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Post by swmom on Jan 15, 2004 18:27:46 GMT -5
Anyone used to be on meds successfully then chose
natural supplements instead? That's where we are.
I'd much rather be on supplements than a medication
which has only been out a year. I'd like to talk to someone who used to be on meds and they were working but decided to get off and are now doing the same thing with natural supplements. After catatonics posts, sounds like it's possible and the medical community is behind it.
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Post by catatonic on Jan 15, 2004 23:27:30 GMT -5
In all honesty, I don't know how knowledgable or supportive the medical community is in general. My sense is, not very. However, there is a growing body of research and increasing motivation to seek effective alternatives to medicating our children. One drawback is that a pill works immediately, supplements do not. Anyone using them has to be prepared to wait for several weeks, if not several months, to realize the full benefits, and that can be difficult to do, especially if behavior has already reached the critical level. I truly believe it is worth the effort and worth the wait. I'm no help whatsoever on medication issues, but if you do decide to go the nutritional route, we'll all do our best to answer any questions you have.
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Post by AustinsMom on Jan 17, 2004 21:57:48 GMT -5
swmom, Yes we used meds for 2.5 years and are now on natural supplements and doing better with behavior than on meds. His school performance is not as good, but then 2nd grade is harder and he has a rigid teacher. My son has a learning disability, and the attention problems in school were huge problem for him and that's why we tried meds in the first place. We used Adderall first; it helped with attention alot but we always had poor appetite and he was irritable. We switched to Metadate and again it was successful for attention, but still poor appetite and then he developed tics--very subtle but definitely there. So we switched to Strattera and it was fine for school--not as good as stimulants, but workable. But we had poor appetite, stomach complaints, and finally realized that the anger/rage outbursts we were seeing were from the strattera. (We had been on it for 6 months and that didn't happen until 4-5th month, so we didn't connect it to the meds.)
So now we are using vitamins, omega 3's, and I am constantly searching for other things to help which is why we are trying the Pfeiffer Tx. Center. (I am posting another thread about that.) I love that he is eating much better now, his mood is much more stable. Sso for me, it is the best approach at present. But as catatonic says, it is not immediate. Good luck with your research; hope you find whatever works best for your child.
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Post by AustinsMom on Jan 17, 2004 22:06:39 GMT -5
I forgot to mention that we do Feingold diet also, and results on that are more immediate if this is your child's issue. We are not 100% on the diet; life gets away from us sometime. But we have a hierarchy of things, like we NEVER knowingly cheat on artificial colors, seldom on preservatives, occasionally with flavorings, and rotate salicylates. It would be better if we could be more strict, but this is what fits our lifestyle at present so we do the best we can. Just another thought for you to add to the things you consider.
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Post by swmom on Jan 18, 2004 11:09:14 GMT -5
Thanks for the support, cat. And that's exciting Austinsmom. Which kind of ADD does your child have and what is the learning disability?
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Post by AustinsMom on Jan 18, 2004 11:25:27 GMT -5
My ds8 has the combined type and also has signs of cingulate hyperactivity--ODD type of behaviors especially. As far as the LD, he has a language based LD, so we have been doing phonological awareness/remediation for YEARS it feels like. Since he was 4 anyway. He also has SI problems, but those are much better. I think it is the hyperactivity, opposition, irritability, excessive talking that have most been improved by Feingold.
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Post by swmom on Jan 18, 2004 11:38:44 GMT -5
Is a language-based ld dyslexia?
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Post by AustinsMom on Jan 18, 2004 12:39:54 GMT -5
Yes that is included. I think dyslexia refers specifically to a difficulty in reading. My son also has word finding problems, trouble relating a story or event in sequence, problems expressing his thoughts clearly either verbally or in writing, and struggles with spelling, grammar, etc. I know some kids struggle with reading, but don't have any other problems. He, unfortunately, gets to try to navigate through school with the whole range of language problems.  |
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