting the magnesium deficiency is not an easy task. Plan on testing him every two weeks for magnesium status (you can do the Cvostek test at home) to see if supplements are helping. We are still struggling with this problem and have gone to 650mg per day magnesium and mixed compounds, still without complete success. I'm looking into some of the better-absorbed types (like gluconate) because correcting this deficiency is so important and magnesium status greatly impacts concentration (which is our biggest behavior problem in the school setting).
I really believe, John, that you'll find addition of supplements to be a critical part of your treatment protocol. If you see funny reactions when you start the vitamins, take a close look at your Vitamin B. I do NOT have any idea why, but my son reacts to certain Vitamin B brands and I will only buy the one type I know doesn't do this to him. (Looks like a food reaction, with pink eye circles and oppositional behavior...I suspect perhaps some type of artificial color as an incidental additive?
??) Anyhow, if you see this type of reaction, knock off the B for a few days and see if it stops. Hopefully this is not a problem you'll have!
Lookin' like a good list here. Hope your boy doesn't mind choking down handfuls of pills!!!
Definitely a magnesium deficiency. A 400mg tablet is what I'd use, and I'd give it in either morning or evening, whichever is easier for you.
I give mine in the evening because there is some research pointing to the fact that it may help with sleep. I don't know if that's the case or not. Since we began Feingold, my boy doesn't suffer any sleep problems (no more night wandering, up at 4am for the day, 2 hours to fall asleep...all history!) However, it doesn't hurt to cover all the bases.
The B-50 is a capsule, one of those gelatin ones with powder inside. It smells nasty, tastes nasty, and has a tendency to get stuck halfway down. Don't EVER make the mistake of opening one thinking you can mix it with juice. Gross, gross, gross. This is without a doubt the vitamin my son hates most of all. He's pretty tolerant of the others but will still on occasion try to flush this one or hide it under a sofa cushion. Don't expect it to be popular! I give this in the morning because for my boy it has a noticeable effect on emotional lability and I want him as stable as possible during school.
On Vitamin E...you can get by on a 100 IU capsule once a day. However, the higher amount will not hurt and since Vitamin E is an outstanding antioxidant, giving more (within reason, of course) will provide even better protection against free radicals.
On Vitamin A...I've never found Vitamin A amounts to be particularly relevant for ADHD. If you want to go with the official Dietary Reference Intake amount, then aim for around 600mcg or roughly 1,000 IU (beta carotene). However, since your body converts the beta carotene, you won't overdose if you give an excessive amount. You may, however, turn your child into a little orange Oompa-Loompa!
A final thought on magnesium...your boy's level is quite low. It may simply be lack of magnesium in the diet (nuts are extremely good sources of magnesium) or it may be that he has difficulty metabolizing magnesium. If this is the case (as it is for my boy) you will find that correcting the magnesium deficiency is not an easy task. Plan on testing him every two weeks for magnesium status (you can do the Cvostek test at home) to see if supplements are helping. We are still struggling with this problem and have gone to 650mg per day magnesium and mixed compounds, still without complete success. I'm looking into some of the better-absorbed types (like gluconate) because correcting this deficiency is so important and magnesium status greatly impacts concentration (which is our biggest behavior problem in the school setting).
I really believe, John, that you'll find addition of supplements to be a critical part of your treatment protocol. If you see funny reactions when you start the vitamins, take a close look at your Vitamin B. I do NOT have any idea why, but my son reacts to certain Vitamin B brands and I will only buy the one type I know doesn't do this to him. (Looks like a food reaction, with pink eye circles and oppositional behavior...I suspect perhaps some type of artificial color as an incidental additive?
??) Anyhow, if you see this type of reaction, knock off the B for a few days and see if it stops. Hopefully this is not a problem you'll have!