Supplements for ADHD and ODD

[yfaldraga]

Hi! My son is 8. He has ADHD and ODD. He’s been in meds since October. I was wondering if anyone has used any natural supplements or vitamins to assist them. I’ve had recommendations of giving him a Magneissum Supplement or GABA. Thoughts?

[Eclecticentric77]

Hi there, I have Inattentive ADHD (not sure what subtype your son has), and I was quite defiant and oppositional during my teen years because of being undiagnosed. I have been taking stimulant medication for my Inattentive ADHD for 3yrs , and in that time I have researched many facets of stimulant medication. After taking stimulant medication for around 6 months to a year, the neurotransmitters the medication helps out with (Dopamine, Serotonin, Norepinephrine) will start to deplete, which is why negative side effects start popping up, like irritability and feeling like the medication is no longer working. This is why I highly recommend supplements to take with the medication, to combat negative side effects, help eliminate the irritable/emotional come down once the medication wears off, and help the medication work to its best potential.

For this I recommend:

N-Acetyl Tyrosine: To help the depleted Dopamine and Norepinephrine neurotransmitters (to be taken an hour or 30min before the medication wears off. It can also be taken 30min before taking the medication). This will GREATLY help eliminate the irritability and sadness that comes when the medication wears off.

Tryptophan: To help the depleted Serotonin, thus greatly lowering anxiety and elevating one's mood/sociability. It also helps the body feel at ease and relax which works great for all 3 subtypes of ADHD especially the Hyperactive types. I'd recommend taking Tryptophan and R-Alpha Lipoic Acid (R-ALA) together instead of a GABA supplement. R-ALA is one of the most powerful antioxidants supplements out there (which is highly needed when taking a stimulant medication) and it makes the body feel quite limber and at ease just like GABA, except R-ALA has the antioxidant perk. But if you're dead set on taking a GABA supplement, take a L-Glutamine supplement, it's a precursor to the GABA neurotransmitter that actually crosses the blood brain barrier and turns into GABA once in the brain, a GABA supplement cannot cross the blood brain barrier thus minimal to no results.

Also as a plus, I highly recommend CoQ10, to keep heart rate and blood pressure healthy and stop them from rising, as is common with stimulant medication. A good organic multivitamin with antioxidants is also highly important.

Sorry if this seems like a lot of info to digest. If you click on my picture, it will take you to my profile where I have a few links where I have a list of every supplement I take and why (including those mentioned above), a link to a helpful website for great supplements for people with ADHD, and a video series I made for people with Inattentive ADHD the issues we face from Elementary school through adulthood. Hope this helps

[yfaldraga in reply to Eclecticentric77]

Thank you for all the information. I will definitely click on your links for more information.

[yfaldraga in reply to Eclecticentric77]

I give him Melatonin to sleep 5mg. He’s currently on Quillichew (Quillivant) 30mg which is a form of Ritalin. I have read Magnessium is a good supplement. The problem I’m facing since he’s a child it’s hard for him to swallow pills so they have to be chewables or gummies.

[wwwa in reply to Eclecticentric77]

I am sorry if my question sound stupid, but would it be better if you would't take stimulant medication at all and continue to live as you lived before? I am asking because my sun has add and we were advised to put him on medication but I am afraid that it will only be worse.

[Eclecticentric77 in reply to wwwa]

Hi there, what type of ADHD does your son have? Having ADHD brings a very large list of problems that unfortunately usually get worse the older you get. It affects school, work, relationships, and virtually every aspect of your life. In my opinion I would highly recommend supplements during elementary school, and would highly recommend medication along with supplements to help fight off negative side effects once your son goes through puberty. Once you find the right stimulant medication and supplements it is life changing for the better. Without my supplements and medication I am really unorganized and in a bad mood 90% of the time, I was like that until I got treatment at 25. I take a very low dose of stimulant medication as well, just 10mg. Some people need a small dose while others need more. Do your son a favor and get him the help he needs. I would have loved to have been diagnosed when I was a teenager. I struggled in school, was an outcast, and missed a lot of experiences and opportunities because of the limitations ADHD brings, no person deserves to go through those struggles, especially when a parent knows they have the condition.

[Eclecticentric77]

Melatonin is great for sleep, I would recommend 300mcg instead of 5mg (it's on my link of supplements I take). Gotcha. Magnesium especially Chelated Magnesium is an amazing and great supplement to take, I take Chelated Magnesium 200mg everyday. That's unfortunate I had an issue with that as a kid as well, I know full blown adults with ADHD that still have a hard time swallowing supplements/pills. There are many options thankfully, especially on Amazon and stores like Whole Foods Market and Sprouts market.

[yfaldraga in reply to Eclecticentric77]

Do you re omens the CBD oil?

[Eclecticentric77]

I have heard some people say some really good things about it, as well some reports I've come across. I haven't tried it personally, so I can't give first hand perspective. Might be worth checking out. I hear it's quite expensive though

[Asroddy]

My son takes melatonin at night, 5mg, and we recently started giving him L-Theanine (200mg) as recommended by his counselor. It has helped with the emotional out bursts greatly!!

[yfaldraga in reply to Asroddy]

How many times a day do you give it to him?

[Wcastle4]

We use a supplement called synaptol instead of prescribed meds. My husband and son started taking it and both have noticed a tremendous difference. My son is five and has been on it 3 months. It takes a good 3-4 weeks to fully get in your system and in the last two weeks we had to up the dose slightly. Overall, his behaviors have improved-friends, family and even the school noticed. My husband tried to stop taking it and just leave it for our son but went right back on it, realizing it was helping tremendously. My husband tries CBD oil but didn’t like the way it made him feel. Both also take melatonin at night for sleeping.

[annmarieccc in reply to Wcastle4]

We decided to go the supplement route instead of prescribed meds also. My son has mild ADHD. I took him to my nutritionist / acupuncturist and had him tested just like he did on me. Non evasive testing, which is nice, especially for a child.

He came up with needing 2 supplements. Since he can't swallow pills, yet. I decided to try him on one. He is taking 2 pills of OPC Synergy by Standard Process daily (in the morning). Tested as needing 4 a day. But we started off with 2 to see how it goes and also because he couldn't swallow them to figure out how to get him to take them.

Wow, what a difference. Behavior completely improved. Able to regulate himself better.

Chocolate almond milk 1/2 cup with ice. Or strawberry / banana / blueberry smoothie. Both work great to open up capsule and mix pill in since it turns things red/purple. (Blender for both)

[eyelashleye]

Two drinkable supplements I like are Natural Calm for kids (my son drinks a mini dose at breakfast and after dinner) & Added Attention (liquid supplement). My son doesnt really have sleeping issues so I’m not sure how well the the natural calm works, but he loves it & says it helps him sleep & stay focused at school (it’s mostly magnesium). I worry about long term use of melatonin since it prevents your body from making its own melatonin & I read something about how that can cause hormone issues in developing children, but honestly, I’m not a dr. Just something you might want to ask your dr about! Good luck finding the right mix of things for your baby!

[Mudpies]

My son also had trouble swallowing pills so we started with capsules that we opened and poured onto apple sauce. He’s now taking a small pill 2x day and still takes it in applesauce. It makes it easier to swallow. My grandmother took her pills in applesauce after she had a stroke that affected her ability to swallow.