Hello, our 5 year old was diagnosed with ADHD last month. This was after an year of observations and the recent rating scales from school and us. The developmental pediatrician prescribed medication which we havent started yet. I also started reading about natural supplements and what kinds of food I should give more off and just feel overwhelmed. I brought this topic up to the developmental pediatrician and he said if you are giving healthy food, supplements are not needed and wont do much. But i have read how some have found great success with supplements and want to atleast give it a try. Whats the best way to get started here?
Do you look at your insurance and find a nutritionist? Is there special qualifications we should look for here? I randomly found a person online who was a certified nutritionist and she was suggesting nutrients which made no sense for a 5 year old and also she dint ask much about his behaviors etc. I also dont want to give something without knowing from an expert that it was safe to do so.
Please help!! Reading online is only making me go crazyy!!
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bharuch123
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Read a book by Dr James Greenblatt called Finally Focused, he is a psychiatrist who has treated many ADHD patients with nutrients. It is a great guide and I’ve had amazing success with my son following his advice.
Hi there, I have Inattentive ADHD, and take a combination of a small dose stimulant medication with supplements. People with ADHD lack multiple neurotransmitters, and the ones I mention below I believe are of the most crucial importance. When you have a low level of a neurotransmitter, it basically gives you major difficulty in the areas that it would otherwise be helping you out in. Stimulant medications primarily work with Dopamine and Norepinephrine, which takes care of those neurotransmitters, but what about those other important ones? Thankfully supplements, besides helping fight off bad side effects from stimulant medication, can also help with synthesis of these neurotransmitters we lack.
Dopamine : A neurotransmitter in the brain that affects your levels of concentration, motivation, pleasure senses, and sense of pain.
Norepinephrine : A neurotransmitter and stress hormone that deals with attentiveness, emotions, impulse control, planning ahead, sleep, and interpreting actions of others.
Serotonin : A neurotransmitter that deals with mood regulation, sleep, nervousness, empathy, appetite, digestion, and sexual urges.
Acetylcholine : A neurotransmitter that deals with muscle contraction, pain responses, mood regulation, REM sleep, and coordination.
GABA : A neurotransmitter that deals with anxiety, sleep, and how relaxed or tense the body feels.
theres a link on my profile page of a google doc I made of every supplement I take. It mentions what grocery stores and online stores (Amazon has all of these supplements a lot cheaper than markets like Sprouts and Whole Foods) sell these supplements, and some information about each of the supplements and how they help out people with ADHD, in case you're interested. Supplements have greatly helped me out, and have also done wonders for some families and individuals I've worked with. I'm finishing up grad school and will be going on to obtain my PhD. as a Clinical Psychologist (supplements, along with my medication have been a tremendous help). I've studied neurochemistry and supplement intake for about 4 years now, and made this google doc specifically for people who want to find the info in one easy place, since there is a lot of information out there and it can be quite overwhelming. Hope this helps.
I also read Finally Focused and have been following his advice. He is a doctor in the Boston area. After reading that book I started giving my daughter nordic natural fish oil and natural calm magnesium supplements. I think it is helping though it is subtle help. Her tics have gone away and she sleeps better. Her grades improved dramatically. It is all so overwhelming i agree!!! My daughters pediatrician confirmed that fish oil and magnesium have been studied by medical professionals to help with adhd. The book also recommended b vitamins and many other supplements and i have not started that yet because it is overwhelming to buy and give her all these supplements and none of them are regulated by the fda. Keep us posted on what you do!
Id recommend testing for Kryptopyrroles. I tested my son and he came up elevated, this means he needs more B6 and Zinc which are essential nutrients for neurotransmitter synthesis and transmission. Its quite common in ADHD. Read up on it, I think its also in Dr Greenblatts book. Also he tested positive for the MTHFR gene mutation its just a saliva DNA test, this means he can't use regular folic acid and needs a methylated folic acid supplement which is a lozenge, I use Jarrows. Again this can be seen in cases of ADHD as folic acid is also essential in neurotransmitter formation. My sons teacher asked me if I was medicating him (Im not as he had bad side effects) as she had seen such a difference in him in class.
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