My son may have ADHD... | ADHD Information

My daughter has been taking several medications for asthma and allergies since she was hospitalized and diagnosed at age 1 1/2 (she is now 12), so I understand your concern about adding ADHD medication for a child who is already on medication.
Here are some of my thoughts:
- If your child is diagnosed with ADHD and medication is recommended, it is still ALWAYS up to you to make the decision on whether or not and/or when to use medication.
- No decision about medication has to be permanent. You can choose to try medication, and if you don't like the results or feel the side effects are too negative, you can stop. And vice versa.
- You can discuss your concerns with the doctor and they can advise you as to whether or not they recommend combining an ADHD med with the meds your son is already on.
- You can check out the Alternative and Complementary meds forum on this message board and do research on supplements (here and elsewhere) and on medications, too, for that matter. Lots to read! The more info you have, the better.
- Schools and teachers can make accommodations to help your child function and learn in school. These can be informal, or part of an IEP or 504 plan. You can do research and read up on these too.

In my daughter's case, we have not used ADHD meds. She has inattentive type ADHD, so behavior problems have never been an issue and that does make it easier to go the non-med route. She was diagnosed with ADHD in K and managed through most of elementary school with great teachers who made accommodations for her. In 5th grade we hit a real stumbling block when she was constantly behind and overwhelmed with classwork and homework. THat's when we found out about and were able to get a 504 plan. It was a big help when she started middle school last year. This year, in 7th grade, she has gained maturity and is much better able to work independently. The 504 is still in place but not heavily relied on.

She does take supplements which I believe are beneficial. She started on omega 3s in first grade. Last year we added an amino acid supplement (PS) and she takes a multivitamin.

Sometimes finding the right school (or getting out of the wrong one) can make all the difference too.

Good luck.

We will be testing him in two weeks.  He had a liver tx at the age of 18 months and is now 6 years old and in 1st grade.  I  have suspected ADHD for a while, but kept hoping it was a maturity issue. We have had lots of issues at his new school this year, including aggression issues - which have gotten better with lots of work on our part.  His attention, focus issues have not improved. 

Since he is already on a life long med for his transplant, I hate to put him on any other meds and suspect that could be a recommendation.  Are there any natural type remedies (diet changes etc.) that we can try?  I am new to this and appreciate any help we can get.  I really want to ensure my son is successful in all aspects of his life. 

Thanks!

Hi Kim and welcome!

There is an extensive complementary and alternative section on this forum. The people there are VERY knowledgable and there are some excellent threads on different diets, and supplements. Read away!