Faithful mom

[Tryingmom]

Hi everyone I just stumbled upon this blog and was so happy to see there are other moms supporting each other. My son was on medication and I took him off because of the crazy side effects. I am trying to find a natural supplement that has worked for someone...Please anyone?

[Eclecticentric77]

Hi there, I have Inattentive ADHD and got diagnosed in my mid 20s. I started taking 10mg of Adderall 2x a day a few years ago, along with a helpful group of supplements in order to combat negative side effects that are common with Adderall and other stimulants. The combination has tremendously helped me out in life and because of all this, I was able to graduate and get my Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, and am now in Grad school to become a MFT Psychologist in order to help people with this very condition. It's certainly a life changer, but with great power comes great responsibility. I would never recommend anyone to take stimulant medication by itself without supplements. Most psychiatrist do not mention anything about supplements, which is something I really hope to help change in the future, because supplements by themselves, and with medication, are extremely helpful and beneficial.

I take a variety of supplements now, but here are the one's I started out with that are of essential importance in my opinion.

1. COQ10: this supplement is to keep your heart safe, and not cause a rise in your heart rate, which is common with stimulant medication.

2. Magnesium Chelated: This supplement is great for digestion and helps the body in digesting and absorbing the medication. Chelated form is the most bioactive form of Magnesium.

3. Flaxseed oil or an organic fish oil: I take a flaxseed oil supplement because of the benefits of EPA and DHA, which from research I have done is great for people with ADHD and goes great with stimulant medication as well.

4. A good multivitamin with Antioxidants

5. A newer one for me that I would recommend is R-Alpha Lipoic Acid (RALA). Stimulant medication produces oxidation in the body, which is not good for you, so the body needs a strong source of antioxidants. RALA is known as one of the strongest antioxidants out there and makes my medication feel smoother and fresh. It also helps the brain utilize the neurotransmitter Acetylcholine, which is one of the multiple neurotransmitters we lack. Because of this, my moods do not drift dramatically, and I feel more at ease. I also drink matcha green tea for its immense antioxidant and Serotonin (from the high theanine levels) boosting properties.

6. Some people feel really sad or irritable once the medication wears off. For this I would recommend the supplement N-Acetyl Tyrosine. This supplement works by helping the brain bring back up the levels of the neurotransmitters Dopamine and Norepinephrine, which are temporarily low after stimulant medication wears off, since most stimulant medications work primarily with those two neurotransmitters.

theres a link on my profile page of a google doc I made of every supplement I take along with the ones I mentioned. It mentions what grocery stores and online stores (mostly Amazon) sell these supplements, and some information about each of the supplements in case you're interested, hope this helps.

[WendyKirkpatrick in reply to Eclecticentric77]

You information should be so helpful to many parents. Bless you for being so informative. As we know, schools and pediatricians just want to give you medications with no instructions on diet and how to deal with side effects. You will do so many people a great deal of good.

[Eclecticentric77 in reply to WendyKirkpatrick]

Thank you for your very kind words, I truly hope and aspire to do so. The further I move along in my studies, the more I realize just how many symptoms and circumstances are not mentioned in ADHD research. I believe this ia due to many researchers themselves not having ADHD and not knowing the full on details and nuances that comes with actually having ADHD. After speaking with multiple parents and individuals on here and in my practice and seeing how a lot of information is missing about the condition, and as well medication as you have mentioned, I was inspired by another mother on here to write and publish a book about these ADHD detailed issues that few to no other outlets cover. I'm going to try to make it as easy to understand as possible, so those with or without knowledge of psychology can easily grasp it. I'll be making a proper announcement on here once it's done for those interested.

[WendyKirkpatrick in reply to Eclecticentric77]

What a great idea. That is why I wrote and illustrated my book. No one seemed to be interested in how the child feels. This includes inability to make friends. I was shocked to see how many mothers were cruel and encouraged their children to not associate with my child because he was different, which equals "BAD". No one thought about how HE felt. These children have so many issues, rejection, poor grades due to turning in work too late or not at all (though many of these kids are very smart), negative reinforcement from teachers. I have heard stories about children who have teachers who have said negative things about these kids and don't care who hears it and how it negatively impacts the child. It is an uphill battle to get these kids acceptance and help. There is plenty of Special Ed available but the school districts don't provide information - - drugs are easier. Your book can only be a big help. I have a B.A. in Psychology and did my own illustrations as well as writing the book, but my biggest motivation was the experience of seeing how much pain my son was in. Best of luck and looking forward to your announcement.

[Eclecticentric77 in reply to WendyKirkpatrick]

Indeed, everything you mentioned in your post is true, and it's a sad reality many of us have to face growing up, including myself. The first three chapters deal with my own perspective and experiences on what you mentioned about getting bad grades, being treated negatively by teachers and dealing with many classmates treating me negatively and like an abnormal outsider. I'll be going through the lifespan and the difficulties in the stages of life, along with sharing my own experiences and giving advice on treatment, both with behavior modification and supplement intake. And thank you, I'll be checking out your book.

[WendyKirkpatrick in reply to Eclecticentric77]

Thank you so much. Like I said, I won't go to Europe on my $2.00 payments per book but it gives me so much pleasure to share our family's experiences and my illustrations and writing to get the feelings of these children across. I may not have your professional skills as I am currently a legal secretary and the mother of a grown ADHD son. I have a B. A. in Psychology but I tried to empathize with what my son was going through (through his words) and his slow path to self-acceptance rather than trying to seem professional in tone. I will never get over the trauma as a parent of realizing that schools just wanted your child medicated so he or she won't be a "behavior problem" and their "statistics" regarding special education weigh into this greatly. Try explaining these things to an 8 year old who does not understand why they are different. My son believed for years he had a "divided brain" - -meaning he was half robot and half human. He couldn't understand his condition and the negative treatment taught him he was a "bad guy" with no friends. It is so heartbreaking. There should be group therapy made available through Special Education and individual psychologists to get these children together to learn that they are not alone and DO have a support system. Hope you like my book and I am sure yours will be a great contribution to the cause of these children. Wendy

[Eclecticentric77 in reply to WendyKirkpatrick]

I have worked with families that actually refuse to accept the diagnosis of their son or daughter having ADHD, even though they know their son or daughter is struggling because of it. It's unfortunately due to their ego being high most of the time and them not wanting to accept the stigma behind adhd or feel bad as parents for not doing anything about it sooner. I will be recommending multiple books, including your's to families of this nature. The fact that you went out of your way to write a book in order to help out others and share your son's struggle is an immensely noble thing, $2 is nothing for most, especially for a loving parent out there who needs help and advice that is not widely available. You've made a great contribution to the ADHD community that not many people do, and that is quite inspiring.

[WendyKirkpatrick in reply to Eclecticentric77]

That is very kind of you to say that. I hope there isn't a misunderstanding about the book's cost on createspace.com and amazon.com. My percentage payment is $2.00. The actual cost of the book on these sites is about $10.00 but I kept the cost as low as possible (under their rules) so most anyone can afford to buy the book. I was shocked to see the prices of books like this in the book stores and I just shake my head. When I was a child, books cost about 50 cents. Now a book like this can cost $18.99 and up unless it is on a discount book section.

[Paxtonsmommy in reply to WendyKirkpatrick]

What’s your book called?

[WendyKirkpatrick in reply to Paxtonsmommy]

"I have ADD and I'm Proud to be Me." I also have one called "Nolan No Learned to Love Yes." Both are on Amazon.com and Createspace.com. I use my full name, Wendy Kirkpatrick, as the author. I hope you enjoy.

[Paxtonsmommy in reply to Eclecticentric77]

Are these all safe supplements for a 7 year old? He will be starting Adderall.

[Eclecticentric77 in reply to Paxtonsmommy]

Yes. Also thankfully there are some supplement companies that make some of these supplements with kids in mind, by offering the supplement in chewable or gummy form

[Starrlight]

I give my kids Calm. It can be found to purchase on amazon. It contains vitamins A,B6,B12,C,D, Choline, Magnesium, and L-theanine.

[Starrlight in reply to Starrlight]

It comes in powder and vitamin form but the ingridients for vitamins differ from the powder... the vitamins only contain magnesium.

[WendyKirkpatrick]

My son is 30 now. We had to fight the school district on meds because they made our son so sick to his stomach. If you limit carbs and sugars and try Vitamin B, it can't hurt. Doctors usually just want you to give them the medication. I have no problem with a small amount of medication combined with special education assistance and behavior modification, but we felt like we were being handled by drug pushers. We found that the best solution was to read books on behavior modification techniques and warmly reward them for the good things that they do. I have a book on createspace.com and Amazon.com called "I have ADD and I'm Proud to Be Me." Please don't think I'm hawking a book. My profit is about $2.00 per book so I won't go on a cruise if you buy one on line. I wrote it from the perspective of a young boy with A.D.H.D. (like my son) since I never was able to find a book that presented the issue from the CHILD's perspective. I found that if you can walk in another person's shoes, you will somehow know what is right for your child of any age. I wish you and your family the best of luck, and write any time. Wendy