ADD Husband and Diet

Paleo!! I'm an adult with ADD...I have been eating this way for over 25 yrs. before Paleo was "invented". Kept me from meds until college and now I'm off them. But it sounds like he may should look into a new treatment, or try not being on it. If he's tired and sleeping, he is losing his 'high' . He shouldn't being having a reaction like that.

Added: Every few years, as we understand the brain better, scientists reclassify disorders to better express them, and sometimes change the name (bipolar used to be manic-depressive, for example... and autism used to be retardation). ADHD got a name change just a few years ago from

ADD
ADHD
ADD/ADHD

TO

ADHD-i (formerly ADD) i = inanttentive / hyperactive mentally
ADHD-h (formerly ADHD) h- hyperactive physically
ADHD-c (formerly ADD/ADHD) c= combined

The name change is to reflect that hyperactivity is ALWAYS present. In ADHD-i the hyperactivity is MENTAL. The name change, in part, is to reflect / cross out those that are misdiagnosed JUST because they aren't focusing due to malnutrion, sleep dep, allergic response, etc. They hyperactivity is a key component in all forms of ADHD. So they've stuck the H into all 3 names.

I only bring this up because more and more literature is now using the newish designator, which means most of the info you'll find looking for 'ADD' is going to be old/outdated. Some of the best sites (additudemag.com & CHADD) will keep both sets of names running for some time. But it's just a heads up, that when searching for ADD, search for ADHD-inattentive or ADHD-i :D
___________
I hate to be the bearer of bad news... but diet won't help 1 iota more than it would help you (good nutrition is great for everyone)... if he really has ADHD.

Just like diet doesn't fix or help dyslexia, musical talent, or lefthandedness.

If "adhd" is fixed with diet, sleep, parenting classes, etc... it was never adhd to begin with. Just like 2 people can throw up in the morning and 1 person is hungover and 1 person is pregnant. Causality is pretty important. You hear a LOT about diet (or whatever) "curing" ADHD. It doesn't. It DOES cure malnutrition. Which mimics a lot of the downsides (but none of the upsides, like hyperfocus, giftedness, creativity, etc.) of ADHD.

Now... if he DOESN'T have ADHD, and it's just a malnutrition issue or an allergy... you'll see a lot of improvement. But if he is ADHD, you might get a placebo effect for about 1-3mo, but after that, nada.

Now... MEDS on the other hand can make a HUGE difference. Meaning every med has different side effects. If his are making him cranky, and knocking him on his tush the moment they wear off... TRY A NEW MED!!!

There are apx 80 ADHD meds out there in 4 or 5 different families. GENERALLY speaking, one can expect similar (or the same) side effects in each family. So if he's taking a ritalin family drug, or an amphetamine family drug or (etc.) it's usually a good idea to hop families BUT not 100% necessary.

As an example:

ALL ritalin family drugs make me nauseous. Horrifically nauseous when I'm *happy*. Throwing up nauseous if I'm excited. Can't take a single one from that family. BUT that's not true for everyone. Some people don't get nauseous at all, some do but only on methylphenidate and not on dexmethylphenidate or any others that are ritalin family or combos of ritalin and another family of drugs.

NO amphetamine family drug makes me cranky. But amphetamines make so many people cranky that Adderall has a nickname "Adderage". For abotu 50% of people, Adderall triggers irritation to blinding rage.

Neurochem is different with everyone... and I often describe meds as "picking your side effects"... because most stimulants will calm and focus us... it's what we gain or lose in ADDITION to the focus that tells whether a med is the right or wrong one.

Ditto Riley's comments. We'd certainly love for it to be true that diet could help with ADHD but there's zero scientific evidence it does. It's a brain disorder, so it's far more complex than just eating better to change things.

Medication and therapy have the best track record in treating ADHD. However, there's a new treatment option you might investigate: neurofeedback. It seems to have a 50/50 shot at making a difference, but we're about to start it with our son as a supplement to medication. If he's in the group that benefits, he'll be able to reduce his medication and see permanent benefit. The bad news here is that insurance won't cover it and it will run around 6k in the end. We're fortunate to have grandparents willing to cover the expense, even if there's no guarantee it will help.

We're with you in suffering during the time when the medication isn't active. Our son isn't functional without medication.

For reliable information about ADHD, I recommend reading ADDitude magazine and joining CHADD.

Best of luck!

We treat our sons ADD/ADHD with diet very successfully. We use the Feingold program and have for the past 5 years. THere is not a whole whole lot of info inline, because they want you to buy into their program (it is only $69), but it is worth it for the support and guidance. You get materials that explain WHY the additives in food affect you, how they affect you, and how they interact with each other and how natural compounds can affect you. They also give you a food list geared towards your area of the country that has brand names that you can go to the store and buy and know that they are "safe" for him to eat.

There are lots of opinions out there- just follow your heart. You know the track he is on is not helping. This change will help your whole family. This is a safe and inexpensive experiment to run, but as another poster said- you MUST be diligent. Its really is an all or nothing thing in the beginning. Once you learn the program and know how your body reacts to things, then you can relax a little. With the resources in the Feingold program, it is easy to follow. Nothing complicated, until you get to stage two and you slowly add foods back into his diet.

After reading several of the posts against a diet change, we have not found this to be true. There is TONS of real scientific evidence out there that what you put into your body greatly affects your health- behavior included.

It may not help 100% and you will have to keep a food diary to track his reactions to certain foods, but it is so, so worth it. As one Dr put it- would you rather pay your grocer for your health or your pharmacist? I would rather pay my grocer!

Good Luck and PM me if you want more info!

I've got a child who looks very "ADD" on gluten and/or dairy. He also struggles with sugar.

I like the following book by Ken Bock, MD: "Healing the New Childhood Epidemics . . . "

It's profitable for an industry to convince people that we can't function without medication. Of course it is appropriate for some people - I just don't believe it is appropriate for the numbers being suggested today. I also wonder about the long-term effects on the brain, some of which may not be known until it's too late.

I also worry that resorting to meds right off the bat might mask other conditions.

Again, I'm not against it in certain situations.

Diet changes nothing for people with ADD! It will not change a thing for your husband but what it will do is make him feel more guilty about not being able to control parts of his mind. When you will end up with is possibly depression and if you think he is moody now you are in for the time of your life.

I grew up with all the criticisms of people with ADD. I lived with the if you only tried harder, if you cared more, if you change your diet. Nope, sorry, I was born with a birth defect that causes me to have chemical imbalances in my brain so that it does not function properly. Meds fix that, diets don't.

I will admit, the diet people make me angry. They know nothing about the condition, the struggles, nope, a diet fixed my hyperactive cousin so they must work. NO! Your cousin was hyperactive, not ADD, the diet worked only because of the structure involved with implementing it. The child actually needed discipline.

One of the many reasons I dearly love my husband is that he understands this is my struggle and he can't fix me because I am not broken. He lets me be myself and doesn't take any of the mood swings personally. We had only been dating two weeks when I had to explain to him I sometimes crash off of my Adderall. I told him I will say things I don't mean, that aren't rational, I will appear to be in great distress, I am, but there is nothing you can do to help me so please don't frustrate yourself trying. When I am calm please give me a hug, I will need it. Would you believe that man spent his efforts figuring out what proceeded the melt downs. :) Haven't had one for well over a year. :) If you want to put your efforts into something why not make it something productive.

I have one child with Autism and related disorders including ADD and another child with ADHD. A change in diet alone doesn't "cure" AD/HD but it can help. We follow a modified Feingold Diet with excellent results. Behaviors are reduced but not eliminated.

The biggest culprits in making the behaviors worse and contributing to emotional distress and anger issues to boot are artificial food dyes and high fructose corn syrup. Red 40, Blue, Yellow are the worst of the dyes in that order. The reason they're so bad is because they're not natural chemicals, and they're toxic to the liver and kidneys.

People with Neurological Disorders are more likely than typical people to be sensitive to these additives. Because the liver and kidneys can NOT filter these particular chemicals out of foods and food-like items, and they can't be metabolized, they have to course through the body until they're expelled. That includes coursing through the brain. That's why they react the way they do to the dyes and HFCS and sometimes refined sugar (in large amounts).

You can test the hypothesis for yourself by doing a simple elimination diet. Remove those ingredients/foods with those ingredients in them for a month and see if he not only behaves differently but FEELS different. You'll notice a change within a couple of days but you need the month to make sure it's all out of the system and to let the body figure out how to work without all that junk in it again.

This may mean doing more cooking from scratch. Absolutely no soda/pop. Read ingredient labels on everything. He has to be vigilant about t his and be serious about it... he can't do this half-assed for the experiment to work.

I can tell you that diet changes DO work... they CAN work... although not always for everyone. However if it works for your husband then it's worth trying and finding out. Please don't listen to people who insist that it doesn't work because there's "no scientific basis." That's simply untrue. There's a ton of scientific evidence to back this up. There's also a lot of anecdotal evidence of parents like us, millions of parents, of special needs children who have seen results. What harm is there is testing the hypothesis?

I didn't read the other answers so forgive me if I am repeating anything. My sister was severely ADHD. My mom is a nurse and when we were growing up she had us on an all natural diet. NO artificial colors flavors or salicilates (sp?). Salicilates are natural sugars found in some fruits, like apples and grapes. This diet really worked and my sister was not on meds when she was young.

Hope you find something that works for you!

After reading some of the responses, regardless of scientific evidence I have to tell you it really worked for my sister. You could absolutely tell when she ate something with artificial colors or flavors, eliminating these made a HUGE difference!

Gluten can be your worst enemy, but probiotics, Omega 3 supplements and Evening Primrose oil can be a great help for focus and behavioral improvements naturally for some.

As others have said, add and other conditions can mimic each other. I recommend the following resources for your whole family:

http://www.amazon.com/Comprehensive-Contributing-Treatmen...

http://www.amazon.com/Yeast-Connection-Medical-Breakthrou...

http://www.amazon.com/LCP-Solution-Remarkable-Nutritional...

http://www.diannecraft.org/article-001.htm

http://www.diannecraft.org/video_bob.htm

http://stores.diannecraft.org/Categories.bok?category=Vit...

http://www.amazon.com/Kid-Friendly-ADHD-Autism-Cookbook-G...

http://www.amazon.com/Gluten-Free-Every-Day-Cookbook/dp/0...

I agree with Riley. Lots of things can look like AD/HD (I know what you mean by ADD vs ADHD but it's technically all called AD/HD and then primarily inattentive, primarily hyperactive, and combination), especially the inattentive type. While excellent diet and exercise are great, they're really hard to maintain at a level to be therapeutic. They can certainly help, as do other coping mechanisms, but I would suggest that your husband try a different medication rather than set a goal of abandoning it altogether. Also, attempts by one spouse to "change" another's diet are rarely successful. Something as personal as diet needs be embraced by the adult. If he's willing to try this and is asking you for guidance, great, but if this is you thinking you'll "fix" him with diet, you have 0% chance of success.

If he is willing to look at diet and really wants to change, I would have him do it under the guidance of a naturopath. Many chiropractors are well trained in nutrition and can help put together a dietary plan, including supplements, that is tailored for him. My oldest son (age 13) has AH/HD inattentive and when we had the time, energy and $ to keep up with nutritional appointments and really pay close attention to what he ate as well as his supplements, there was a big improvement but not a "cure" for his symptoms. Also, playing hockey keeps him physically active and that makes big difference in his focus and mood. He has not taken medication yet but will probably start this spring as he has a strong interest in seeing if it would benefit him.

My husband also has AD/HD inattentive and he doesn't take medication now because he takes mood stabilizers for something else and it's too hard to balance them. He's just learned to deal with his lack of focus over the years and manages to keep going by taking on few things that rely heavily on executive function and he does the same things in the same order every day so that he can stay on auto pilot. This mean that I handle anything that requires focus and organization - finances all the way from our mortgage and retirement down to spending money for the week, all of the kids' health care and education, their social lives, household maintenance and repairs, meal planning, enrolling them in sports and activities, etc. I do wish that he could find a medication that could help so that he can take on more of the minutiae of running a household and family, but it is what it is.

We took my son to an allergist and found he was allergic to all kinds of things, like FD&C yellow #5, anything produced by fermentation (soy sauce, pickles, mustard, vinegar, etc.). When we took him off those things, his ADD left him in one or two weeks. He gradually out grew the allergies.

Good luck to you and yours.