Do diet changes work?
There have been studies showing that the Omegas have a positive effect on the brain. There is a good logic behind that idea that has been well researched.
I will only speak for my family, but there is definitely a genetic reason and the only positive effect on DS we have seen right now has been from medication. If you realize where the problem is physiologically -- the neurotransmitters in the prefrontal cortex -- that is what you have to treat, especially in severe cases where the person simply can't function normally. My son very obviously had something wrong with him early on. I didn't want to medicate for a long time, but it was hopeless. My ADHD husband was completely for medications. He asked me why our son should go through what he went through in school and said to me (very kindly, but he made his point), "You don't know how it feels to be like that and I do. I would have given anything for a pill to help me think." That made sense to me and from then on we have medicated him. It's not perfect, but his life is much better than without the medication. 100 years ago our son would have been beaten to a pulp, tied up somewhere or "medicated" with alcohol. I'm pretty sure that's how people used to deal with the severe cases. Give me Ritalin any day.
I'm just curious why the doc is starting her off with with Strattera instead of plain old Ritalin to see how she reacts.
Good luck.
Joy2
The fear for me is the side effects and children and suicide.Her not being able to sleep at night.She had lived with her dad for a couple years and was on Adderall ,Clonedine and Strattera when she came home to me ,I took her off eveything except Clonedine until the pharmacist reaction one day ,when he found out it was for a 6 year old child. I didnt notice anything out of the norm until almost 6 months later.She just cant focus or organize.I dont know enough about these drugs and frankly she seems to be functioning abit (its not an extreme case) I guess. Just really looking to supplements like magnesium and zinc .Getting info from some of the books. Russell A Barkley, Michael Lyons etc. thanks
If Strat is ramped properly the side effetcs are minimal, The suicide etc come into play when the dose is too high for the childs weight. Don't be afraid, many have had great success with Strat, just remember it AHS to be ramped, and the dose cannot be too high for their weight. Did you take her off everything when she got home? Do you feel like you have a good idea of her behavior/ability to focus when unmedicated? I'm not sure if you went to a psychiatrist with her, but I have found that the pediatricians don't know about the meds in detail. You might feel better if she had a full evaluation with a psychiatrist, where you and the teacher fill out forms and the psych does a fairly extensive intake interview. They won't prescribe a medication unless they see a need for it (if the psych is good).
She was on quite the med cocktail when she returned to you. It would be good to start one medication at a time. But if she was already on Strattera and handling it well, she will probably be fine this time around, too.
I have found that my son is very verbal about how he is feeling at any given time, so I know the results of the medications pretty quickly. If your child is more introverted and doesn't share her feelings easily, it probably is more difficult to try something new.
Good luck.
To answer your questions about diet- yes it works, to an extent. The dietary changes we've made, eliminating additives and dyes and dairy has helped with hyperactivity and behavioral issues, but not so much with attention. Perhaps we'd see more results if I were stricter about it, but I'm not going to tell him he can't have candy at his friends' parties, or eat what's offered by family members during the holidays.
The benefits of the meds typicaly far outweigh the risks- severe depression/suicide are very rare side effects but they get a lot of publicity because of the "shock value."
Even drugs you wouldn't think twice about using, like antibiotics can have scary side effects. A friend of my sister had a psychotic episode that was determined to be a side effect of an antibiotic he was taking.
Just make sure your with a knowledgable doc and watch you daughter closely for side effects. Although if she didn't suffer this type of side effect the last time she was on it, she probably won't this time either.
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