ADHD Without Medication

[deltachi8]

I have been browsing this board for the first time. Im a single parent of a great DS (9) who was diagnosed with ADHD at 5. Never has been on Meds. (A personal preference)

Any other parents of ADHD children who choose not to medicate? I am not judging those who do at all, I am just curios if anyone is like me who is uncomfortable with medications and has some ideas to share.

Thanks.

 

[magicmouse2]

DD has it midly and seems to be growing out of it a little more each year. shes now 10. It was really difficult when she was younger as she was constantly on the go. I never got her any medication and just struggled through. It was only 1-2 years ago when I learned about ADHD. By then we had gotten through the worst times, and decided we had gotten this far without meds. You will need to be patient and accept help where it is offered. Creative activities seemed to help DD lots.

 

[riu girl]

DD8 was diagnosed at age 3 with severe/profound ADHD. She is now almost 9 (diagnose has been downgraded to mild ADHD at age 8) and has never been on any meds.

We try to keep things at home very structured, do yoga, a lot of physical activity outdoors, sports, peer group and one on one activities, social skills classes.

During the fall of 2005 we started seeing a naturopath and now DD takes extra fish oils, vitamin B, calcium/magnesium.

She had a support person at school until this year and is doing extremely well without one now. The teacher feels she is doing very well socially/behaviour wise. I guess this could be due to maturity and/ or the vitamin supplements.

She also has anxiety and sensory issues (but we have been told not ASD) and during winter of 2005 and 2004 she had some depression during the winter (but not this winter for some reason).

Since each year we see more and more improvements (except with the anxiety which is getting worse) we aren't considering meds for her. If we ever did give her medication, it might be for falling asleep at night, since she often has problems falling asleep.

 

[HappyLawyer]

parent of ADHD child here i think meds is a personal choice, i use them for my dtr but if there were other options that i felt would benefit her better i would explore them.

 

[HopperFan]

Have you tried melatonin for her to get to sleep. DS was having more problems than usual, sometimes up till 4 am or all night. It was killing me ! His doctor suggested I give him the basic dose of melatonin OTC most drug or health stores. Since DS is cognitively low he does not know what he is taking and therefore I would know for sure if it worked or not. I am by nature skeptical. Well, it works. It is amazing. We may take it every night for a week but then not for weeks. Depending on his sleep patterns. I give it to him about 30 minutes before I put him in bed and he is usually asleep within 30 minutes after he lays down. I'm not big on meds and will suffer....but this has been something of a miracle for him ! (oh, and he still sleeps all night, no getting up early). Info http://www.melatonin.com/

 

[JenJen]

Both DS13 and DD11 are not on medication for ADD and ADHD. One of them never struggled in school but just had behavioral issues. She studies hours a day and gets all A's but it does not come easy. My DS was out on adderal for a week and it completely changed his personality and he was a zombie so we looked it other options because he was struggling in school and needed some help. He now uses behavioral therapy, Chiropractic manipulation, and some supplements to manage his ADD. He also is in the autistic spectrum but very high functioning. It took a while before we saw improvement but his grades have gone from F's and D's to A's B's and C's. You would not even believe he is the same kid he even joined the basketball team! It takes much longer to get results with going the more natural route but in the long run I think it is worth it because you are getting to the source of the problem not just masking it.
I believe it is a very personal choice and we all do what we have to do to help our kids.
(((((((((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))))))))))
Jen

 

[sammielynn]

I chose medication because the social problems that my DS14 was having when he was younger. He tried to stop his meds at the beginning of the school year but soon decided that he could not do his work as well without them. He is now on Strattera and is doing much better. I chose meds because it was not worth it to me to se him strugle with his behaviors. Meds are a personal choice and I chose to use them.

 

[Alexsma]

The decision to medicate your child is one of the toughest that a parent will experience. My son was diagnosed at age 3 with severe ADHD/ODD. After struggling for over a year and a half at age five we tried medications. It just broke my heart, I felt like a failure as a parent. Now I look at my son who is 8 and well adjusted due to his meds, and therapy.

He participates in sports, cub scouts and has tested advanced in school! He still struggles in classroom settings with behaviors, but part of that is due to boredom. Once they gave his more advanced work he started to excel. I am cautious about our trip in June to WDW there are 12 of us going and sometimes it is hard to manage his behaviors in large crowds.

Good luck, just remember what ever is best for your child is your decision. You are the one who knows your child best.