New to Board

[Sky2Mark]

Hi, I 'm new to the board. My 6 yr old daughter Jessie was diagnosed with ADHD in March. The doctor started her on Concerta, and it has worked well except she gets awful stomach aches, and she will not go to sleep at night when it is bedtime. I would really, REALLY like to try the Vitamins, Mineral, Omega Oils rather than the Concerta. Where is the best place to get information on how many mg's and such she needs to take per day, and what I should start her out on. She is 3', 6" tall and weights about 55 lbs. Where would I go to find amounts to match up with her weight and height. Thank you for any help and info you can me.

Shelia

[ohmama]

Sky,
Hello and welcome to the forums. You will find a wealth of information in the first two posted subjects on this section of the forum. See WHERE DO I START? and NEW TO THIS. After you check these posts out feel free to ask away about anything that was not covered.

I hope I'm explaning that so you know what I mean? If not don't give up, let me know and I will try again.

[DenverSarah]

Hello and welcome!
Like oh mama said, those first 2 subjects are a great start to the natural alternatives subject. For myself I have had great success with the Feingold diet and Omegas supplements which are both covered in those posts but I'd be happy to answer any direct questions you may have. My unofficially diagnosed ADHDer has made a complete turnaround in the past year.
Hope this helps!

[Sky2Mark]

O.k., I understand that 6 times whatever the body weight is to get the amount of magnesium for Jessie.... do you give this all at once, or do you divide it throughout the day?? I know it says to gradually increase the dose up to 330mg. And in one of the post it says that "Research has demonstrated that 480 mg DHA is a threshhold dose, so you want to give that much." What is DHA, and is that the Omega oils? I'm sorry I'm don't know squat about this, but I feel so bad for Jessie and I can't stand watching her in pain because of her stomach ache and headaches because we are trying to get her attention span better with Concerta. I can find the vitamin supplement with the 15 mg. Zinc, 1 mg of Copper and small quantites of Manganese and Selenium. What I really am not understanding is the Omega 3's and the Vitamin E. Also, Jessie doesn't like peanut butter, what would be the next highest in protein? Thank you for any help you all can give me )

Shelia

[catatonic]

Hi Shelia and welcome!

Since you are just getting started, there are a couple of resources I'd recommend you take a look at.

First is the Feingold Association website. The Feingold diet, developed by Dr. Benjamin Feingold, evolved from his observations as an allergist. It eliminates food additives that have been demonstrated to trigger the kind of behavioral reactions that are classified as ADHD symptoms. Feingold has an informative website where you can read the relevant research and details about the program at:
www.feingold.org

On Omegas...these are essential fatty acids, called "essential" because you're body MUST have them. Omega-6 and Omega-9 fats are easily available in our diets, too much of them in fact. Omega-3 is more difficult to obtain, and it is very common (especially for ADHD children) to be Omega-3 deficient. The "ultimate" of the Omega-3 group is DHA...it is a long-chain fatty acid that is built from shorter chains. ALA is the shortest (this is the form you find if you use a flax oil Omega-3 supplement). EPA is second-to-longest and it doesn't take much work for your body to build DHA from it. I highly recommend Jacqueline Stordy's book "The LCP Solution" for tons of good info on Omega-3. There are also a couple of general explanations on the web:

www.wholehealthmd.com/refshelf/substances_view/1,1525,992,00.html

www.omega-3info.com/fattyacids.htm

You give a Vitamin E capsule along with the Omega-3 because it aids in its metabolism and protects body and brain from oxidative stress. I use a 100IU Vitamin E capsule for my son.

We use a protein powder in the morning, whirled in a blender with juice and a banana and a couple of ice cubes. There are also stir-in types that don't require the blender. Eggs are a wonderful protein source. Also, try running a can of white beans like great northern through the blender until it's really smooth and then mixing with your favorite dip mix (like Ranch). My kids eat carrots and triscuits with this and never even realize they're getting more of mom's weird health food! My personal favorite is cashews, however. They have about the highest magnesium content of any food, and magnesium has made a huge difference around here to my boy's attentiveness problems. Others have reported that it helps their children sleep better, too. Take a look at the magnesium website at
www.mgwater.com

I know this can all seem overwhelming at first, but we're all here to offer whatever help and support we can. Keep coming back!

[Sky2Mark]

Thank you so much for your reply... I was looking at stuff on the web and scratching my head thinking " I'm never going to catch on to this!" It is very overwhelming! I will look at the webs and go to the library or Hastings and get the book(s) to read. I guarantee I will be back with probably a load more questions. I am so GLAD you all are here. It is comforting to know there is someplace where I can get answers and support!!

Shelia

[Sky2Mark]

O.K, I'm back! You all were so helpful last time I was here, that I had to come back and make sure that I am not overdosing my child with vitamins. ;D
I read the first two messages when I first came on this site and have used them in general. I am currently giving Jessie "Rexall High Potency Fish Oil", 1200 mg. EPA is 216, DHA is 144. I am giving her 2 caplets in the morning and 2 caplets in the evening. I am also giving her a multivitamin that has 100 mg of Magnesium and supplementing that with Rexall Magnesium Oxide 250 mg. She is getting about 130 mg of Vitamin E. I was using just the Blue-Green algae, but she did somewhat better and I figured I would go ahead and try the vitamin approach to see what the difference is. If you can let me know if this is sufficient or if I under/overdosing her, I would appreciate it.

Thanks
Sky~

[Sky2Mark]

I just remembered I didnt' really give any background info on Jessie. She is ADHD predom Inattentive. She is going to be 7 yrs old next month and weighs 67 lbs. I kinda answered one questions about the magnesium, in the one of the post for Omega oils... magnesium oxide is basically useless, so will be looking for something else to use. I think I was looking more at the EPA rather than the DHA, so I am way under the 480 threshold . As for the vitamin E, she is getting 230 instead of the 130 I thought. The supplement is 200 mg instead of 100 with the 30 mg in the mulitvitamin. If you need any other info on this let me know. School is starting next week, I have just moved, so I need to get this straight. I am fighting family members on putting her back on Concerta and I REALLY DON'T want to do that. Also, being that I just moved, my funds are limited and I have been getting her vitamins and minerals from Wal-mart and Walgreens or Eckards. Again thanks for any help you can give me!

Shelia

[catatonic]

Sheila,
Your Vitamin E sounds like a reasonable amount. I give the 100IU capsule with both the morning and evening fish oil capsules, for a total of 200mg daily. At your daughter's age/size, you can go as high as 450IU without exceeding the recommended maximum.

Do get rid of the magnesium oxide. We've gone through about a zillion magnesium supplements trying to find one that will be well tolerated and well absorbed by my son. I finally found one that I am happy with (although for the first couple of days it caused my son a bit of gassy tummy). It's Blue Bonnet Magnesium (400mg) in the form of magnesium aspartate hypochloride. It has the additional advantage of being fairly cheap. It also comes in capsule form, rather than a tablet, which my son finds much easier to swallow, and which also travels to the intestines before dissolving so that it is more likely to be asborbed and less likely to cause a stomach ache. Our health food store carries Blue Bonnet brand, and is happy to special order this for me since it's not one they normally stock.

I don't know the brand of fish oil you are using. I'm guessing it's a store brand from Rexall Drugs? If you're giving 4 capsules and the amounts you listed are for each capsule, then you're doing a good job getting enough into your girl. My son complained about having to swallow 4 big capsules every day, so we switched to Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega. 2 capsules have 500mg DHA and 700mg EPA. This is available in health food stores like Whole Foods, but it does have the disadvantage of being expensive. It's also pharmaceutical grade and molecularly distilled, so that you are assured of its quality and that it is free of harmful contaminants like mercury and PCB's. There was a Consumer Reports analysis of fish oil supplements which rated the Costco house brand "Kirkland" as the best to buy based on both price and quality (it's also molecularly distilled). However, if you're happy with the fish oil you're using, there's no real reason for you to change.

I usually find it more affordable to buy vitamins on-line. The Herbal Advisor ( www.herbaladvisor.com ) has about the best prices I've found, but their shipping is sometimes irregular...may take 3 days, may take closer to 2 weeks. I put up with it because it's cheap.

Have you seen a change in behavior with the vitamins? How is it going?

[Sky2Mark]

Thank you Catatonic for your reply. I have quit giving her the magnesium oxide. I did find some magnesium at our local GNC store. It was monomagnesium aspartate with potassium... I have no idea about potassium and need to know if this is good and how much she needs to have of potassium (can you overdose on potassium??) As for the fish oil I stated about previously, should I be giving her that 4 caplets twice a day with the vitamin E? I've been giving her 2 caplets in the morning and 2 at night with only the vitamin E in the morning. I have notice since she is on the vitamins, she has not had a headache or stomach ache. We just moved to Austin, TX and her allergies have also disappeared, so I haven't been giving her the Zertex and she seems much happier. (Don't know if it was the location or the vitamins she's been taking, but thankful all the same ) Thank you for you help, you are an Angel!!!
Shelia

[catatonic]

Shelia, it's good to hear your daughter's overall health seems to have perked up. On the Vitamin E, what I like to do is give my son one along with his fish oil, both morning and evening. I think it's important to provide the Vitamin E at the same time as the fish oil for maximum benefits.

Magnesium aspartate is a good choice in terms of bio-availability. You don't say how much potassium is included. Does it list the amount of potassium in mg? Potassium as a supplement is not without risks and side effects, but since you normally won't find a potassium supplement containing more than 99mg, the risk is low at that amount. However, keep in mind that it may cause an upset stomach (including vomiting and/or diarrhea)...also that if you take ibuprofen, you increase the risk of potassium toxicity. On the other hand, if you take decongestants (pseudoephedrine and phenylproponolamine) or antibiotics or drink a lot of coffee, you will need more potassium.

You will also need more potassium if you are MAGNESIUM DEFICIENT, which is probably their rationale for including it in a magnesium supplement, and it is probably a good idea.

Since toxic effects generally aren't noted unless you're taking MANY grams of potassium, side effects are probably not something you are going to need to worry about. However, excess potassium can be dangerous because it affects heart function, so I wanted to make sure to mention it just so you'd be aware of it. Stop taking potassium at once and take your girl to the doctor if she has any heart palpitations, racing heart, other symptoms affecting her heart. I'm not trying to scare you, the likelihood of this happening is VERY VERY small, particularly if your supplement contains 99mg or less of potassium. So don't get freaked out, and don't avoid giving her the supplement, just keep it in mind.

I think you'll be happy with the results once you start getting some real magnesium into Jessie. It makes a noticeable difference in my son's ability to concentrate. (He has NONE without magnesium, so anything is an improvement!) Keep us posted on your progress.