Ritalin

I think it's great that you took him off the meds. :) Have you tried the Feingold Diet? www.feingold.org

Also, sometimes kids are reacting to an educational environment that is simply not appropriate for their learning style. Is he a visual spatial learner? Go to www.visualspatial.org to find out. Also, is homeschooling an option?

Hi Liz,

You're right, this is a hot topic and I'm sure you will get both ends of the spectrum on this one, lol. Ritalin does have several severe long term problems that you are wise to be concerned about. And I know that most kids that are on it say they need it. It does resolve some short term issues but that's the rub. I wish my mom had looked at long term issues when she was medicating me as a child. I know she thought she was doing the right thing but I know now it wasn't. It affects me now and I will deal with it for a long time.

There are other things you can do besides medicate. Like with Autism, the cassein free-wheat free diet will help him concentrate. (ADD, ADHD, Autism, Asperger's Disease are all in the same family.) There are also environmental issues that you probably need to address. Clorox, Windex, and Pledge have a high degree of neuro-toxic effect. Those are just a few. Chlorine Bleach was actually invented by our military for just that purpose. His bath and body products should be non-toxic and you need to make sure you are using an all-natural laundry detergent. (Your skin absorbs and is considered the largest body organ.)

A good, absorbable multi-vitamin is essential to restore balance to his system. Remember ever hearing the term ADD or ADHD 40 years ago? Our diets were free of pesticides and preservatives.

I know you can't detoxify the school but if his immune system improves at home, he will be able to tolerate more at school.
My 12 year old doesn't suffer from ADHD any more. She can still be a pistol at times but there is NO diagnosis and NO issue with focus.

I hope this helps. It took me a while to make the decisions I made but I'm glad I did. Feel free to email me if you're interested in hearing more.

Regards,

M.

Liz, I have three positions: one as mother, one as teacher, one as student with ADD. From Kindergarten, my son was inattentive in class, preferring to read books during lessons rather than paying attention to the lesson. I was reluctant to put him on Concerta, but my pediatrician assured me that it was like coffee: once it wears off, it's out of his system. So I tried it. It was okay, but there were side effects. So we tried something else, then another, then another. Finally he is on Vyvanse, but he gets only 1/2 a pill per day, and there are no problems. (I could share with you how I do that. Just e-mail me... ____@____.com)

As a teacher of students with ADD, ADHD, and other learning disabilities, I do not believe that all students should be taking medication. However, there are some children in my 5th grade class who - I do mean literally - are bouncing off the walls. The parents of these students have no idea how hard it is to complete just one lesson when you are trying just to regain the attention of the class when their child is jumping out of his chair. They become offended when I ask whether their child is or is not on meds. I ask because teachers often see more of a student these days more than the parents do (sadly). If the student *is* on meds and is acting that way, the parents should know that the meds are not working correctly. I cannot, as a teacher, suggest meds for students. I can, however, help the parents understand that when the child is that distracted, neither he nor other students in the class are gaining any of the lessons. In turn, the student often becomes a discipline problem. Think how that affects the student's self esteem. Now the child not only thinks, "I'm stupid. I can't remember any of the information I just read," but now is thinking, "I'm in the school office *again* this week."

Lastly, I now know I had ADD when I was in school. My parents refused to admit that I had ADD. I was never offered any support, whether it be meds, strategies, or otherwise. I simply was going to outgrow it. Good news: at the age of 40, I have finally graduated from college! It took me only 22 years to do it, but I did it! All without meds. I asked my mother why she didn't seek help, and she said she wasn't about to drug me so that I could focus. She had no comment when I said I'm glad it was only ADD, not diabetes, or I'd have been dead before High School.

Ultimately, Liz, you must do what you feel is right. I know that if I knew there was something wrong with my ability to concentrate and that there was something available to remedy the problem, I would take it. Talk to your pediatrician or psychologist/psychiatrist. See what they think. Then talk to your child before you make your choice.

i can tell you that from my experience ritalin is a horrid drug.

my son would do fine for about 6 hours and then it was like walked off a cliff. he was a monster - mean, hateful and hard to deal with. i talked to his doctor and i was told this is a known side effect of the drug. i would not recommend it.

for my son, i started with his diet and reduced sugars. he improved dramatically (remember sugar includes carbs - carbs turn into sugar when the body processes them).

i reduced and restricted caffeniated drinks - tea, coke, mountain dew, etc. i can tell you this has helped my son amazingly.

i then started over and found his breaking point with sugars and caffines. he gets some - but nothing near his breaking point.

we have special occassions where i throw out the rules and let him splurge - birthday, easter, halloween. it's a treat and helps him control it the rest of the year.

my son still has to take a med, but he is autistic so the rules are different when you add those variables.

if that does not help, then i would recommend discussing meds with his doctor - but i would strongly urge you to stay away from ritalin. there are other choices: Adderal, Concerta, Strattera - just to name a few.

My Name Is G. and I work With Therapeutic Grade Essential oils.
There is an oil called "Peace and Calming."
It's all Natural and can Be Used For Kids Who are on Ritalin.
It helps relieve anxiety and stress as well.
I guareentee this product. If You don't like it I will Buy it back from you minus what you have use.
You have to use it everyday and just rub it on his feet or chest.It's worth a try. Cost is about $40 Dollars depending on shipping it could be a few dollars above or below.
If Your Interested contact me at
____@____.com
God Bless G.

Have you tried consulting with an herbalist?

The only person I've known with ADHD was taken off the meds when he was 12.

Ritalin is a very bad drug and is usually used to calm the kid down for the teacher. If the child is asking for it that would signal a big "no" for me. I have heard that if you try to focus the child on something for 15 minutes at the time, it is helpful.

In a lecture I heard a few years back, the gentleman concluded that ADHD was helped by more fruits and vegetables. If you would like more information on this, I will look it up and send it to you.

B. - ____@____.com

I had a son on ritalin for quite awhile when he was about the age of your son. He made wonderful progress on the medication, and was able to slow down enough to play games, build model airplanes, do schoolwork, etc. He was so pleased with himself that he spent 3 days building models, because he had never been able to concentrate long enough to do it before. I felt guilty about giving him the medication, but it was such a confidence builder for him, don't feel guilty about this. If he had cancer you would do everything you could for him to be better, do this for him, and allow him to grow & succeed.

I have a friend who was faced with the same situation and she found a doctor that suggested she take her son off wheat and dairy completly. It turned their lifes around for the best. Her son made a complete 180 and he is doing great with out drugs. It is a big life style change but worth the results!

Best of luck.
M.

I think it's pretty telling that it is your *son* requesting to be back on it, not his teachers. It obviously helps him, or he wouldn't ask for it. Summertime is very different from school time -- you are not asking him to concentrate on new and complicated tasks for prolonged periods. Personally, I think that if a medication can benefit him, why wouldn't you use it? You would give him antibiotics to treat a chronic infection; this is a chronic concentration issue. Perhaps there might be additional mechanisms that you haven't tried yet with behavioral therapy, and I would request an evaluation by a psychologist through the school to see what might work for him.

Hello, yes I have that same problem..my son is 12yrs old and he has been taking Concerta 36mg ever since he was in 2nd grade. It helps him to focus in school alot better than before, but I do worry about him in the future. He has ADAH and I tried not to give him meds. on weekends and he a little bit wired but a normal 12 yrs old boy, but he has problems staying focused in school, we are doing it for school purposes. Ritalin has been out for a long time and I've heard pretty bad stories about it, you might want to talk to his doctor and see if you can switch to another kind of meds. or see a "nutriestnist",I think that's how you spell it, it might help a little. It has helped my son a little, but he still takes his ADAH meds. everyday. See if the doctor can put him on a low dose and see if that helps.

I have a friend whose son has ADHD. He is the only child (I say child, but he is now 19 yrs old) I have personally known who, when not on medication, is noticeably ADHD. I can actually tell that his mind has switched gears in the middle of what he is saying or doing. His mother says he is like Jim Carey in the mask when he is not on his medication.

She has tried many routes over the years, such as the change of diet, psychiatrists, doctors, etc. I know that he has been on different meds working with psychiatrists and doctors. I understand your concern with Ritalin as my friend had the same concern. Her son also asked to be put back on the meds when he was in early high school because he could not concentrate.

See if your doctor and/or psychiatrist will work with the two of you to find a med that you are comfortable having him take and that works for him. There are many routes and choices these days for treatment and if your doctor doesn't know them, see if you could find someone who can help.

Good luck! Also, there is a good support site call www.adhdsupport.com which has good resources. They also have a program each year called Experts on call where you can ask questions.

Check with your doctor to see what he suggests. They also just came out with an ADHD drug that is not supposed to be a stimulant. My son was taking Adderall, and my doctor suggested trying the new one. Its called Vyvanse. We have had my son on it for about 6 months now, and is definately working. It lasted much longer than his regular adderall, and gets him thru the school day, and then thru homework and dinner time. It is a little more expensive than adderall and there is currently no generic drug, so if you have insurance with a copay, you are going to be paying the highest one for this medication.

I figured I would mention it so it might be worth checking with your doctor. My son never to Ritalin just because we would not let them after seeing how it affected my brother while growing up. I've also heard that it isn't the safest medication, but never really researched it. Good luck and hopefully you will find something that helps your son.

Have you checked out http://www.feingold.org/? Their diet is remarkable. I've been a volunteer in schools for 15 years, and kids who got off some of the main "trigger" chemicals (red dyes, etc.) had great results. Best of luck.

Please do not put your child back on ritalin. I'm a 42 year old mother of 4 kids and I can tell you first hand about it. I was put on it at a very early age, through high school. I don't remember anything such as, using the restroom, brushing my teeth, bathing, combing my hair, eating an meal, birthday parties, riding a bike, swimming, going to school, sitting in a classroom, sitting watching tv, playing with my sister...NOTHING. Just bits and pieces, perhaps when they forgot to give me my meds. Please if you want your child to remember their childhood...DON'T DRUG THEM UP. There are other things you can do I'm sure. Please for the love of God don't.

I know exactly how you feel. I have been there with my only son. Please provide me with a telephone number or email so I can help you further.I am W. Aponte and my email is ____@____.com Please place your name and Mamasource on the subject, and anything else so I won't erase your message on my email. Believe I can help you. Right now my son turned 21 years old.

Hi Liz...my brother was on Ritalin and it caused him to be anorexic because it supressed his appetite. It also caused other medical problems for him, including a weak immune system. He was on meds for a while as a child, but we took him off and worked closely with him. He is now 21 and med free. If your son needs meds, I would suggest trying something other than Ritalin. Also, try looking into a school that has a special program for adhd kids...it's not necessarily special ed, but rather a class that follows the standard curiculum at a slower pace. Good Luck.

You can buy alternative medicines for focus at any health food store. I believe they do have pills.