Newbie needing help | ADHD Information

Help!!!  I'm new here, but,

My 10 yr old son has just told his psych that sometimes he takes St Johnswort as well as his Ritalin.The thing is he is undergoing assessment for poss comorbid bipolar disorder (which I have)  and this is the only combination that saw him through the dark days of winter .  

The doc has told me its one or the other, you choose...........my son wants to keep taking both as he feels better on them.

 

Any ideas?

doriss

If he is being evaluated for bipolar, you really don't want him to be taking something that can alter his moods. The dr knows what to look for in a kid on ritalin but when you add in something that acts as an antidepressant you are altering his mood. The only way you can get a valid diagnosis is to take him off the SJW. The dr has to see him as he really is. Since the dr didn't see him before he went on the SJW, he has no idea what is him and what is the SJW that he is seeing.

Also, Vickie has a valid point that you shouldn't give supplements in addition to a stimulant med without the dr's consent. Anything (including natural supplements) which affects the body, mind or emotions carries the potential to cause harm or interact negatively with meds.

There can be some interactions between herbals and prescription meds and if the psychiatrist does not feel he/she can properly manage the combination then he will not want to take a chance on improperly medicating you son. This would be especially true if there is a posibility of trying anti depression meds.

http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/advisory/stjwort.htm

"Based on this study and reports in the medical literature, St. John’s wort appears to be an inducer of an important metabolic pathway, cytochrome P450. As many prescription drugs used to treat conditions such as heart disease, depression, seizures, certain cancers or to prevent conditions such as transplant rejection or pregnancy (oral contraceptives) are metabolized via this pathway, health care providers should alert patients about these potential drug interactions to prevent loss of therapeutic effect of any drug metabolized via the cytochrome P450 pathway."