Looking for Herbal Alternative to Stimulants for Adhd? Preferably Gummies

I don't know if they help but I have seen gummy omega-3 at walgreens. Also I read a news article that a large number of children with ADHD have sleep disorders and once those are managed the ADHD behaviors lessen it might be worth looking into.

Dear BD,

You need a whole care plan, such as including chiropractic care and naturopath doctor that can help guide you in transitioning your daughter into herbal/natural products and make sure they work for you. Also, I don't know if you have already done so, but nutrition is key. no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial sugars, (if possible no sugar at all, use honey?), no MSG)

there are herbal products and also homeopathic products. need to find what would be best for your daughter. for example, chamomile is nice and calming, but it's also a ragweed, so people with ragweed allergies should not consume it.

I mentioned chiropractic treatment because I know that if some of the neck vertebraes are out of alignment it can trigger more agressive behavior.
Also certain food allergies can do the same.
And just like some meds work better on some people, same goes for herbs. there are many herbs that can help with the same issue. so find someone knowledgeable and look up each herb that is recommended before using it.

check out: http://www.blockcenter.com/
you can also check this book: smart medicine for a healthier child

Good luck and keep looking until you find the right answer for you.

~C.~

None of the herbal things work, they can be dangerous, and you really should not be trying these for a medical condition without the suggestion of your doctor. Many untreated people with ADHD use caffine and niccotine to self medicate. You could try caffine, but you will do much better with real medical care and support.

More questions for you: what does his play therapist or cognative behavioral therapist say about the aggression and what are you doing for it in therapy? What does his OT say about chewing in clothing? Are you doing the sensory homework, like brushing, carrying heavy objects, etc? If you do not know what I am talking about, then you need to back track and try a complete standard treatment program, which will include several hours per week with therapists and daily homework for you and your son to do at to help him. If you do not have a doctor who can see you as often as is needed to adjust the medication so that he can access his many weekly therapies and daily homework, then you should find a new doctor who can. ADHD is not a DIY condition, it really does take expert medical care and very frequent adjustments to get the full treatment right. If he is just taking pills, he is not getting good care for his condition.

A board certified child psychiatrist will be the best doctor for him, and our experience is that if you find an idependent psychiatrist (one who is not on any insurance plan) they will be able to see him as often as his condition requires it. It may be expensive, but it is worth it if your son has a difficult case to treat. It is possible to find the right combo and start benefiting from all the therapy he needs.

M.

Hi BD, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Education not medication. Omegas are great, but it is also what you are all eating form breakfast. www.BestBreakfastEver.com is what i use/recommend.
Look at removing C.R.A.P from his diet
C affeine
R efined sugars
A dditives
P reservatives
Exercise is key, 5-7 mins every hour of full body exercise (dance is best - arms and legs together) keeps the brain engaged. Look for activities on brain gym, it's crossing over one side of the body activating the opposite side of the brain.
Stimulate his brain with real questions, not yes no. Don't say "did you have a good day," ask him "the best part of his day".
All of these strategies will help keep his body and brain engaged.
Education not medication...good for you!

B.
Family Success Coach

Did the aggression and chewing on the clothes start before or after beginning this huge dose of Vyvanse. If it was after, I would definitely look into finding a different med. My son tried Adderall (which my pediatrician told me Vyvanse was in the same med. family) and became extreme aggressive, hateful, crying at the drop of a hate, etc. It was horrible. I took him back to the pediatritian and he switched him to Focalin and he became his normal happy self, but focused. After taking Focalin at its highest dosage for a year he became immune to it. I took him back to the pediatrician and he switched him to Concerta. He said that Focalin and Concerta were from the same family of drugs but he could prescribe a hire dose with Concerta. My son is now taking Concerta and doing great. I have discussed Vyvanse with my pediatrician in the past, but he said that it was in the same family of drugs as Adderall and would most like have the same aggressive results for my son.

Don't get me wrong, what works for one won't work for another. My mom has been taking Adderall for years with not problems. A friend at church had a extremely moody, hateful, aggressive daughter that she was reluctant to put on ADHD meds because of hearing of so many bad side effects. I finally talked her in to just consulting with a doctor about it and the consultation resulted in her daughter being put on Adderall. She came back to me a month later and said it was like the old Addison and moved out and a new sweeter, helpful, loving Addison moved in. She was amazed. At the end of the school year she told me that Addisons grades had gone for C's and D's to A's and B's.

I think that if the aggression started after beginning Vyvanse, then you need to find a different drug.

My daugher took Vyvanse lowest dose for about a week and simply could not sleep until 7 AM. It lasted way too long for her. Then we tried Concerta, which worked fine for about 3 months but she became more and more sad and depressed so we stopped that too. Before trying more drugs to change the side effects of another drug, maybe just take him off altogether and see what he is like? My daughter is inattentive, and hates school work, but we have decided that lesser grades but a happier child works for us. We are also looking into a Learning Skill Coach, basically a psychologist or psychiatrist who teachers methods to focus and stay on track when the mind wants to wander. Omega3 fatty acids do help brain function in general, but for us it has not affected her inattention.
Edit: we did keep her on Clonidine 1 mg which helps her fall asleep. The churning mind of AD(H)D often keeps them awake, and indeed more sleep does help with better attention.

Hi BD,

Carmen is right on the head! All of that is necessary! The only thing I would add is to remove all synthetic stimulus from your home. A total detox to get the chemicals out. They mess with the neurological system and simply poison it. My daughter had what was diagnosed as ADHD and when I detoxed my home the diagnosis was removed. WE added an absorbable mulitivitamin and omegas and have had no issues since. This was several years back.

Detoxing is simple and can be inexpensive if you do it like I did. Let me know if you'd like some more info....

ADHD and bipolar syndrome have similarities. One being that they need enough rest. I would try doing what you need to do to get your child to get 10 hours of sleep at night, sometimes that makes the rest of it easier to handle. Stimulants wont allow a good nights sleep.

They have omega -3 gummies at target but I am sorry to say that they are very low dosage and that herbals do not work on most ADHD kids. They do not help enough. We saw very little improvement.
We did , omega complex ( high dosage flaxseed oil) , magnesium , b- vitamin complex and vitamin C all at the same time and we saw very little improvement.
if he is having trouble sleeping it is safe to give him melatonin. Walmart has 5mg chewables.

edited to add:
My daughter is ADHD-C