The research has shown alternative treatments simply don't work. There are a lot of people out there preying on parents' fears about the regulated medications and are peddling things that just don't work. The only vitamin showing promise is the omega-3s, but those tend to be used in conjunction with medication and only help address focus in mild cases. CHADD just published a great article on its Facebook page about how diet changes are a waste. If you haven't already joined CHADD, it's a great resource for fact-based information. ADDitude Magazine is another useful resource.

The way I look at things is, "Do I want to treat my child's serious medical condition based on the advice of a minimum wage clerk in a health food store or based on the advice of doctors who specialize in treating ADHD?" I would much rather give my son medication that's government regulated than the alternatives that are not. For a long time, our son took OTC melatonin to help him get to sleep and this is unregulated. I can tell you the dosages varied widely by brand. I was really happy when he no longer needed the melatonin.

ADHD medication completely transformed our son's life. Extremely positive. He went from the boy who had one friend and was kicked out of preschool to a boy with lots of friends and who's recognized by his teachers for how smart and sweet he is, not for his symptoms of ADHD.

I really urge you to talk over your concerns about medications with the medical experts. We did that and got the reassurance we needed to give them a try when our son was very young. The best move we ever made in caring for our son.

As someone who grew up with ADD, there came a time when I didn't want to take the medicine any more. I only took it for school, and thought I could make it without it. I tried other methods, but nothing worked, I tried, and all I ended up with was a lot of frustration, and a lot of problems.
I know the drugs are powerful, but they are not going to affect your child the same way they do everyone else. Our brains work differently. Not bad, just different. It's just that to keep up with the focus demanded of us in work and school situations, we usually need the help of the medicine. It sucks, we hate it, but it must be done, because the medicine is the only thing we have right now that actually is proven to work.
You can consider the compromise, for yourself and for her, to only take it on school days, giving her the weekends and vacations to be herself without the meds holding back her personality and energy, but keeping the meds for what they are needed for, the days she needs to stay focused and calm.

herbs dont work cuz the fda doesnt want u to use it. ppl do ur research stop believing lies. in case ppl have forgotten, all of ur ancestors used herbs thats why they lived longer than us today in our society and were healthier. tribal ppl still use herbs and dont believe in something created in a factory.

i am using herbs for add/adhd, i think what i felt was it help me to concentrate better if i took it daily like i should. to the poster, go to naturalnews.com, mercola.com and read what they say about add. it is a lack of omega 3s in the brain thats the main problem right there. i have done a lot of my research go talk to a naturopathic doc if u can afford i dont take advice from ppl in forums who simply use prescription drugs when i can pull up a number of studies where ritilan makes u commit suicide. why take a drug when the side effects say may have thoughts of suicide then u go kill urself anyway? really need to think about that makes no sense.

if u wanna take herbs thats fine but do ur research. like the sayin goes u cant take everybodys word on it nor can u trust man either. i realized a long time ago that i needed something better and drugs wasnt doin it for me, so my bf and i went to herbs. i am going back to the roots where my ancestors used herbs to treat everything. big pharma is only in it for the money that came out in the news and its a fact.

diet does play a part too look at the shit thats in food. blue 6, yellow 6, yellow 5 food colorings in our food and merola and naturalnews were screaming about how that affects the brain. ur fda wont tell u that because they work for the fda thats how it goes in this country.

anyway, sorry for the rant. i asked about add in here and all i got was a bunch of ppl telling me herbs dont do the trick how would they know if they have never used it? i can speak about herbs because i have used them for own health, i know what works and what doesnt these ppl in here who take prescription drugs shouldnt talk about something they have no knowledge about it. ppl dont agree that i take herbs for my health, oh well that isnt my prob but at least my body wont be full of chemicals. did u know in america doctors use 25% of herbs in prescription pills and the rest of the world uses 75-92% of herbs? i learned that in a botany class back in college.

anyway, to the poster, if u want anymore info on herbs for add/adhd send me an email not telling u what to do but be aware of these drugs. i go buy my pure herbs at an herbal shop they have been rated the best in phoenix, az. the owner is a botanist herself and has a great staff of employees.

I have used herbs, I have used omega 3, I have used positive mental thinking and attitude, I have used scheduling, I have used mixtures of herbs, and I have used many of the above all together. They did not work. Ever. Under any circumstances. There was nothing I could do to make them work.
The cortex of my brain transfers impulses slower than your average person, and it affects my attention span and inhibition and the way I see the world. That's ok. Medication can help speed up my cortex, but not without side effects. Herbs do not do that. They can improve focus, they can enhance an attention span, or calm hyperactivity, but they can't do all of the above. They usually only handle one symptom at a time, and they cancel each other out and interact and require more management by a doctor than a prescription does, because if you take the wrong amount, or the wrong kind, or take some that don't mix well, you could die. They don't affect the cortex of my brain the way I need them to. It's just as simple as that.
Just because medication is made by a cooperation does not make it bad. If it works it works.
I for one, like myself for who I am. I don't take the meds if I don't have to, I prefer my non medicated self, despite my distractability and the impossibility of focusing on work, or anything, and the many other symptoms that I have, I like my personality unaltered by the meds. But when I need them, I take them. They work. I have a few years of failed college courses to prove the herbs never did, and a few years of A's and B's following that to prove the meds did what they needed to do. Herbs might help one or two people here and there with one symptom if they are lucky, but they do not have the capacity to alter the functions that need to be altered to handle the majority of the symptoms.

really? if its made from a corporation it doesnt mean its bad? i hear now crestor, the drug thats for ur heart probs, is going under lawsuits. ever heard of celebrex? the one that says may cause death or stroke? who would wanna take that? so, sounds like to me its all bad if every drug out there has horrible side effects.

you cant take drugs and herbs because one will counteract against one another. either you take the drugs or take the herbs. there was a book i read called magnificent mind the doc talked about going in for a scan to see what areas of the brain is having problems and he did this to his patients and his children. its a great book to read.

if ur takin herbs and drugs then it looks like u have no clue what you are doing, reply #4. again u need to do research, read those journal publications where they have done studies on herbs. i saw one of those journal publications at the public library. theres this one product called add-care i heard it works great. i could go on and on, but its not up to us its up to the poster.

there are organic magazines and one called herb quarterly where they have references about the articles on how they got their info. im not sure if there are organic stores in your state, some of them do events in the store u can sign up to those if they talk about add or adhd.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/01/07/lendon-smith.aspx
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/12/24/add-drugs.aspx
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/01/07/add-ritalin.aspx
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/01/02/ritalin-part-four.aspx
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2000/08/13/courts-adhd.aspx

fda/big pharm/cdc etc are all about money!

Of course they are all about money. They are a business. So are the businesses that sell herbs. Drugs and people's biology is incredibly tricky, and sometimes effects are not seen for years. We can not know this ahead of time. Please do not try to frighten people into following your idea of morals. Drugs made from "natural" things (herbs) or drugs made by pharmacists, either way, everyone should talk to their doctor, and tell him or her everything they are taking.
However, most doctors will tell you, herbs can not do what the drugs can. All natural is great, but it is not going to cover all of the symptoms. Usually they only barely cover the symptom of focusing, which is one of dozens of symptoms, it just happens to be highly visible.

reply #6,

what the hell do u mean frighten ppl? shit, you are frightening me about UR IDEAS saying oh theres nothing wrong with drugs. with herbs, u gotta be careful how some companies make it sometimes they are not truthful. u want to make sure you buy pure herbs. i am not scaring nobody but i know my research do you?

so, if the fda and big pharm is about money, why are you still gulping down their drugs knowing if the drug said may cause death, stroke, blood clots,etc to name a few side effects? u saw on tv im sure that yasmin birth control was having lawsuits too. i forgot thats ok to take!

again, doctors take herbs too they wont tell u. doctors tell u herbs wont do the trick cuz THEY DONT WANT U TO KNOW THE TRUTH! i wonder why most of the people overseas are so healthy while we r the sickest most drug addicting country on the planet. i remember bin laden said send the drugs to america pill popping america, i heard that from other foreigners.

sorry to say this, but you need to go back and do ur research. i have done extensive research on herbs and drugs. im goin back to my roots as to what my ancestors did, herbs and essential oils etc. figure out why your ancestors used herbs for what purposes read the history behind it. if i was the poster, i'd NEVER take advice from you if you are saying i have taken herbs dont believe in them blah blah here use this drug - sounds like a typical doctor!

fine u wanna use drugs, reply #6, but dont sit here and tell ppl herbs dont do the trick when you are talking to someone who has used herbs and can speak about it! i can speak about it, can you? im not brainwashed anymore thats why i do my own research.

the poster has a right to find other alternatives for her daughter, she said shes concern about these powerful drugs that could harm her daughter (wouldnt say could, it will harm). however, you are protesting that drugs do the trick, did you forget about the poster's concerns? im just trying to help her.

you have to keep taking the herbs for it to work and if it does, use something else. its been like 100+ yrs since we have stopped using herbs for our health, we wonder why tribal ppl in Africa are so healthy or tribal ppl in the amazon! i remember a tribal african said he uses herbs because that is the gift of God and drugs from the pharmacy was evil and not good for the body, something like that he said.

read Genesis 1:29 (i believe thats the one) where God talks about i am giving you yield bearing seeds and fruits, i dont recall seeing drugs ritalin, prozac, celexa, crestor, etc in that verse.

to the poster,

if you want to look into something more natural, then plz do and do research. if you have the money or insurance go see an naturopathic doctor for your daughter on add/adhd. if you are concern about putting her on a powerful drug, then dont put her on one just protect your daughter.

idk what state you are in but go to a store that sell herbs, whole foods, sunflower, etc not hi health or gnc. if you got an herbal store where they make their own herbs, it will cost you, but it would be worth it.

we got a store called chakra 4, chakra4.com, herbal store in AZ something similar to that if u can find it in ur state or country. i have been there and it is the best place to go, even though its expensive. just do whatever it takes to help your daughter dont let a doc bully u into thinking she needs to be on prozac or whatever the drug is.

i have shocked my doctor on herbs yet he still writes me a prescription! i just toss them in the garbage and go ask my herbalist friend about what he told me and what herbs would help. if you have a naturopathic college where you can go there and get medical help for cheaper, i'd look into that they do take insurance depending who u have.

ohh to reply #6, u said im frightening ppl well sorry the truth is out there, so i guess you are right i am frightening ppl lol because the truth is frightening and thats something ppl cant handle.

arichaya

u should watch the marketing of madness are we all insane by thepepitude on youtube. a very good documentary i am watching right now on psychiatrict drugs how its all about money with a huge list of side effects. so much for "curing the problem with drugs instead of getting to the solution of the problem."

For someone so young, I would look at diet first. Cut out processed foods, foods with dyes. As an adult, I used Ritalin and wish I had it as a child, but as I cut processed foods out of my diet, I've gotten somewhat better, though I'm tossing around starting Ritalin again. Part of that problem is Ritalin causes adrenal fatigue, which is part of my chronic fatigue. I never had luck with herbs, but as I have CFS and fibromyalgia, I have crazy responses to stuff most people have no issues with so no response to herbs isn't too surprising.

Good Luck!

I take perscription meds for depression,anxiety, AD/HD, and chronic pain I don't like the way the pills make me feel and I am considering going to herbs because GOD made them for us to eat and use for meds and every thing else I use medical marijuana because it helps me with pain and the anxiety I don't like taking the chemicals and I am very poor I am on medicaid and it's hard to find a doctor to help you with your problems but I want to be a botanist I think that getting natual help is beeter because you don't have to depend on insureance and doctors to get your meds I still have to wait on doctors but I am working on trying herbs and natual remedies because I just know that our government will not always be there for me and sometimes you have to do it all on your own so I agree with natua and pills if you have to do the pills then go ahead you can look up the herbs you need and try to grow them too and see if that works that's what I'm going to do any how good luck

My doctor told me that the #1 ADHD affecting food is white sugar and sugar products. Keeping your child from anything containing sugar is difficult, but doing it will produce positive results in only 30 days. Two months is better. Brain food such as Omega 3 fatty acids in supplement form is also helpful. ADHD affected persons are also deficient in Vitamin C. There is much research showing positive results with such natural treatments. Unfortunately drug companies do not make any money when parents use these treatments and they are the ones supporting most of the literature against such treatments. My own son is 18 now. When I was able to take him off all sugar (hard!) I saw a marked improvement. He got off meds at age 16, and today, he functions just fine. He is going into the Airforce.

What are you finding helpful so far?

I posted some things I've tried under the "Alternatives that actually work"post. Hope that helps. I want to hear more homeopathic, behavioral, and diet solutions too so I hopefully as people respond to that topic you will get more good ideas, too.

Thanks, everyone for your advice. I am still exploring options for my daughter and would love to continue getting feedback on alternate therapies that have worked for any of you. I have found that simply knowing and understanding my child better has made her more receptive and calm. I have made sure she is getting plenty of sleep and although she already ate well (no junky foods), I am keeping tabs on her diet to see if anything in particular shows a pattern of creating a more difficult day. I am in close contact with her teacher and we are working together to develop a plan to make her day more manageable. It's hard work, and my daughter still has really bad days, but I am taking things one step at a time. Please keep those ideas coming!
Thank you!