Can anyone help me? | ADHD Information

I want to look into taking trent off of the metadate cd and just changing his diet etc. But I'm not sure where to start. Can anyone help me? Do you advise it? brtsqd339510.6864814815

Why do you want to take him off? Is he having trouble with the meds? Are they not working? 

I know some people follow the Feingold Diet, but I don't know the specifics of that.  We have cut out dairy except of the occasional yogurt (though I'm not very strict as far as foods made with a small amount of it), and avoid food dyes, preservatives, sugar and simple carbs as much as we can.  I also buy as much organic as I can afford to, but not because of the adhd, just because it's healthier all around.  With just those few (and not very strict) changes I have seen a difference.  But we do medicate too because all the scientific evidence shows it to be very safe and very effective for the majority of people, and we haven't had a problem with side effects or anything.

well i'm not sure that i do. but i'm concerned that he's lost 20lbs. You might start with a nutritionist, a GP can refer you to one.  Especially since he has lost so much weight!   Diet modifications work for some, but mostly if the symptoms are caused by a food intolerance/allergy, etc., or poor overall digestive health, as in a leaky gut syndrome. 

A naturopathic MD can also help to clean up diet and recommend supplements that may help too.   There are many nutritional imbalances that can make symptoms worse.  Has you son had a really thorough physical lately, will lab work?

Thanks. He's always been a very healthy boy with a "very" healthy appetite until he started the meds. He has had lots of lab work and everything looked great.

That's great news, and I am sure, very reassuring to know all is well blood-wise!   I too would be worried about a 20 pound loss.   How long has he been on Medadate CD?   My daughter lost weight the first 6 months she was on stimulants (maybe 8-10 pounds) and then started to slowly gain it back plus some.

Do you think some of the weight loss has been related to the surgeries he has had?  I know my daughter drops down some after she has had surgery.  (She had a few different ones over the years.)   I would also wonder about other GI related issues.  I think you mentioned in a different post he was having bowel issues as well.   Might be something worth checking into.

hes been on it since sept 2007

i'm not sure about the surgeries, never thought about that, but i think some of it has to do with his encopresis, but the ped friday told me it has nothing to do with that. i don't believe it because he holds it for days and days at a time. and while holding it we can barely get him to eat.

Your child may not realize it but eating and toilet habits may be the only thing he feels in control of at this time. Also, speaking from what my 8 y/o tried to verbalize, he felt horrible on meds. Talk to your doctor before taking him off meds- if you do just do the easy step one diet fix: no preservatives, no food colorings, no high fructose corn syrup. And try to go as organic as you can afford. Good luck.Ok, coming from the Queen of GI problems, from the sounds of it, he is having other GI problems.  I don't think it's med related.  But, I'm not a doctor.  Go back to the GI doctor, If there is a problem, you should get it addressed before things get worse.  If he looses too much weight, it could be dangerous.  I'd really suggest you going back to the surgeon as well.  He needs to be informed about the problems as well.  Good luck, and keep us posted. ~ogram~39582.2347337963Yeah we kept him on the meds, and he goes to see a gastroenterologist but not until July 8th. So for now we just have to keep cleaning him up, and hope he doesn't have accidents while around kids at school or during baseball.