Meds. to ADHD diet for 11 yr old son ?? | ADHD Information

So I'm new to the message boards, been online alot for any kind of support center. My son Cyle is 11 and is ADHD. Let's see his actual diagnosis wasn't until 2nd grade (he is now finishing the 5th grade) after I went demanding to the school that they not label my child a "bad kid" that something is going on and to help! So after diagnosis from Pediatrician & school psychiatrist I opted to try out the meds. Cyle was put on Vyvanse thru the day and Chlonodine in the evening to "sleep" from the Vyvanse side effects. The medicine worked wonders as far as his ability to focus & become more social in school. His grades went from failing in 2nd to well above passing! As he is getting older the 2 of us constantly talk about his being able to control himself better so we can stop the medications. As this school year is ending I am considering keeping him off the meds and maybe opt for the diet. However I fear that with his start of middle school next year and the harder classes are that his ADHD without meds. will cause him to fall back in his scores and socialization. Anyone have any suggestions...I mean do I keep my child on meds or try the diet. Has anyone tried the diet and found it successful at all?

You could give it a try if his ADHD is mild. The self control/hyperactivity
improve with age. Would he be able to focus without meds, and does he
possess organizational skills? You could try a summer camp that involves
not just play but following instructions and working with a group and being
responsible.

In middle school they have access to food. You are no longer in control of
what they eat.Thank you both for your responses, I have heard great news with the diets, and entering middle school as Jessica responded does allow the children to pick & choose their own foods. Even foods I pack him with isn't guaranteed he will eat and not just go ahead and buy lunch on our school act. Cyle is able to handle doing things so long as it is a set routine and even then constant reminding is in order when he is off meds. During each summer we take a break from them and once school returns we get back on them so I'm thinking to try the diet through the summer if it works great otherwise I think we should stay with the Vyvanse. His poor self esteem would take a beating if I just pulled him off the meds and he started to fall short in all areas at school and for any child let alone ADHD they need as much of a boost to their self esteem as they can get! Thanks ladies for the information =)

Hi..We are on the diet (ADHD/AUTISM GFCF) diet and the results are amazing!  Our son had been diagnosed ADHD (very impulsive/hyper), ODD, SPD, TS and was headed for an autism diagnosis.  We started an elimination diet on Feb 28th of this year.. and within two days we saw results.  We have since consulted a nutritionist associated with Defeat Autism Now and are working through testing for other food allergies, etc. and the diet is being fine tuned for his intolerences/sensitivities.  We discovered that he has problems with soy, corn, latex and tomatoes.   Our son's behavior has gotten better and better...WOW!  He is off all meds and there are many days that I believe he doesn't have ADHD anymore or perhaps didn't even have it to begin with...

But, I do want to say...I know that this diet will not work for every kid who has autism or ADHD.  For us, there was alot of signs that he had problems with food.. especially dairy.  We had tried eliminating dairy but didn't see results because of other intolerences/sensitivities.  I do wish that we had tried it sooner..and I wish that his Drs. had recommended it before recommending meds.  

My opinion..it is definitely worth a try..especially if you have other "gut feelings" that food could be a problem.   FYI:  The ADHD/Autism Diet is hard to do and stick with..unless there are amazing results...for us the results are SO WORTH IT!