MAGNESIUM & ZINC | ADHD Information

Hi Everyone!

I am new to this forum and want to thank you all for your great information. My daughter was just diagnosed and the other day we went to the dr. and she wanted to put her on Adderall XR. Alyssa is 9 and has some behavioral problems at home and definite attention/focusing issues at school but I am concerned about starting meds. Everyone says she's borderline so I am going to start working on some new techniques for beh. mod. at home and focusing at school. I am interested in the magnesium and zinc and supplements because I am also working on changing her diet. If anyone has any info. at all to share with me, please pm me. I can use any info. positive or negative that you can give me. Thank you and God Bless you and your kids. Magnesium and zinc are amazing!!! I would also die without L-glutamine everyday, I found it helps me focus a lot.

Great job with this string of postings, Iyardie! I'm so happy things are working out so well.

Best,
ROur son has also shown great results from supplements, one of which is magnesium. Zinc is also a big help. Within only a few weeks he was able to focus and calm himself down before flipping out. It has been almost 4 months and he is still improving.
We went through the Pfieffer Treatment Center to have all of our lab work done (urine, hair and blood). We found out he was deficient in zinc and his copper levels were way too high along with his hystimine (sp?). Thier website is www.hriptc.org in case anyone wanted to check out any other websites that offer this type of treatment. They are based in Chicago but travel to other states throughout the year to do outreach clinics. They were wonderful. My son now has a prescription of different supplements that he takes 3 times a day. Each capsule is compounded, so he is taking several different vitamin and mineral mixtures throughout the day. It sounds like a pain when I explain it but it is helping and without medication. We really watch what we eat too of course. Which as someone else said, at first it is a big deal taking away their favorite cereals or whatever but after a while everybody gets used to it. My son really likes to eat healthy now too. He always wants to know what vitamins are in everything he eats and what part of his body it helps. Carrots are his favorite right now because they give him superhero eyesight and he can see in the dark if he gets scared.

For a very long time I felt like I could not even go out into public with my son because of his behavior. I am soooooo happy to say that in the past 3 months my kids and I have been out and about more than we have in the last 2 years. My son is able to get along with other kids at the park, he can wait in line with me, we even went to the bank together!!!! Not to mention the movies. I took him to the movies. It was the first time I felt confident enough with his behavior to take him since he was 4. That was 3 years ago. He did great by the way. He got out of his seat a couple of times, but there was no running up and down the isles or climbing over the seats like he did last time.
Anyhow I did not want to go rabbling but I do everytime. I just wanted to say supplements have helped our family so much. If the psychologist who first told us our son had the worst case of ADHD and ODD she had ever seen could see him know she would be blown away. She told us he would never be "normal" without medication. We may have to pay her a visit someday. Our son is living proof that vitamins help!!
SycamoreMum38316.6308101852I am trying the magnesium (1/2pill) and Zinc (1/2pill) for my 5 year old Gdaughter, I see results too. She is calmer and not bouncing off the wall- also on stratera 1x day and seroquel 3 x day- but the magnesium and xinc have made a difference. thank you I have read that you need vitamin D to properly absorb magnesium. We are using a calcium/magnesium/zinc tablet, and I crush it up and mix it with a spoonful of honey and my son loves it. Apparantly it is difficult to get too much magnesium, as the body just disposes of what it doesn't need. Boggled.. you are correct.Stratera is not a vacation medication. Speak to her ped. and ask him/her re: weaning. Good luck. Candr, I think boggled magnesium intake is right on... I also give my son 20 mgs of Zinc.. .major improvements.... i purchased my vitamins at www.kirkmanslab.com.

Hi Iyardie. Thanks for the information. I purchased mineral supplement that is liquid. It is a multi minerals. There is 600mg magnesium and 8mg zinc. The adult dosage is 2oz, but I'm giving my son 1/4 of the adult dosage. I felt he needed to round out his minerals and have read that many ADHD children are deficient. After a few weeks of usage, I plan to add mag and zinc to fine tune. We are also using caffeine, essential fatty acids, multivitamin and an elmination diet of wheat, gluten, dairy and casein. My son is in 3rd grade now and we have gotten to a stage at school where we need to make changes. Any feedback is welcome. candr-

I'm new to posting and look forward to hearing from others.

[QUOTE=debbyp]

This sounds like my kindergartener. What calcium/magnesium/zinc supplements have you used?

Thanks!

[/QUOTE] Ooops, I did that wrong. I was responding to debbyp's question. I bought a supplemental tablet that has all three - calcium, magnesium and zinc. I found it at CVS (our local drug store). They have their own brand and they carry Sundown.Candr, I do not give my son Calcium... only magnesium, zinc and attend from vaxa company.... the dosage is usually on the bottle.Candr, I personnally prefer to give it to him separately..... and I also think it is better to do so.... about 2 weeks to some change and approximately another 3 weeks to see the full effects.

Has anyone done a urine, hair or stool analysis to check for vitamin, mineral, etc... levels? We will be doing urine sample this weekend and hope to have results back following weekend. I'll keep you posted. It would be interesting to see his mag/zinc/calcium levels. He must remain off all supplements for 2 days prior to test. We've been on a role with supplements, but a good anaylsis points us in the right direction. A girlfriend's son who was exibiting autistic behaviors tested positive for lead. Can you imagine! Her pediatrician didn't even check for such a thing. She finally went to another doctor who prescribed the anaylsis.

Anyway, back to my questions, how much calcium do you give or do you know guidelines for 9 year old? candr-

Thank you iyardie for the information that you gave me it looks like it will be very usefull to me. I am going to look into it further. How long did it take to see any results? I know every child is different. Does it need to be magnesium and zinc seperately or can the minerals be combined with others? I would assume as long as they are receive the right amount of mag and zinc it shouldn't be a problem.dcarsn, I do not recommend you take him off medication...no no.. is he on vacation medication?.. if so, if you start the supplement and during those vacation times.. you see improvements with the supplement then you MAY begin weaning him off medication.... however, speak to your ped.... the ATTEND.. see website on www.vaxa.com. (this is capsules.. I open the capsules and in his juice).. the Zinc comes in liquid.. the mag comes in capsules.. they are small and easy swallow.. or you can open it and also put it in his juice. www.kirkmanslab.com. iyardie38314.6052083333yes we give him vacation to his meds, weekends and school holidays. I will go to our health store this week and see if they have this stuff and try it out..I tried some natural AHHD treatment this summer will no progress but i cant remember the name of it off hand.

Good news! His teacher told me my 5 yo son would try for 30 min. to copy a simple sentence from the board, and after that time would only get one letter done. She started having them copy from a paper, onto the bottom of the same paper then sending it home. We were lucky to get a few scribbles. WELL....

We started calcium/magnesium/zinc supplements last week, after I read earlier posts. Last night he brought home his copy sheet, and he had acutally copied the words! It was even almost legible!!!! I am so amazed. Can it be a coincidence?

To the parents that are giving there childrend the suppliments. What are the long term affect to the body? Q is can they get to much in there system?

Thank you..

dahl, the following is a research done on Attend and the confirmation from my son's ped. Hope you find it helpful.

ATTEND - - please see www.vaxa.com
How Does Attend Work?
Quite uniquely, Attend is designed to complement the body’s natural calming and balancing agents with specific homeopathic ingredients (Lithium bromatum, carbonicum) which help to target, direct and smoothly focus attention, while naturally complementing the activity of the Reticular Activating System. The homeopathic ingredients in Attend have exemplified the power of attenuation in remarkable ways and minimized exhaustion after moderate mental effort. Additionally the homeopathic ingredients in Attend have served to aid in prolonged mental exertion and brain fatigue. The inability to keep the mind fixed on any one subject may be a reason to consider taking Attend. Attend may also be helpful with other symptoms such as wandering thoughts, restless agitation, weakness of memory, and slow perception.

Are There Any Side-Effects With Attend?
No, Attend is safe and non-toxic! Unlike other medications, Attend works without the harmful side-effects that may stunt the growth of developing children. Indeed, Attend works to help naturally stimulate neural growth patterning and regenerative activity so as to forge more “connections” within the neural network. Interestingly, other ADD-specific pharmaceuticals have been suspected of retarding growth of ADD individuals, which ironically, is the last thing you would want to do with individuals who have been neurally limited! Furthermore, Attend works without diminishing overall processing, cognitive and learning activities, as do amphetamines, antidepressants or anticonvulsants normally prescribed for ADD, and all of which have been shown to detrimentally diminish cognitive activity.

please see www.kirkmanslab.com
Magnesium
The use and effectiveness of magnesium supplementation is well documented. Magnesium is an essential mineral that is involved in many body functions as well as being a constituent of bones and teeth. It is essential for element of cellular metabolism and is an enzyme activator. Other body actions include:

Magnesium relaxes nerve impulses and muscle contractions
Magnesium promotes relaxation and in the process may aid in restful sleep

Zinc:
Zinc and the Immune System

Zinc is present in every cell in the body and is also a component in over 200 enzymes as well. Actually, zinc is involved in more enzymatic reactions than any other mineral constituent in mammals. Zinc is essential for normal skin, vision, smell, taste, reproduction and for protein synthesis and wound healing. It is also one of the most important factors in a healthy immune system, as well as being essential to normal brain development.

A study published in 1997 in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition reported that Chinese children receiving 20 mg. of zinc supplementation daily scored 10-15% higher on educational tests than unsupplemented children.

Zinc is involved in just about every aspect of immunity and helps support a healthy immune system, including the immune enhancing "T" cells which are necessary for immune response.

Kirkman Laboratories includes 10 mg. of zinc in all Super Nu-Thera® products. Because of the absorption issues noted above, many physicians also recommend additional zinc supplementation some time after the evening meal or at bedtime. By taking it at that time there will be no fiber, calcium, iron or copper going through the system to interfere with its utilization. This should insure enough zinc gets absorbed so as to avoid a deficiency.

Once a year, my son gets a blood check up to make sure all is going well.... so far so good. iyardie38314.6436805556

iyardie-

when putting your child on zinc and mag. did you stop medication or did you keep medicating (if you have ever used meds) let me know please i would like to see if it this works other natural things have not for us... we do zinc for colds but I dotn see a diff. in behavior.

Thanks

dcarsen, He takes 20 mg. Zinc; 180 mg. mag and attend see website www.vaxa.com. So far, he has been doing welll... Supplements take awhile... I started him in March end of April.. I saw a big improvements and he has been consistent so far... of course, firm discipline as well... great book to read..."back talk". Highly recommend it. I did not use medication... if the supplement did not work, I would have seriously consider it... because we HAD some real issues. [QUOTE=VickiLE] Ooops, I did that wrong. I was responding to debbyp's question. I bought a supplemental tablet that has all three - calcium, magnesium and zinc. I found it at CVS (our local drug store). They have their own brand and they carry Sundown.[/QUOTE]

Becareful with CVS or other local drug supplement.. they are usually full of sugar.. I highly recommend this website... www.kirkmanslab.com. This website came highly recommended by a well know nutrionist in our area.So if my sons behavior is ok on meds and i try the zinc and mag, do i take him of the meds?? yicks what to do!! he can not swallow pills so we have zinc suckers do you know if the mag adn zinc and the attend comes in liquid??Has anyone had any success with Magnesium & Zinc. I have been giving my son Attend www.vaxa.com since March and he has been doing extremely well in school. I attended an ADHD seminar and the nutritionist told me that I should give him as well...both Magnesium and Zinc. WELL!! what a difference... oh my Goodness....if anyone is interested check out www.kirkmanlabs.com... IT WORTH THE TRY.iyardie38301.4743981482

Hi.. Please tell me more, I am very interested in this.. I have just begun a nutrition course and they mentioned mag & zinc.. How much are you giving .. is it individual supplements.... when do you give it to your child......

Please let me know.

Tks V

Iyardie, what has it helped with? Behavior, focus, hyperactiviness, socialization? How did you know how much to give him?

[QUOTE=Nocky]

Please let me know.

Tks V

[/QUOTE]

Let me tell you where I was coming from with my son. He was put out 9 daycares in two years. 1st was DISASTER; hitting his teacher, hitting students; you name it ... he did it in school.

I started my own research I changed his diet....in addition, I found this product Attend and Extress. http://www.add-adhd-help-center.com. I started him on Attend and Extress (March 2004) (in addition with Flaxseed oil)....within three weeks taking attend and extress, I noticed a big diference in his behavior. We went on a summer vacation for 10 days I forgot to take them.. what a difference.. he was literally bouncing off the wall... upon my return, he started again, what a difference.... The teacher immediatey recognize a behavorial change......In September of this year... . I attended a ADHD seminar and the nutritionist told us in addition, we should try Zinc and magnesium....(40 mg of magnesium) and (20 mg of Zinc)...Zinc at bedtime... mag. first thing in the morning... the Attend and Extress one each in the morning and evening.... (please check their website --- great information)....two weeks later... I have noticed even a bigger change in his behavior, he has lots of friends (now), ..... I also read the book Baktalk. I have yet to receive a phone call from school.. I had a parent teachers conference (yesterday) and the only thing that his teacher mentioned is that he gets frustrated when he is starting a new project....I can work with that.

. I have done all of the above together.. the book backtalk is an excellent book....... see www.bornetoexplore.org.....2nd grade is going welliyardie38301.5259375

Thanks for that... I will check out those websites you have given.

My son is in 2nd grade, first few weeks started off well, but I am now getting daily "updates". I am giving him Efamol or Efalex - it is a mixture of the essential fatty acids and primrose oil.. I just got 50mg magnesium supplements on the weekend to help him relax at night, not sleeping. How much are you giving your son....it is daily.. at evening.... I have heard flaxseed is a miracle in alot of things.. how did you change his diets......

tks Vikki

I, too, have had fantastic results with a change in his diet - I'm trying to stay away from junk food, foods with dyes, esp. red, i.e.Hawaiian Punch. I've been crushing up a calcium, magnesium and zinc tablet into his oatmeal (theres no taste to it) along with a children's multivitamin (I found one that didn't use dyes). I've heard the common denominator in children with ADHD is deficiencies in vitamins and minerals. Now that there's no deficiency it appears there's no ADHD either!! Just last May I was up at the school once a week picking up my son for bad behavior. In three months of school, the teacher has told me she sees no signs of ADHD -- he fits right in with the class!!! And he's doing great!

Thanks iyardie for the info. I have had fantastic results with changing my sons diet so I will definitely try these supplements.

Did it help with focus at all?

I am actually giving my son the magnesium in the morning...... it helps with the hyperactivity.... he gets 40 mg... and I give him 20mg of zinc. [QUOTE=Myboyisspecial]

Thanks iyardie for the info. I have had fantastic results with changing my sons diet so I will definitely try these supplements.

Did it help with focus at all?

[/QUOTE]

With respect to your focus question, I have yet to see ANY 7 year old (especially boys) focused....ADHD or otherwise...I think he is a lot better than before he started the vitamins... I am hoping as time goes by he will get better.... SO FAR SO GOOD

All parents who are giving their children zinc, magnesium etc.... would you be so kind as to periodically keep me up to date with respect to any improvements you have seen in your children. I will do the same. Thanks to all. [QUOTE=Mrs. King]

You have all mentioned changing their diets. How did you start? My son loves the fruit snacks, kudos etc. I have heard that high protein also helps.

Looking for answers............

[/QUOTE]

Hi Mrs King

I was willing to give anything a try so sent a sample of my sons hair off to a homeopathic clinic (we live in a remote area) for analysis.

They sent me a list of foods that he is sensitive to and we have avoided those foods eg. sugar, wheat, additives, preservatives etc. The whole family basically now eats all unprocessed, natural foods............once you get used to it, it really isn't that difficult. We have all benefitted health wise and we have a much more tranquil environment with our son feeling soooooooo much calmer. He is motivated to stick to his new eating habits because he knows what a huge difference it has made for him.

He is also taking some homeopathic remedies that I am a little sceptical about but my son thinks they help and thats all that matters, they're certainly not doing him any harm.

There is plenty of info on the net, just do a search on ADHD Diet, there's heaps of sites. I recommend giving it a try. It took about 8-9 weeks to see a big change in him.

Good luck !

P.S. I read a quote from an 11 year old ADHD boy who has changed his diet....... "I would rather eat differently than behave differently"

Myboyisspecial38303.302662037I went to my teacher/parent conferences on Thursday. My son, 5, is in kindergarten. His teacher showed me his writing and coloring from August prior to my giving him vitamins and calcium/magnesium/zinc supplements. Then she showed me something fairly recent. OMG -- incredible. Even she couldn't believe the progress. She has told me he does not appear ADHD in her class AT ALL. He must have had deficiencies that caused the behavior -- because not all we see is an average typical boy. I'm telling you, I strongly suspect thats the answer for many!!!!!!!Our local health food store sells a product call "Natural Calm". Its ONLY ingredient is Magnesium. While I'll bet its much cheaper to take a magnesium supplement, if anyone is interested in this product, 1-800=446-7462, www.vitaminsthatwork.com. I haven't tried this product, but I do have my son taking a calcium/magnesium/zinc tablet -- and I see a HUGE improvement. I'd say it only takes maybe a week or two to see the difference (I can't remember!!).We should spread the word on this board.

You have all mentioned changing their diets. How did you start? My son loves the fruit snacks, kudos etc. I have heard that high protein also helps.

Looking for answers............

I personally have had great benefits from zinc and magnesium, they make me feel heaps better

What dosages do you all use for the Cal, Mag and Zinc? I have a 10 year old with ADHD. He is not a mean/bad child, just VERY busy! I took him to a behavior specialist yesterday - don't get the results back for two weeks...hope they have some ideas for us. I'm going to the health food store today and ask them about the cal,mag,zinc. I would like to compare what they tell me to what you have experienced. Also, have you considered "sleep apnea"? Another are I am going to look into.

Mrs. King, I purchased my vitamins from www.kirkmanlabs.com. This website came highly recommended by a well known nutrionist in Virgnia. My son gets 20 mgs of zinc, 40 mgs. magnesium.

Recommendations

These are the recommended daily requirements of magnesium:

Children

1-3 years old: 80 milligrams

4-8 years old: 130 milligrams

9-13 years old: 240 milligrams

14-18 years old (boys): 410 milligrams

14-18 years old (girls): 360 milligrams

I see this information repeated at several sources. However, I note that the amount of Mg in standard childrens vitamins is only 3 to 10 mg. One scientific study with positive results in ADHD kids (I don't know what age) used 200 mg. I guess I will look into this further.

VickiLE, I am happy to hear that.

[QUOTE=VickiLE]I went to my teacher/parent conferences on Thursday. My son, 5, is in kindergarten. His teacher showed me his writing and coloring from August prior to my giving him vitamins and calcium/magnesium/zinc supplements. Then she showed me something fairly recent. OMG -- incredible. Even she couldn't believe the progress. She has told me he does not appear ADHD in her class AT ALL. He must have had deficiencies that caused the behavior -- because not all we see is an average typical boy. I'm telling you, I strongly suspect thats the answer for many!!!!!!![/QUOTE]

This sounds like my kindergartener. What calcium/magnesium/zinc supplements have you used?

Thanks!