Treating ADHD without meds

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I asked this same question about 6 months ago and got similar answers. We tried the meds. It's been life changing. The only side effects is some slight trouble falling asleep, so bedtime has been pushed a bit later. But otherwise we all couldn't be happier.

More confident kid with better grades and better friendships, and much more peace at home and at school.

A couple questions. Do you feel he/she is a different kid on and off the meds? And, re: friendships, what about interactions when not medicated? Do you feel friendships are maintainable outside of school settings when not taking them?

A very sweet but very hyperactive peer of my kid's started meds last year and is so great in schools. But, our out of school play dates have been tough because some of wild impulsive behaviors come out then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child has been diagnosed with an astigmatism but I’ve heard that glasses cause headaches and can lead to further degradation of vision. I’d like to try therapy and vitamins and see if that can help before putting him in glasses. Can anyone recommend a good protocol?

PP. You are gold!

All this BS about waiting and seeing or trying all alternatives is a result of stigma against ADHD and psychiatric meds. No parent is reluctant to medicate what they see as "real problems" but, sadly, many parents view developmental disorders and mental illnesses as not real or a product of poor parenting or due to moral or character weakness.

Again. Overly simplistic. ADHD is also easily and overly diagnosed these days. My kids ped started asking about focus and if we had concerns when they were each not even 5. She was looking for it.

[Anonymous]

I understand that the research points to medication as being the hold standard for ADHD treatment. My spouse and I have been wanting to do a med trial but our kid (just turned 12) is very resistant. We don't feel like we currently are in a situation where we need to be physically forcing meds, so we have agreed to try other things BUT if behavior goes off the rails as it has in the past, meds could become non negotiable.

What is working to manage things is
1-heavy intense exercise, ideally before school.
2-for with enough protein to balance carbs before and during school. Kid would be happy on bagels and pasta, but the day goes better with eggs first things Rather than pure carbs.
3-meditation. Need to get more systematic about this but it does seem to help.
4-routines
5-checklists.

I thought middle school would be the breaking point, but so far into sixth is managing okay. It's hard to wonder if things would be much better with meds or to read the studies about how teens with ADHD who are unmedicated are more likely to fall into substance abuse or other risky behaviors. Does that make it worth holding down a stubborn kid who is doing okay to force them to take a pill?

[Anonymous]

^^sorry for typos. Gold standard, not hold standard

[Anonymous]

What heavy exercise are you doing in the morning and for how long? Does your child seem much calmer afterward?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child has been diagnosed with an astigmatism but I’ve heard that glasses cause headaches and can lead to further degradation of vision. I’d like to try therapy and vitamins and see if that can help before putting him in glasses. Can anyone recommend a good protocol?

PP. You are gold!

All this BS about waiting and seeing or trying all alternatives is a result of stigma against ADHD and psychiatric meds. No parent is reluctant to medicate what they see as "real problems" but, sadly, many parents view developmental disorders and mental illnesses as not real or a product of poor parenting or due to moral or character weakness.

Again. Overly simplistic. ADHD is also easily and overly diagnosed these days. My kids ped started asking about focus and if we had concerns when they were each not even 5. She was looking for it.

Umm, yes, that's the ped's job - to look for evidence of disorder or illness?

Would you say that your kid didn't have scoliosis because the ped "looked for it" by seeing if her spine was crooked?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand that the research points to medication as being the hold standard for ADHD treatment. My spouse and I have been wanting to do a med trial but our kid (just turned 12) is very resistant. We don't feel like we currently are in a situation where we need to be physically forcing meds, so we have agreed to try other things BUT if behavior goes off the rails as it has in the past, meds could become non negotiable.

What is working to manage things is
1-heavy intense exercise, ideally before school.
2-for with enough protein to balance carbs before and during school. Kid would be happy on bagels and pasta, but the day goes better with eggs first things Rather than pure carbs.
3-meditation. Need to get more systematic about this but it does seem to help.
4-routines
5-checklists.

I thought middle school would be the breaking point, but so far into sixth is managing okay. It's hard to wonder if things would be much better with meds or to read the studies about how teens with ADHD who are unmedicated are more likely to fall into substance abuse or other risky behaviors. Does that make it worth holding down a stubborn kid who is doing okay to force them to take a pill?

My kid was resistant at first. He's 12, so I acknowledged that I couldn't force him to take meds (I mean really - what am I going to do - force them down his throat?), but I also asked why he was so opposed to meds. I told him that I understood his concerns and that they could be better addressed by a psychiatrist and a therapist. I told him that I loved him and that I thought meds would be helpful and that, IMO, it would be better to try and see what happened. I also told him that if, while he was trying a med, he didn't like it, we would all respect his decision to stop but that some meds can be stopped immediately and others must be stopped gradually and that the psychiatrist would respect his wishes and help him stop.

He was much more comfortable trying after he knew he was in control and after the paychiatrist and therapist educated him on how meds helped and how med trials work and what the other "treatment options" are and how effective they are. And - surprise - he tried them and he could see on his own it helped. Maybe this wouldn't work with someone young, but in MS and HS there is more room to act like a partner. Plus, I think that prepares them to carry on with their treatment independently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What heavy exercise are you doing in the morning and for how long? Does your child seem much calmer afterward?

Why do people phrase things in this obnoxious way. Could you say "Have you tried heavy exercise in the morning? Some people have found success with it."

Although, in my experience as a teacher, that helps the hyperactivity for short periods of time, but not the impulsivity or difficulty directing attention, and it doesn't last that long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What heavy exercise are you doing in the morning and for how long? Does your child seem much calmer afterward?

Why do people phrase things in this obnoxious way. Could you say "Have you tried heavy exercise in the morning? Some people have found success with it."

Although, in my experience as a teacher, that helps the hyperactivity for short periods of time, but not the impulsivity or difficulty directing attention, and it doesn't last that long.

Running around the block a few times and then pushups, sit ups, pull ups. Sometimes plyometrics or a rowing machine if there's time for the rec center. I sometimes need some pet food or mulch hauled around, too.

[Anonymous]

Understand that inattentive ADHD or ADD is about managing complexity. Executive functioning is basically organization and sequencing. It's weak working memory ADD folks have. Google working memory.

It makes me crazy that so many people think their kid has ADHD just because they have a hard time focusing and maybe knowing what goes where. ADD people have a super hard time tracking because of this poor working memory. There is NO WAY absolutely no way anyone who has ADD will not be impacted positively by meds. Whether that benefit outweighs the side effects is their choice to take meds or not but let me just tell you that if you really do not need meds to function, you do not have ADHD. It's nothing you are going to outgrow. Working memory isn't really improved upon as you compensate for it.

Make no mistake about it - meds are the only path you really have to turn it around. I do feel some people have a worse case than others but the hallmark of ADD or ADHD is that lack of focus and if you can manage it naturally, it's simply your personality. Those with ADHD simply are unable to do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What heavy exercise are you doing in the morning and for how long? Does your child seem much calmer afterward?

Why do people phrase things in this obnoxious way. Could you say "Have you tried heavy exercise in the morning? Some people have found success with it."

Although, in my experience as a teacher, that helps the hyperactivity for short periods of time, but not the impulsivity or difficulty directing attention, and it doesn't last that long.

That poster was asking the question to someone who just posted above them about their kid doing…wait for it: HEAVY EXERCISE. It wasn’t an obnoxious question. Scroll up and you’ll see it’s posted right after the list of activities one poster is using with their kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Understand that inattentive ADHD or ADD is about managing complexity. Executive functioning is basically organization and sequencing. It's weak working memory ADD folks have. Google working memory.

It makes me crazy that so many people think their kid has ADHD just because they have a hard time focusing and maybe knowing what goes where. ADD people have a super hard time tracking because of this poor working memory. There is NO WAY absolutely no way anyone who has ADD will not be impacted positively by meds. Whether that benefit outweighs the side effects is their choice to take meds or not but let me just tell you that if you really do not need meds to function, you do not have ADHD. It's nothing you are going to outgrow. Working memory isn't really improved upon as you compensate for it.

Make no mistake about it - meds are the only path you really have to turn it around. I do feel some people have a worse case than others but the hallmark of ADD or ADHD is that lack of focus and if you can manage it naturally, it's simply your personality. Those with ADHD simply are unable to do it.

"All or nothing thinking" may also be a symptom of ADHD.

Few things in life are so black and white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Following - how do you all address how scary it sounds to medicate a 7/8 y.o. for impulsivity?

(We are in the process of learning about med trials and have found OT to help significantly but not be enough.)

PP. What exactly sounds "scary" about it? Can you elaborate? If you can elaborate, then people can tell you how they coped with particular fears or concerns.

Also, consider how you have framed the purpose of medication - it is for "impulsivity". By stating it so, you sort of trivialize the reason that you are considering meds. For example, what if you made a more accurate medical statement about the reason for medication -- medication is to address biochemical issues related atypically low dopamine caused by ADHD Inatttentive/Hyperactive or Mixed Type which causes difficulties with attention, impulsivity, and executive function that affect the child's ability to function across a wide domain -- academically and socially -- making it harder for them to learn, make lasting friendships, and receive positive feedback, all of which will eventually negatively affect core self-esteem and functioning over a lifetime course.

I greatly appreciate this response and think it may help OP and others.

The nueropysch telling us that we need to "start a medication trial because of the ADHD diagnosis" is very different IMHO from an explanation of a medical condition with a proven treatment and well studied long term benefits. I think if they'd even said, recommend a follow-up with ped/psych because there is an aspect best treated by meds, vs, run trials and consider long list of behavioral accommodations... This appeases my unease.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Understand that inattentive ADHD or ADD is about managing complexity. Executive functioning is basically organization and sequencing. It's weak working memory ADD folks have. Google working memory.

It makes me crazy that so many people think their kid has ADHD just because they have a hard time focusing and maybe knowing what goes where. ADD people have a super hard time tracking because of this poor working memory. There is NO WAY absolutely no way anyone who has ADD will not be impacted positively by meds. Whether that benefit outweighs the side effects is their choice to take meds or not but let me just tell you that if you really do not need meds to function, you do not have ADHD. It's nothing you are going to outgrow. Working memory isn't really improved upon as you compensate for it.

Make no mistake about it - meds are the only path you really have to turn it around. I do feel some people have a worse case than others but the hallmark of ADD or ADHD is that lack of focus and if you can manage it naturally, it's simply your personality. Those with ADHD simply are unable to do it.

"All or nothing thinking" may also be a symptom of ADHD.

Few things in life are so black and white.

PP here. It's a medical issue of course it's black and white in that it's addressed as a scientific manner of black and white you idiot!

If your kid functions fine then they obviously don't struggle with ADHD! You either have it or not. To a certain extent, you may have different needs in terms of mitigating symptoms but to suggest the kid can function well without any medical intervention is a sign they really are fine.

And 12 is totally manageable. When you hit 8th/9th grade, give me call Both our kids have ADD and we also thought they were fine handling it organically without meds. At 14, things went to hell.

Working memory is a scientifically real thing. Some people truly struggle with focus, complexity, fluid thinking. You can't just exercise it out. It's a medical problem you fool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child has been diagnosed with an astigmatism but I’ve heard that glasses cause headaches and can lead to further degradation of vision. I’d like to try therapy and vitamins and see if that can help before putting him in glasses. Can anyone recommend a good protocol?

PP. You are gold!

All this BS about waiting and seeing or trying all alternatives is a result of stigma against ADHD and psychiatric meds. No parent is reluctant to medicate what they see as "real problems" but, sadly, many parents view developmental disorders and mental illnesses as not real or a product of poor parenting or due to moral or character weakness.

Again. Overly simplistic. ADHD is also easily and overly diagnosed these days. My kids ped started asking about focus and if we had concerns when they were each not even 5. She was looking for it.

Umm, yes, that's the ped's job - to look for evidence of disorder or illness?

Would you say that your kid didn't have scoliosis because the ped "looked for it" by seeing if her spine was crooked?

As much as you would like these to be the same or even similar, they simply are not. If so, you'd get blood work or an MRI and know if your child needed treatment.