[QUOTE=Sharm]oh I took him off because he complained alot of tummy aches and i just didnt like him on the meds.. he has settled down now.. i need to give this stuff time to see if it works.. I have started the focus and waitn on the brightsparks.. plus he takes omegas..... i want to try it without meds.. i didnt feel they were doing a whole lot.. sure i can go switch meds up doses but i realy dont want to go that route anymore... he has settled and is playing his DS.....[/QUOTE]
I agree, Focus is a fairly strong herbal and can be dangerous, should be monitored closely!
Focus, Brightspark and Omega's really should not be mixed. Is he taking Vit E with the Omega's?
If the Ritalin helped why did you stop it? He probably needs it to function. maybe it was the wrong dose? maybe he needed lower or higher.
edbson39443.464837963just wanted to say you are not alone.. My son acts the exact same way and it seems to get worse. He is medicated and I'm hoping this is a phase we're going thru..all these are decisions you have to be comfortable with and make. The best way to do that is to be as informed as you can be. Like you are doing, research, ask questions, and make your decisions from there. There are side effects to everything. Any medicatio has side effect risks, Tylenol, cold medicines, cough syrup, obviously prescription medication. Some vitamins are not good at certain levels. No one wants to use medications or all the hassle of diets and supplements, but you (and the rest of us) are just trying to do what we can to help our children. I don't know of any medication for any disease, sickness, or whatever that is completely safe. If your son had cancer you probably wouldn't hestitate to have him have chemo. If he had diabetes and needed insulin you wouldn't hestitate to give him that either. What I am trying say is everything has side effects and dangers, you just have to decide if the good outways the bad. The meds are not going to make him into a perfect little boy, you need to address the behavior to teach him how not to do the things he isn't suppose to do. If you do not want to do the meds then you probably need some kind of behavioral plan with a therapist or psych. He can't control himself with what he has. My son gets headaches some times from his meds but he likes the way the meds make him feel so he lives with getting a headache here and there. When he is having a melt down don't engage him. Send him someplace to be by himself and calm down. When he calms down, and does what he needs to do, praise him. Don't get into yelling matches with him, it only makes the behavior worse. That is why you send him someplace quiet. You need a break, if you can't go anywhere or send him to a relative or friends for awhile, take a bath. Go to your room tell him it is your time and that he can't interupt it. Find a game that you both can play, like a card or board game. That will give you both some positve time together. I play uno or checkers everyday with my son. It gives us a time to just relax and connect with each other. If all he is hearing is negative from you that is what you are going to hear from him. Don't give up on your son, he actually needs you to be in his corner more than anything. I know it is tough, I bang my head against the wall and ask why me why him all the time. He pushes my buttons at the exact time he shouldn't and it is extremely frustrating. You just have to take a deep breath and go back in find something that will work for him and you. Nothing you try is going to seem to work the first time, it takes repeating it till it becomes routine. I send my son to his room to calm down, tell him he is not in trouble but needs to calm down. It took awhile for him to realize that he wasn't in trouble, that he needed to calm down, but he got it eventually. He learned when he was calm he could come out. Word finds helped him calm down, helped him focus on something other than what was distracting him so much that he couldn't function. Read alot of the posts here. I have gotten so much help and ideas from the other parents on how to help and deal with my son from here. More than anybody will ever realize. I read more than I post, it helps me just knowing there are others going through this. When you feel alone in dealing with it, it makes it all the worse. Aaron'smom39447.4213310185oh my gosh I just give up.... i cant deal with him acting up so much and I am sorry but NO DOC can say these meds are safe.. drugs of any kind are NOT SAFE and now alternatives are NOT SAFE what the hell I do plan on taking him to a natural pathic doc havent yet.. but geez why bother..
When you mix alternatives and herbals the chances of geting adverse effects are significant. For example, Brightspark, focus, and Omega's can thin the blood, so all 3 together can REALLY thin the blood, and cause major problems. Oh, I can relate.............I just got back from the grocery store with mine..he's 14 1/2 and I was embarrassed by him in the darn store! Then, inexplicably, he'd be acting all mature and helpful with the younger two...they are almost 9 and 4 and also show signs of ADHD...but I was tearing my hair out after Aldi, Walgreens and BiLo..........how old is your ds?[QUOTE=elizam]Oh, I can relate.............I just got back from the grocery store with mine..he's 14 1/2 and I was embarrassed by him in the darn store! Then, inexplicably, he'd be acting all mature and helpful with the younger two...they are almost 9 and 4 and also show signs of ADHD...but I was tearing my hair out after Aldi, Walgreens and BiLo..........how old is your ds?[/QUOTE]
I should add taht mine decided clear out of the blue that meds didn't work and he didn't need them....it has been sheer h*ll ever since but I think he is acting ok in school, despite his grades plummeting, he isn't acting up, at least not that I know of.
The best thing I ever did with my two ADHD'rs is time out. I started with 1-2-3 Magic and adapted to our needs. They are both in view in their spots and usually only stay for a max of 3 minutes. They both know it is not punishment but just what we call it, time out. I give the younger one a sippy cup with milk to calm down. After a minute of calmness I talk to each one and hug them and tell them they can get up when they can (Whatever the problem was)... If they go back at it, the next time out is longer... The problem I have is that they are so focused on whatever irritating thing they are doing that when I ask them to stop they don't hear. (I think that is that hyper focus they get from meds.) So I get close and say time out! They look at me... I say that's one minute! They run the their spots!!! Ahhhhh quiet. I sip my tea... make my little one a cup of milk. Excuse the older one and pet the little one while he drinks his milk. They know what they were doing, we don't go into it...oh my gosh I just give up.... i cant deal with him acting up so much and I am sorry but NO DOC can say these meds are safe.. drugs of any kind are NOT SAFE and now alternatives are NOT SAFE what the hell I do plan on taking him to a natural pathic doc havent yet.. but geez why bother..
[/QUOTE] It can really be overwhelming, can't it? I felt overwhelmed when I first discovered this message board. There were people who were having quite a bit of success with supplements, but the pages and pages of posts with different people's opinions and facts were a lot to sort through and digest!i do not call him that to his face.... i am just trying a new route cuz i dont want to up the dose.. i mean when do we stop uping the dose..... If i can get him on something that isnt as harsh.. i am going to see a naturalpathic doc this week hopefully... * I do beleive they do not need to be on drugs to have this under control we just havent found what my son needs yet... He is 8 btw.
his report card was not great and he was on meds then.... he was still having concentration problems.. behaviour was better.. he is actin up at school because he cant concentrate.... and he gets bored... so tends to annoy ppl to occupy his time.. I know this. and its still hard but I know why.. and i do know he cant help it alot of the time so I am hoping I can do this right soon.. if not I know i WILL HAVE to look back into drugs but it will be my last resort.. I have my husbands support in this as well
When you find the right med/dose you will see changes, but until then you have to raise the dose. Change meds altogether etc until you get there. Kids DO need meds to help control ADHD, and those who are not medicated tend to self medicate later, using illegal drugs.
So basically you stop upping the dose when you get to the right one.
good for you for trying a new route. Everyone needs to do whatever they feel is the best option for their child. It takes patience. Most of us have been at that place where we are so frustrated with side effects and not seeing good results we say why bother.....believe me, I've been there many times. The hard part is the waiting and seeing piece. The reason we sought answers in the first place was their behaviors were getting in the way. So now unmedicated it will be that way again. Just try to be patient and do what you feel is right. You obviously have not found what works best for your son, he's only 8 you'll get there. He's lucky to have parents that are trying so hard.