Attention Deficit

You should take him to a psychiatrist. There are so many medications to try and they dont work on everyone. My stepson has ADD he takes ritalin just started in the past yr, i have 2 other sons that are just hyper and one takes straterra and one takes concerta.

I think your doctor is suggesting to refer you to a neurologist (and not a numerolgist). That said, I would highly recommend checking out the Block Center. Dr. Block is world reknowned for treating ADD/ADHD without drugs and we're very fortunate that she's in the DFW area: www.blockcenter.com
She also has lots of information on her website and she has an excellent self-help book that guides a parent through the process. I can't recommend it highly enough.

My personal experience with my younger son is that removing foods from his diet and doing allergy treatments for others made a tremendous difference in his behavior. For my son, gluten (wheat/rye/barley/oats protein) and dairy were the biggest culprits. In addition, removing artifical colors also made a huge difference. It is hard for folks to believe in our society where there's a pill for every problem (makes billions of dollars for big pharma). But, diet can have a huge impact on behavior (you can find medical research showing the impacts of the gluten proteins on the neurological system - just go to http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/ and search on "gluten" and "neurological" or do an even more general search on "attention deficit nutrition" - you don't need the quotes when you enter the keywords). The only reason docs don't promote diet is that they don't get any education on it (most of their required continuing education is paid for by big pharma). Also, some of that research shows that environmental toxins play an important role in ADD/ADHD. One huge issue for my son was the mercury in his fillings (ANY silver colored fillings contain mercury, which is a known neurotoxin). But, again, Dr. Block looks at all of this in treating patients.

This may seem extreme, but I would consider a brain scan to see if the scan confirms that diagnosis. I have heard of Dr. Amen in California; maybe there is someone in Dallas. GO with your gut....

I heard/read/something recently that said giving a child Omega-3's for hyper or easily distracted behavior helped. I would look into that for sure. Every one should be taking Omega 3's, so this would not hurt.

L.- please know that ADD/ADHD is very difficult to diagnose- some professionals even believe this kind of child could simply be prone to a certain personality- and not neccesarily a disorder. Quite often, medication is not needed- just attention to behavior motification! Get a second opinion about the dignosis- Then A SECOND OPINION ABOUT THE MEDS. My child was diagnosed as ADD, but it was a misdiagnosis- so be careful how you label your child. and know that this diagnosis will put your child into the "special needs" section of the school's curriculum quite often. Try the coke test. when he is acting "ADD", give him a coke. if the caffeine calms him, then consider medication- if not, your child might just need some positive reinforcement, discipline, or simply to outgrow some unwanted behavior. Good Luck and don't be afraid to know better than the professionals- moms often do. If you ask an adult if they were glad they were medicated during their school years- most will tell you they hated it. It changes the personality a bit, and can make a very outgoing child very blah. So if you aren't sure- BE SURE! there is a lot to consider!
good luck!

L.,

My son was diagnosed at age 4 with ADHD w/hyperactivity and impulsivity versus inattention. He is now 13 and doing great!

I can sympathize with you. Medication is a very up and down ball game and there may be two or three different ones that are tried before one works with your child.

If you are using your pediatrician, I would highly recommend that you get a referral to a child psychiatrist for meds only. Pediatricians do not have the indepth knowledge of all the drugs on the market and generally will only prescribe one or two that they feel comfortable with however those might not be the ones that work with your son.

From my experience with my son the medicine Concerta seems to have worked the best with the fewest side effects. Along with that behavior modification so that the child has the building blocks to change his behavior (this is not just for kids w/behavior issues). They can teach them ways to compensate for their lack of inattention. Basically coping strategies.

The more coping strategies they have the lower the meds they will need or maybe not need them at all.

Anyway, don't know if any of this helped but if you want to talk to someone who has been through it all please feel free to email at ____@____.com .

C.

My son has ADHD. He is 8 years old and none of the medicines that we tried worked. They turned him into an emotional wreck and he didn't like himself. I didn't want to put him through that anymore so I decided to look into other options.
We have greatly changed our diet. We only eat foods with whole grains (no enriched or bleached flour), nothing with hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, or red dye.
We also have a strict schedule that we follow. There is a specific time that we do everything and he has lists of what happens when, as well as his own calendar that he compares with the family calendar.
I'm not going to tell you that he doesn't still struggle, and some days are better than others, but there has been a drastic improvement and none of the side effects of the drugs.

My nephew was diagnosed with ADD when he was 7 and the family tried traditional medications for years with no real success. He was either very hyper or empty inside. They have found tremendous success with nutritional therapy! Please take the time to do some research on possible nutritional causes of ADD and their treatment. There are also a lot of homeopathic treatments to research! Hope this helps.

My daughter, whom is now 21, was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 6. She was hyperactive and it was hard to keep her attention. She continues to take her medication, during the school year, and is now a Pre-Law student. I felt comfortable with her diagnosis because I took her to The Child Study Center, in Fort Worth. This clinic specializes in adolescent disorders. The first couple of dosages, of Ritalin, she received made her seem like a zombie. After finding the right adjustment of Ritalin, the drug worked really great.
Now there are more than one option for drugs, such as Ritalin, Concerta, Metadate CD, Focalin, Dexedrine, Adderall,Daytrana and Strattera.
What is most important is that you find a specialist to give you a diagnosis that deals with childhood disorders.

I definately agree with the others to get a specialist's opinion. You wouldn't let this pediatrician preform heart surgery on your son - you would get a specialist. This is no different.

Anything associated with Cook's is great, because then if he has to get specialized tests you can do them at their hospital. I am very against testing children with adult-sized equipement at other hospitals - always go to Cooks in FW or Chidren's in Dallas. It's just not worth the risk to go anywhere else. Good luck!

L.-
I was reading through the other responses and I would strongly caution against ruling meds out completely. I have ADD, my 13 year old has ADHD and my 16 year old has ADD. What seems to work the best is a combination of things like good nutrition, proper sleep and exercise,and if you and your doctor can agree, meds. The tip about Omega-3's was a great idea. Check into your school system and see what testing, classroom modifications, and other resources are available to your child. You might also look into some short term counseling. Very few people realize that there can be some emotional reactions tied in with ADD/ADHD. This does not mean something is wrong with your child but the counseling does help because believe me having ADD can be stressful. I disagree with the Coke test. The caffeine part of the test is true but it does not always work quite like that and the sugar is a bad idea as it reacts the exact same way on a child with ADD as it would any other child. Please do not look for a quick fix. It does take some time to find the right balance. One of the best things that you can do is be very supportive while at the same time having strong boundaries on behavior and what you expect. People with ADD like clearly defined lines and structure. There is also a lot of support out there for Moms with ADD children because Moms need it just as much as the kids do.

Hi, I have a 7 year old and a 14 year old that has been diagnosed with add and adhd. We had trouble with the add medication, so we tried antidepressants. It has worked wonders. My seven year old is like a new child. My 14 year old, her anger went away, she was loving and not so addled. My son takes Abilify and my daughter takes effexor.

I would suggest taking him to another Dr. My son was diagnosed with ADD when he was 8 and we had him on different medications. By the time he was 13, he began having problems sleeping at night, being irritated, etc. Dr. Chad Coleman, in Midlothian, sent us to the sleep study in Waxahachie, but the results found no sleeping disorders. The next stop was to see a psychologist, and during his first visit, we found out that he was dealing with adolescent depression. It was a little unsettling, but through this we found out that ADD and depression can go hand in hand. Our son will be 19 in Nov. and graduated from high school this past May. He is working and going to college, and is doing well. He is no longer taking medication for his depression, but is beginning to realize he needs to relax when he gets stressed out or worried. He has learned some really good coping skills.

we discover my son to have ADHD with very little behavior problems when he was in the 3rd or 4th grade. We put him on meds
which stunt his growth, in due time we took him off of meds, watch his diet, and worked with him.

When he was in hi school we found a christian private school that was willing to take him to work with him on his ADHD.

We were so thankful we took him off of his meds, he started growing and did well in school. The school informed us that so many kids are put on meds when they really don't need it. They just need to be worked with and diet to be watched.

Now he is now 26, a lead man and buying his own house. Fixing to get married...

meds sometimes is the answer but other times it not... research and see another dr before putting your child on meds.

As a former teacher & now mother, I've read and learned things through various sources. But, if my child was diagnosed w/ this I would try changing his diet. I've learned what you feed your child really affects them this way. Do some research yourself if you can. All natural stuff, no fast food, no additives, no soda, etc. It's worth a try. Good luck

My son is 8 years old and was diagnosed last year. We tried Metadate but had emotional side effects. He does see a neurologist initially because he has epilepsy but the neurologists are trained to deal with all conditions involving the brain ADD being one of them. My son now is on Focalin XR and it has been great. It helps him to focus at school and help get his work done. I actually tried to not use it at the beginning of the year and 2 weeks ago was called into the school and saw his books where they usually do all there assignments in and he didn't have not 1 page completed. I immediately started back on the medication and it was amazing. The teacher says he is a lot more focused and is getting most the work done. We are still struggling with behavior problems but at least he is learning. Really consider a neurologist to help manage the medications. Texas Child Neurology in Plano is great. ADD is not just a behavior problem condition it actually affects a persons ability to focus and pay attention for extended periods of time and in some case for any amount of time. I was actually against the whole diagnosis and medications initially but it became so bad that we were willing and are willing to take whatever steps we need to, to help him strive and get the best education possible and I'm sure you will do the same. Good luck to you, please contact me if you ever need to talk.