Hello-I just learned about mirconutrients. I am interested stimulant meds, and. I have been trying t get my ADD/ODD/depressed teen to take them but she is so resistant and refuses. I wondered if maybe we could start with micronutrients as they might be less stigmatizing. She is so treatment-resistant. How may pills do you need to take per day? Do they work?
Any information would be appreciated.
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Thanks for your reply. She is so closed, she insists to everyone, 7 years after diagnosis, that she doesn't have ADHD. And this while basically anyone she comes across can diagnosis her as such. Her ODD makes managing her ADHD seem like an impossible task.
I love talking about micronutrients!!!!!!!! I think they are worth everyone trying! There are two companies...Hardy Nutritionals and True Hope. The customer service representatives are able to answer questions for you. My son takes the Hardy DEN. He was on stimulants when we started and has been weaned off. We worked with our psychiatrist who gave us a different dosage to start. He started with one pill twice per day then increased to two pills twice per day. We noticed a real change when he reached two pills three times per day. A full dose with Hardy DEN is four pills three times per day. The dosing with True Hope is different. My friend’s son is using that brand and it is three pills twice per day. Dosage of both can vary based on need. Having a psychiatrist work with you would be awesome! Sending you lots of support and best wishes!!!!
Hi there! I am also interested in micronutrients. I’m curious what types of conditions or behaviors you saw changed on micronutrients. As you know every kid with adhd has varying symptoms and degrees. We struggle with our kid’s lack of impulse control, loudness, and inappropriate behaviors in certain settings.
For our son, he exhibited a lot of aggression, irritability, some depressive symptoms, oppositional behavior, hyperactivity, inattention. The most improvement was seen with the first four . He is still retry hyperactive and inattentive, but micronutrients also continue to improve things over time. The major problems we were experiencing have dramatically improved. I think they are worth looking into for any family. Knowledge is power, and we need all we can get for our kids. Please feel free to contact me if you have more questions!!!
I'm looking into micronutrients now because we have been through 15 or so meds for my son for his ADHD and depression. Some work a little but side effects are terrible for him.
My big concern is that I have a toddler and some other issues at home that make it very chaotic. My son rarely remembers anything so I feel like taking pills 3x a day will be really tough for us to remember
It can be difficult. My nephew, 14, is trying them, and he is having trouble remembering to take the afternoon dose. You don’t have to use Hardy DEN. I would recommend you do the True Hope. My understanding is that brand is less pills. My friend and her son use them and have also had great results. She was able to come off her antidepressant and her son who is 20 and has been on medications forever just finished coming off his last medication. Our psychiatrist did not recommend one brand over the other. I would seriously consider that one.
Now for us, I went on amazon and bought a great three-a-day pill organizer (I saw other sizes too). It has three compartments and we just take that day out. Now during the week he gets his pills at school at lunch. On weekends it’s at home. Every night the pill container goes out for the next day. Breakfast comes and I say take your pills and they sit right in his spot at the table. Lunch comes and it is take your pills. Dinner comes and take your pills. They have become a part of our lives, and I am grateful for them every day. If you want to stick with the Hardy you could also try setting alarms on his watch or cell phone as a reminder.
I wish you the best! I know how difficult the medication game is. I also know trying something new scares us to. Please reach out if you need anything!!!
They said the taste was pretty bad and to try opening the capsules first. He will swallow pills just fine but I'm having a hard time hiding the powder. He's so close to swallowing them. Maybe we'll just keep trying
My 8-year-old just started participating in a study through Oregon Health Sciences University (we live in Portland). The study is being sponsored by Hardy Nutritionals. We just started last week and she takes 3 pills 3 times a day. So far she hasn’t had a problem swallowing them. I don’t know if she has the placebo or not, but at the end of 8 weeks she will get the actual micronutrients. If anyone else is in the Portland area and has a kid under 12 you should consider signing up for the study. It’s called the MADDY study. I’ll let you know if the pills work. Good luck!
I have one teen son on a cocktail of stimulants/non-stimulates and a series of vitamins from Biotics Research. He struggles with ADHD/Anxiety and has impulsivity issues....But with this concoction he manages all this pretty well.
My other son is 9 and I have him taking a different route ...he takes the Hardy’s micronutrients...He struggles with ADHD as well, but also has dyslexia and dysgraphia. For some reason the micronutrients worked better with him.
Trust me, I went the traditional pharmaceutical route first, but it wasn’t really making a difference.
Also...I top off both kiddos daily with a premium dose of omegas! That’s important..
With everyone’s chemistry being different...everyone’s cocktail will probably be as well.
I also started my boys EXTREMELY early in life taking vitamins so they’re use to it...it’s part of our daily ritual.
The way our Psych explained it to my son and I (when my oldest son was just 6 and I was scared to death to give him any prescription meds) was....
If my son were to be diagnosed with diabetes... he would have to take medication and/or vitamins, eat well n’ exercise in order to mentally and physically stay healthy to live a good productive life. He said having ADHD is pretty much the same route. Then he wrote me a prescription...and told me not to be scared anymore...lol!
Those words resonated with me 100%! Haven’t been worried since....
I am a Registered Dietitian and I specialize in the mental health population. I highly recommend you get a lab test to see which nutrients your child may be deficient in. I also highly recommend an Omega 3 supplement. My son was just diagnosed with ADHD and this is a route I am also going to take.
Nordic Naturals Children's DHA Xtra - Potent Omega 3 Formula with Twice The DHA for Kid's Cognitive Development, Learning and Mood, Berry Punch, Softgel - 90 Count
Hi there, I myself have Inattentive ADHD and had similar problems as a teen. Having ADHD, implies that an individual has low levels of these specific neurotransmitters. While stimulant medication helps with Dopamine and Norepinephrine, this leaves out other neurotransmitters that needed to be boosted due to low levels. These are the major neurotransmitters that people with ADHD have low levels of.
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.
Supplements/Micronutrients along with stimulant medication, have been of major help to the ADHD clients I work with. If this is of any interest, click my profile pic, it will take you to my profile, where in my bio you'll see there's a link of a google doc I made of every supplement I take that includes ones specifically to help those low neurotransmitters I mentioned above, along with some other helpful links and a helpful video I made conveying this info. Hope this helps.
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