On Task Naturally Vitamins

[Jchirc1]

Hi! My 9 year started up 4th grade at a new school. I’ve heard from multiple teachers that he doesn’t seem to stay focused, a little unorganized, forgetful, spacey, etc. I know he has these characteristics, but can focus very well on other things (ones he enjoys) like drums and piano. Now that I heard it again- in the 1st week of school, I’d like to start by seeing if vitamins could help along with helping him set goals and develop a strategy for staying organized. I have an appt with a pediatrician as well. Has anyone tried On Task Naturally vitamins? Seemed they were higher % in magnesium and B6 than some of the others I looked into. If you have other suggestions, lmk! Thank you

[Mommy716]

I've been there. You hate the thought of putting them on meds. So many stories out there. I tried the vitamin route too..

Fish oil is one that the pediatrician recommend for us to try. Also a weighted blanket, to help him sleep all night, a stress ball for test time, a vest that we put magnets in the pockets of to help keep him centered and focused during class time.

My son is now 14. He was diagnosed when he was 6. After several months of trying vitamins and even a Behavioral therapist ( which was a great idea and a definite person you want around.) We ended up doing the medication route. He was on Methylphenidate and that helped a great deal. Now that he is older we are trying other ways for him to manage.

[ADHD_DAD]

Hi. Vitamins certainly will do no harm. While at the pediatrician, see if she'll test for a Vitamin deficiency. No deficiency, no reason to think more Vitamins will help. You'll get there. Just stay open minded and learn everything you can about ADHD. You'll find people here helpful, too. Most of us worried about meds at first because it feels like you will "drug away" the personality, but that's not what it's like. As you learn more, you'll come (I bet) to view it as a medical condition. Just like none of us would withhold insulin from a diabetic child (well, some would I guess; I read about people using black strap molasses or something) most of us get on board with ADHD meds, too. There is no cure for ADHD, you just manage it. For many of us, management of ADHD is a 3 legged stool composed of medications, lifestyle modifications at home and reasonable accommodations at school. We all try lots of things along the way, but the fact that you are on this at age 9 makes you a very observant parent and, likely, ahead of the curve. You'll certainly do your son no harm by trying to help even if the early attempts aren't the best fit. Frankly, adjustments are always needed.

The "hyper focus" sure does throw you off. I used to think how can he have ADHD when he pays SO MUCH attention to some things?. It's just part of it for alot of kids including my son.

Don't beat yourself up if some of your early decisions are misses. It's all part of the journey and we have all been there. Good luck to you and your son!!

[Lauraz180]

hello - sounds similar to me - only our DS was 8 when we had the teacher conversation. I tried vitamins - many types, fish oils, diet, sleep changes, exercise. We then had the second conversation with the teacher where we were told to see a doctor. I went to a specialist psych he thought ADHD - inattentive. Anyhow to cut a longish story short within 2 weeks of being on meds (which i didnt tell the teacher about as i wanted to get an uninfluenced view) i was getting emails from the teacher saying my son was completely changed, finishing all his work, totally engaged......fast forward 18 months on and fingers cross still doing very well at school. Some residual anxiety and still quite quiet in class but overall no major issues.

Very best wishes for the journey. The positive about inattention is that there is a plenty that can be done to significantly help the majority of cases, plus in my experience they do tend to be very smart, kind and cuddly kids...

[Aspen797]

Check out Dr. Sandy Newmark for peer reviewed info on diet, vitamins, and the like. He's well regarded, trained with Dr. Andrew Weil. You can learn some of his approaches and check out a very helpful resource, the ADDitude magazine, here: additudemag.com/author/sand...

We medicate. It helps our son tremendously. Vitamins would not suffice. That said, we also believe in the gut-brain axis and follow a lot of integrative medicine recommendations regarding diet and micronutrients (vitamins).

Best of luck to you! You've landed in a very welcoming and helpful forum. Glad you're here.