Anyone know much about Adderall for kids with ADD???

[TEENEE]

My dd has been on adderall xr for about a year. In the beginning she had some problems falling asleep and her appetite decreased. Now she eats smaller meals more often and sleep is only an occassional problem. Her ped made it very clear that she has to have a snack before bed. I make sure she has a good breakfast to avoid any kind of stomach aches. Give it some time. Hopefully it will work for your dd. My daughter went from barely passing 2nd grade to perfect attendance (5 weeks to go) and honor roll in 3rd grade. She was picked on at school because she lacked self control but now she has many friends and loves school.

As far as anyone that thinks ADD or similar problems are a joke. I would love to see you walk in the shoes of a parent that is dealing with this everyday.

 

[rbuzzotta]

Thank you all again for the words of wisdom. I met with DD's teacher and school nurse this morning!! I am hoping she does well today! I am a nervous wreck!!

I hope this works and she is able to concentrate and thus her reading difficulties and school work difficulties with then fall into place!! She struggles so much with reading that it kills me to see her so sad when it comes to this. She is now making excuses to get out of the classroom so she doesn't have to read out loud! Her teacher is so wonderful and supportive..............thank God for that!!

Thanks again, I can't express how relieved I feel reading these responses...............

 

[missypie]

My son was on ADDeral for a while. He's on Concerta and we like it a bit better...he seems to be able to fall asleep better at night...who knows- it might just be finding the perfect dosage for his weight or something. My son has major attention problems...he has described his thoughts as being "jittery." We can all really tell when he doesn't take his pill. I can't imagine why anyone would refuse their kids these meds if they help. If a kid needed glasses to be able to see well in school, no one would refuse to get the glasses, saying he needed to learn to cope without them.

I guess the key is comfort with the diagnosis. If a teacher suggests ADD, listen and make an appointment with a psychologist. Don't blindly ask your family doctor for a prescription, but don't get offended by the teacher's comment either. Just take it to the next step with the proper professional evaluation.

 

[sha_lyn]

Stimulents treat the symptoms of ADD/ADHD not the cause.

The typical american childs diet is void of many key nutrients including Omega fatty acids (3, 6 and 9) along with B vitamins. these nutrients are key factors for optimum brain function.

Most parents I know who's kids are on ADD/ADHD meds also describe their chidlren as picky eater and are usually the kids who eat the "american beige diet"


I learned recently that one friends DS has had great results by treating his Dyslexia with B complex vitamin splements also.

 

[100%Disney]

My DS is on Adderall XR, it is extended release so they don't come down off of it so hard. We had major problems with the regular Adderall. Also Concerta is good we used that for awhile, it's extended release also. The only thing it does to my DS is make him less hungry, but he still eats fine.

 

[100%Disney]

We were not happy with the ADD diagnosis in our son, but he has made so much improvment by being on his medicine. He was on the honor roll 2 out of 3 nine weeks so far this year. My DH's family was against the medicine, but we watched our son suffer. If he was diabetic he would get insulin, I don't look at this any differently. We don't allow much sugar in his diet, we really watch the candy issue. He has always eaten very well, loves fruits and vegetables. My kids love broccoli, spinich and asparagus as much as they do a cheeseburger. You have to do what you think is best for your child. The people who gave me the most grief were the ones who had children that didn't have attention problems. How can they understand? My son isn't hyper, his teacher would say that he would just "zone out" during class. I understand, it is so hard at times to admit there is a problem. My son realized it more than we did.

 

[MICKEY88]

I just read an article that mentioned a possible link between ADHD and caffeine use in children...

 

[tkd lisa]

My kids were on adderal very briefly (about 2 months) as it didn't seem to help their symptoms. They were mostly on ritalin and then concerta.

And sha-lyn, I'd agree with your comments about diet for my kids when they were younger, but my DD (who's very strongly ADHD and responds very well to meds) has been eating a very good diet for the last 2 years, and there's no difference in the ADHD. She loves sushi, and eats the leafy green veggies quite a bit. Again, I doubt most parents make a decision to try medicines lightly. I appreciate everyone's experiences. It can seem like some responses are blaming us as parents for medicating our kids.

Ripley'smom, if you didn't see my post a couple weeks ago about my DD's reaction to strattera, pm me if you're interested. It was a very bad experience.

 

[sha_lyn]

DD loves sushi etc too, but we don't eat it enough for it to really matter in her diet. She loves her veggies too, but there again it seems her diet was still lacking.

We've been giving her a liquid b complex and Omega rich oils for a few months now. She calls them her thinking vitamins and tells me she notices a big difference.
We started with flax seed, but she hated the taste. We now have an orange flavored cod liver oil that she loves.


i have a suggestion for the parents who's children aren't sleeping well due to the ADD meds. Try giving them a chewable calcium supplement with dinner.

 

[100%Disney]

sha_lyn- what dosages do you give of the supplements? My DS is 10 and weighs about 75lbs.

 

[Davids-Coco]

Supplements are a good idea for anyone who isn't getting enough of something in their diet... but you have to be careful. They are drugs too, even though not termed such. And, you can overdose on anything... including children's vitamins. If this is a route you are going to take, I would talk to a naturopath and make sure there aren't any interactions. Also, acupunture works well for my DH on those days when the prescription doesn't get filled in time and as a supplementary thing.

 

[DisneyObsessed]

Rosemary, I just wanted to send along my best wishes for you and your daughter. I have a son (15) who was finally after all these years been put on Concerta, and he is a COMPLETELY different person. I hope you are as happy with your results as we are with ours.

On another note, if you have a family history of ADD or ADHD, medication is the only way to go. I have personal experience with this. Medication is just something that is needed by some people, like glasses are needed by people with eyesight trouble.

 

[sha_lyn]

Not to pick on you... but I hear the following often and IMHO it is comparing apples to oranges.

If he was diabetic he would get insulin, I don't look at this any differently.

Diabetes is caused by a lack of (or the bodies inability to use) insulin. ADD is not caused by a lack of narcotic stimulants.

The liquid I use is
Natrol-kids companion-Cognative Formula

It has other nutrients other than B vitamins, including some of the same nutrients in the cod liver oil. However it is the only liquid source of B vitamins I could find.

For the omega oils it depends on the source and the strength. She get 1TBS of the Emulsified Cod Liver Oil
When on flaxseed oil it was determined by weight.

This was all done in consultation with our naturopath.