HELP

[valval]

My son was diagnosed with ADHD in the 2nd grade. From the end of 2nd grade to the end of 5th grade he was on a pretty low dose of Adderall. I decided to homeschool him after he completed the 5th grade. I thought by bringing him home I could take him off the meds. WHOA! Those first few weeks were HELL! javascript:adds("") I ran into his resource teacher from school, and she suggested that I keep him on the Adderall for awhile. It worked okay, but the coming down was HORRIBLE. My son told me he hated how it made him feel. I tried many supplements (L-tyrisine, fish oil caps., 5htp, etc.) Maybe I just didn't stick with them long enough.
He is now in the 7th grade( still homeschooled). He has been on Strattera for at least a couple of months. At first it seemed to be a god send, but now he is much worse. He gets VERY angry at the least little thing. I want to wean him off.. I am desparately seeking some natural alternatives for him.

[rosyred45]

Hi Valval, welcome to the forums. It seems you are having a time, I'm sorry to hear that, but I am glad you found us.

Do you have any dietary restrictions? Many members here follow the Feingold plan.
www.feingold.org
In the Main section of the naturals, there are a couple of threads in reguards to starting out naturally.

I personally do not medicate as the dietary restrictions help tremendously. The "nasty, I'm the only one in the world, skittish, crawling out of my skin" son that I have is proof that I haven't lost it yet.

Good luck and look around the boards. There is a homeschooling section a few others that homeschool post regularly, maybe something there may help you too as far as that aspect is concerned.

Take care

[AnneM]

A big welcome aboard valval! ...

In addition to what Kaiti recommends you may also want to take at the two threads at the top of this Natural Alternative section which are from Moms who are new to looking at Natural alternatives ....

I don't have any personal experience with Strattera (my own 16 year old is on Concerta and St Johns Wort) ... but there are many many members who do ... so you may also want to post something in the meds section to find out whether your experience with Strattera is similar to others? ....

GOOD GOOD LUCK with your way forward and I really look forward to seeing you around the site!

Anne

[DenverSarah]

Wecome and glad you are here!
The bad news I have for you is that the bad behavior he was displaying when he was coming off the meds is necessary in order for him to process it all out of his system, and the older a person is the longer that takes. The process can take anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks. HOWEVER it gets much better after that!
There is hope for relief without meds.

I would suggest checking out the first 2 threads about "where do I start" and "new to this" and make notes about any questions you have. Natural works but it takes time and a lot of trial and error.

For us, diet (Feingold of course!) and supplements have allowed us to keep him in a regular classroom at at a regular school (though I would LOVE to homeschool) without meds or any special programs. Good luck!

[HooDunnit]

Hi valval and welcome to the forums. My son was diagnosed ADHD "great deal / severe" at the end of grade four. He was prescribed Ritalin but wouldn't take it because of the way it made him feel. I homeschooled him for five years, starting grade 5. Then he wanted to go to a private high school because there were beautiful girls there! lol He is now in grade 12 at that school. He has always had anger management problems, which I attribute to being a bit ODD (oppositional defiant disorder). I never bothered with medications or natural alternatives, although I always invested a lot of money in a healthy diet, hygiene products and nice clothes. But since my son was so hyperactive and impulsive (and was bullied so much in school) what really helped him was gymnastics and then five years of Hapkido (a martial art). I found that an hour of intense aerobic exercise would settle him out nicely for three to four hours. So I allowed him to have as much exercise as he needed, all day long. He would do stunt-biking, climb walls, you name it and then go to Hapkido at the end of the afternoon. He has done well in high school, getting A/ B averages.

[rosyred45]

I agree, as much excersize as possible for our kids. I try to do that for Mikey As Much As Possible.

Just wondering, DenverSarah, do you know of any resources that tell how long medication stays in our systems? For instance I have The PDR Family Guide to Prescription Drugs here, but it doesn't say how long it stays in the system.

Tells you interactions, overdoses, and everything else, but not how long it is in the system.

Like I said just wondering. Oh and I have this because it was for a quarter at a yard sale, any questions just ask

[catatonic]

Hi Valval, and welcome.

I'm a complete ignoramus about medication issues, since we haven't used them, but for ideas on natural treatments, take a look at the first two threads listed above. I'd also suggest visiting the Feingold website at www.feingold.org . The diet is absolutely miraculous for controlling my son's "acting out" type symptoms. Attention/focus we have to work a little harder on. Supplements need time to take effect. A deficiency in essential fatty acids (like Omega-3) requires as long as 12 weeks to correct, with consistent supplementation. (We began seeng obvious results at about 6 weeks, but some people require more time, and for others it happens a couple of weeks faster.)

I would suggest getting the book "12 Effective Ways to Help Your ADD/ADHD Child" by Laura Stevens. Your library may have it, or you can order it through Laura's website at users.nlci.com/nutrition/ . This is a good basic overview of non-pharmaceutical treatment options. The most successful for us are the Feingold diet, addition of supplements, and as Barry mentioned -- plenty of physical exercise.

[DenverSarah]

Unfortunately there is no way to really tell how long it will take for meds to completely leave a person's system because there are so many factors. What kind of medication as well as how much body fat a person has, their age, how well hydrated they are etc etc...

I think at the outside it's about 8 weeks. If you haven't read up about the Feingold diet you may want to do that at this point because there may be food additives or naturally occuring chemicals in the food he is eating that may be playing a part.

Feeling overwhelmed yet?

Don't worry After the initial "cramming" you go through with starting the natural route much of it becomes second nature. I promise

We are all here for you!!!!

[rosyred45]

Sarah's right aboutthe initial cramming seeming overwhelming......I thought I had a good handle before hand and it still seemed like a lot.

But it is entirely worth it, especially since I had the kids at my in-laws this past weekend with Heaven knows what to eat

[ohmama]

Valval,
If you will check the package insert or the website for the med you are wanting to wean him from you can get information on how long it will stay in their system... for example www.strattera.com or www.adderall.com

What you will look for is a section under Clinical Pharmacology called "Elimination". This will tell you the mean plasma clearance and volume of distribution (the half-life in hours following oral dosing regimens of your med). If you find it too confusing you can call your pharmacist and they can explain it.

The fish oil needs to be taken regularly and can be started immediately. Don't stop giving this one, I think you will find if you are patient that this will make a big difference once he gets enough of it in his system. As Cat pointed out, it could take up to 12 weeks.

[valval]

Thanks for all the help- I ordered the Feingold Program today.Is it pretty easy to follow?
I started giving him the flaxseed oil softgels (1000mg) 2x a day. Do you think that's enough? He weighs about 80 lbs. I also started giving him Cal/Mag and a B complex vitamin.
I also think that part of his problem could be that he's been constipated since he was born. I took him to an alternative doctor years ago, and had him tested for allergies. He showed a sensitivity to just about everything. I was so overwhelmed, that I didn't do anything. I know that sounds really stupid. The doctor also said something about a "leaky gut".
valerie

[rosyred45]

Oh Valerie, no that doesn't sound stupid at all. sort of thinking if you don't notice it, it won't effect you. I've tried that, and DANG IT the notes still come home for Mikey.

Thinking about the constipation....If I haven't mentioned it wher you have looked around here, I work at a before and after school progam. This year there is a little boy that always complains that his belly hurts. Mom said that he has always had constipation problems.

I can actually see the impact just from that on his self esteem. He isn't dx'd or anything, but he has a very shallow self esteem and is very sensitive. She said they have tried everything, so if you find something that works for that let me know so I can pass it along.

Anyhow, good for you for ordering Feingold. It's a step in the right direction. The biggest thing we have an issue with is actually our family. They let him have things when he is there, then he craves them and stashes food in his room that he KNOWS he shouldn't have.

What I did with Mikey was explain to him about the sylicitates. He is a very critical thinker and HAS to know the ins and outs. I tellhim that they make him whiney and not very nice, the same way coffee makes mommy wake up. It's all about chemicals and such.

Valerie, good luck, ((((((((hugs)))))))))) and if you need anyhting we are always here for you