Bi-polar-Ad/Hd | ADHD Information
Hi ToughLove!My 5 year old boy was diagnosed with ADHD 2 days after his 5th birthday, although it had been suspected a little longer than that. It's been almost 9 months that he's been on meds for ADHD, mostly Concerta, he's up to 45mg now. A month ago, the school psychologist told me, in light of some certain problems that had come about during the school year, mainly stealing, that she suspected that he might also have Bi-Polar disorder. Since we're in limbo right now waiting to see specialists at a Mood Disorder clinic in a Children's Hospital, we've been doing alot of research into Juvenile Bipolar.
While my son is not yet diagnosed, I have read much that suggest that they co-exist, and that it's not very uncommon. I'm happy about the way that we're going about getting (or not getting) this diagnosis for my son. There are plenty of doctors in the city I live that could make this diagnosis, but we are waiting specifically to go to a clinic filled with Psychologists, Psychiatrists..etc.. who will all make the best evaluation of my son and our family history that they can make in deciding this diagnosis, and they will make sure to follow up with us in regards to medication management.
I've read that a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist is the absolute best person to see, but any psychiatrist will probably be able to help you more than an average doctor. It's good that you're looking at all the shortcomings with regards to her medication and are trying to find the best solution for her.
Hi Toughlove,
My son was first diagnosed with ADHD then this past spring Bipolar. He gets hyper (I call it bouncing off the walls) in the evening some too. They call that mania in bp. I agree that with everyone concerning seeing a Psychiatrist as well. They have the expertise to recognize the symptoms and make a diagnosis. They are the ones that manage the mediations because that is very imporant for our children to have for stability. You will learn that stability is what your goal is (done thru meds). Our children need that to function. My son does not have this overall yet. Hang in there. It is a tough road ahead we are learning and living. Good luck!
Luvmykids0239625.6175810185Thanks Mandia,She has been in so much trouble for stealing also. She walks around and picks things up off the ground and everything everywhere we go...She will be seeing the psychiatrist the end of JULY thank god...I will start reading up on Juvenile Bipolar. Thanks Thank you so much for the encouraging words. I will keep you updated. DOes your child have adhd-bi-polar?
[QUOTE=toughlove]Thank you so much for the encouraging words. I will keep you updated. DOes your child have adhd-bi-polar? [/QUOTE]
Your very welcome :) My son is now grown (age 21). He was diagnosed at age 6 with ADHD. He does not have bipolar disorder but its not uncommon for both to co exist. I have been where many of the parents on this board have been so I understand the daily struggles and how difficult the journey can be. The good news is that after going through the childhood years with my son, Im still in one piece which should encourage others Please stick around and post your questions, concerns or maybe you may just want to vent. There will always be someone here to listen and be supportive
She has been on medicine since she was 5 years old. She is currently taking 15 mg Focalin Xr Morning and rispodal .5mg at bed time .5 mg bedtime clondine.
She is still having problems after 7 hours on her focalin XR she can not focus. Today we went to the Dr. check up and he is sending her to a physicist.
Anyone have anything to say or to help or even holler at me!
Hello tough love mom. Kudos to you for getting an accurate diagnosis as that is the first step to treating and managing disorders that interfere with the child's ability to function on a daily basis.
Your child's doctor was very wise to refer you to a psychiatrist because a psychiatrist is a specialist in medication management. A specialist knows how to adjust, change and regulate medication until the right medications and doses are achieved. Primary care doctors just don't have the expertise to do this, especially where bipolar disorder is concerned. The ADHD medication is wearing off after 7 hours which is why she starts to lose her focusing ability. Share this information with the psychiatrist so that the medications can be adjusted accordingly. The goal of medication is maximum benefit, minimal side effects at the lowest dose possible.
We are here to share information and support you as you go through this journey. Hollering is not allowed on this message board
Besides that there is nothing to holler about. Good luck and please stick around
It occurs to me that a lot of our children are being dx bipolar for the simple reason that the right medications can't be found. I repeat again that is what happened to my 8 y/o a few months ago. When I finally got him to a good doctor they took him off all his meds to see his base state, redx'd and then restarted him on meds that were problably 1/4 of what he had been taking. It seems to work. I know we will go through this time and time again.
Any type of stress or new happenings affect him so much.
Aywasi wrote:
I was given a newsletter written by Dr. David Williams who investigates alternative medicine studies from all over the world. In his July 2008 issue on page 100, he reports on the completed and amazing findings of a study in Paris, France and another from 27 counties in Texas that PROVE beyond any doubt that the underlying cause of ADHD in children and adults is insufficient iron storage - which robs the brain of oxygen
Dr. David Williams sells alternative medicines all over the Internet so it would be in his best interest to put such a positive spin on alternative medication. If there was such amazing findings about the cause and cure of ADHD it would be published in medical journals. I would prefer to take the advice of a medical doctor rather than take someone serious that sells supplements on the Internet. There are many caring doctors out there but anyone selling supplements on the Internet only cares about reaching for peoples wallets.
Parents want accurate information and when you make a claim be prepared to back it up with documented evidence. Misleading parents with regard to causes and cures is negligent because it further delays the parent from finding effective treatment for their child. The only way to get things cleared up is by stopping propaganda. As a mother, a grandmother and a teacher I find it odd that you would put your trust and faith in a snake oil salesman on the Internet who puts Dr. in his name and again, if too much protein in the brain caused bipolar disorder, medical scientists would know it by now.
That was exactly my point - he does NOT try to sell ANYTHING in this newsletter - he comments abundantly on the simple fact that this info is found by doctors in other parts of the world - but due to the fact that something as simple as iron, and as cheap to take as iron may be the underlaying cause - of course - the USA medical facets would not give it a look and just choose to ignore the evidence found - no wonder they have cheaper and generally government funded medicine in other countries - their doctors are looking for real cures - not to make a killling! How in the world do can you call the man a quack when HE was not even mentioned in the entire articles? He gave out the names of who, where, and when the studies were done and an abstract of the data findings. It seems to me maybe you are being too stubborn to look at the findings of other legitimate doctors in other parts of the world. Might this be the case?Also, I have done EVERYTHING that over 20 doctors, chiropractors, natural healers have told me to do - for a child that was SO SEVERELY ADHD that I was told he should be institutionalized. My son is now 23, married, and about to be a dad for the 2nd time. He and I were told by many a phychiatrist he was 'the typical criminal pyschotic male', and there was virtually no hope that he would ever lead a normal life. He has an IQ of 148, was able to read at 13th grade level when he was in the 5th grade - with comprehension, but was so violent at times that he stabbed me, took 3/4 of the cornea off a younger brothers eye in anger, threw desks at teachers and stabbed a fellow student in the back with a pencil - among other things. What did I do? I DUGGGG into Emory University's library SO deep I felt I lived there. Then after forcing myself to allow my son to be tested for 6 weeks at an intensive care facility in Atlanta, I was told my son had borderline epilepsy. He was given the typical seizure drugs - although he had never - nor HAS ever had any sort of seizure. What did I get? A zombie kid. At 14 I removed him from all drugs, removed him from school and home schooled him til he was 16 and graduated, removed ALL MEAT, EGGS, and CHEESE from his diet, and within 6 months NO ONE would have ever known he was the same individual. Today, he will not eat any of these foods because they make his "head and stomach hurt". Then I - NOT ANY DOCTOR - discovered that my son was ADHD mixed with bi-polar mixed with the slightest Austism - which is now labeled as Asperger's Syndrome. Solution for him - diet change, the mineral lithium, NOT THE man made one, and refrain from closed in, stressful, or constraining situations. So BEFORE you make remarks as to my giving people unwise hope or advice, realize that I have little to no trust of the medical profession to truly understand what ANY of these children are going through, as each and every chil is different and reacts differently to MANY ingested materials, whether they be doctor prescribed OR natural. IF just ONE doctor had mentioned Asperger's - I would have had help for my boy YEARS sooner.
I would like to give you some new hope. First of all, I am the mother of 5 kids - all grown - 4 of whom were diagnosed as ADHD and one diagnosed as ADD. Now I have 11 grandchildren - 4 of whom have signs, but none yet diagnosed. I am also a teacher of special kids who have behavior issues in school. Yesterday, I was given a newsletter written by Dr. David Williams who investigates alternative medicine studies from all over the world. In his July 2008 issue on page 100, he reports on the completed and amazing findings of a study in Paris, France and another from 27 counties in Texas that PROVE beyond any doubt that the underlying cause of ADHD in children and adults is insufficient iron storage - which robs the brain of oxygen - which causes 'brain fog', frustration, agitation, and other ADHD symptoms. These people may have never had their iron levels checked - and some may have shown only a pre-anemic state and therefore never have taken iron supplements. This research showed that taking iron supplements was JUST AS EFFECTIVE as Ritalin and other drugs taken for ADHD. He states that it only takes one to two weeks to see a visable difference in a child given iron. My daughter is putting her only child on it tomorrow. This doctor has a website - but in order to get the article, you have to subscribe which is rather expensive. My mother gave the article to me. It is entitled, "Alternatives For The Health Conscious Individual" - Volume 12 No. 13 - July 2008 I forgot to add that I am bi-polar and ADHD, the father of my kids is ADHD, and both my parents are bi-polar and 1 is ADHD. My dad - who is 73 has been on iron supplements and they have proven he had too much protein in his brain cells which evidentally causes the bi polar - so when he was forced to cut out as much protien as possible and raised his iron intake - he became the nicest person ever! If you were able to understand the medical terminology of these simple two factors - and have a Dr. who gave a hoot about the patient rather than money- maybe we could get all these defects cleared up! I have never heard of iron defencies in children who are bipolar--this is news to me--although I have heard about omega 3's being a deficet; people in asian countries have a low rate of bipolar because they consume quite a bit of fish and when you compare that with the diets our children consume in the US---wah-la.
That doesn't mean that I am going to rush out and buy nothing but omega 3's---I do believe it is a genetic disorder and one that is neurological. IT can be treated and certainly a diet loaded with omega 3's wouldn't hurt, just as it wouldn't h urt someone to try iron.
On a side note---when my son was a very small child, he would not eat meat. Fruits and veggies were his favorite and to this day, he will not eat hamburger meat--but he will eat hot dogs, nuts of any kind, eggs, he loves them. I think we can learn a lot from our children. You have been quite rude in your discussion toward me and I have no reason to have to deal with it. The original document I sent had all the data necessary to follow up for substantive evidence. You obviously have an issue with anyone who just might look outside the medical box in the USA. So, you can also keep your closed-minded opinions to yourself, as I was not looking to have a deliberation with anyone - I was simply passing on info that just MAY help a few people who wished to dig farther to find the evidence they might need for their child.
Call me rude or whatever you want but troll like behavior will not be tolerated on this message board. Sharing information that comes directly from a salesman on the internet is hardly valuable or credible information.
Parents, always remember that whatever decisions you make for your children, know that they are the right ones as no one knows your children better than you do but its important to learn how to spot the red flags. There are millions of snake oil salesmen on the internet and they are going directly for your wallets. They count on parents that are vulnerable to make a living. Also, advice given or research done is only as good as the person giving the advice or conducting the research so before making any type of decisions, always talk with your child's doctor about the knoweldge you have gained through research or advice.
I agree that medications changes can dramatically change kids behaviour. My son was given respidal and became totally manic and aggressive to the point he had a bat at my head. This also happened on prozac. As far as night manic behaviour with bouncing off the walls, we have this caused by rebounding from the day's ritalin. A small dose in the afternoon evens the mood.
Now as for the theory with iron deficit, my daughter (also adhd) has too much iron -hemochromotosis. These one theory will solve all problems is a real issue.
ADHD is a chemical imbalance - each individual is different. That's why it is important to maintain good records and trial medications for effectiveness. After 15 years of dealing with meds / supplements etc we still have to tweak dosages and meds to suit an ever changing child.
We have had so many different diagnosis and have often found a change in meds make the symptoms change if not disappear.
Congratulations Aywasi for finding the best path to suit your individual child. Good luck to all of those still on the journey.
Aywasi wrote:
So BEFORE you make remarks as to my giving people unwise hope or advice,
Your advice is based on your opinions, your personal experiences and your admiration for someone who has a web site who makes money selling his products. Your passing your information off as fact and you have no solid evidence to substantiate your claims. Where is your evidence that USA medical scientists haven't looked into what you claim to be true above? Children with ADHD don't need to be institutionalized and it sounds like your son had a lot more going on than ADHD.
This is not a debate folder and in the future do not pass your information off as fact and if you do have any information to share, using scare tactics or knocking medical doctors to validate your claims will not be tolerated. Your claims should stand on solid evidence and the products recommended should stand on their own merit. There are a million Dr. Williams on the internet and parents should be made aware and recognize how to spot a snake oil salesman
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