Bacopa Monnieri

[BVBV]

Hello!

Another member told me about Bacopa Monnieri for ADHD. I found a study with promising results: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/246....

I just ordered some for my son, but has anyone tried this supplement with their ADHD child?

Thank you!

Britta

[ADHD_DAD]

Hi. The citation Nad link only allowed me to see the abstract. Are you able to attach the entire article? Thank you.

[BVBV in reply to ADHD_DAD]

This is a better article on the study with more info: naturalremedieshumanhealth....

[Onthemove1971 in reply to BVBV]

Here is my opinion: pros! The parents noticed a difference in their child's behavior. Cons-this study was not done on a large number of children, it looks like ( I am no medical researcher) the group the children were compared to were adult?. The study lacked many details that would be helpful ( timing dose was give related to symptoms), what happened after 6 months? It is my understanding it takes a while to achieve reduction of symptoms so at what time frame did they start to see a difference. But the biggest thing I found missing, was how many of these children were on medication before the study? And how many trials of other medications did the family experience.

If all of the families had never had success on medication then of course any mild difference would help the families state there was a huge difference. But if families we on medication and they then went off the medication to try this, I am not sure the results would have been the same.

I would also warn families to watch out for GI symptoms that seems like the most scary to me.

Not sure I am making sense.. hope someone else will chim in.

[BVBV in reply to Onthemove1971]

Thank you for your reply! I agree, the study is missing some variables, but I don’t see a whole lot of studies on Focalin either. After my son trying Adderall, Ritalin, Vyvanse, and Focalin (with varying dosages, manufacturers, short vs extended release, ect) we have settled on a small dose of short acting Focalin, however, side effects are still an issue. We are not interested in non-stimulants at this time. I would also venture to say that there are no (or very few worldwide) studies on the effects of artificial colors on hyperactivity and ADHD behavior, but I know 100% they have a huge effect on my son and other children already prone to these behaviors. We are on Day 3 of Bacopa Monnieri at the 225mg daily amount, and I will report back any progress over the next 6 months. My son has had no side effects thus far. If there is something that could potentially address the root cause, rather then treat the mere symptoms I am all for it!

[ADHD_DAD in reply to BVBV]

Hi BVBV. thanks for sending the article. I enjoy reading everything I can on ADHD and its treatment and usually find abstracts or summaries to be overly simplified. Let me preface this response by telling you that we have found good success with the more traditional 3 legged stool approach to the management of ADHD which includes lifestyle modification, reasonable accommodations at school and prescription medications. However, I like to remain open minded and if my child had cancer, I would certainly consider alternative medicine (what the article called CAM: "complementary and alternative medicine") if I had exhausted all medical options without success. My feelings about CAM for ADHD are the same. So, I certainly understand your desire to seek alternative treatment for your child if you have exhausted all medical options without success.

With that, however, I would urge caution before making any treatment decisions for a condition as serous and life altering as ADHD based upon the article you provided. This is for 4 reasons:1. you will note on pg 14 that 3 of the primary authors are employed by Natural Remedies, the manufacturer of the supplement being studied;

2. it is an "open label" study, meaning that all involved in the study took the supplement and knew that they (or their child) was taking it. This problematic because:

a. there is no "control group" (no group not taking the supplement or a placebo to compare to the group taking it), and

b. there is no way to correct for placebo effect;

3. it studied only 27 children (study began with 32, but 4 were dropped out for "unknown reasons");

4. there was no comparison to treatment with medication. The study indicated that "no concomitant ADHD treatments were allowed" meaning that the children were not medicated and there was no separate medicated group with which to compare these 27 children. To propose Bacoba monneri as an "alternative" to medications without comparing its efficacy to medications seems a bit irresponsible (but see #1 above- many of the "researchers" were employed by the supplement manufacturer).

That said, as with many supplements, there seems to be no proof that they cause any harm or are tolerated poorly. The theoretical harm would be if one were to discontinue an effective medical treatment in favor of this supplement. My advice (if that is what you are seeking) would be to check with your child's doctor.

Thanks again for forwarding the article. I wish you and your child well.

[Onthemove1971]

It is wonderful you are trying it.

Just curious, did he stop taking all other medications when he started it ?

Are you working with a child psychiatrist?

Thank you so much for sharing with the group! Can can all learn from your experience. Fingers crossed.

[BVBV in reply to Onthemove1971]

He only takes 5mg Focalin (short acting) on school days. That was chosen after much effort to find the right fit. We will continue that and closely monitor any behavioral differences on both school and non-school days. He sees a Pediatrician who specializes in ADHD for now. If we were to explore any other medications we would then enlist the help of a child psychiatrist.

[BStron in reply to BVBV]

Hello, What has been your experience with bacopa monnieri?

thanks

[BVBV in reply to BStron]

It’s been wonderful for my son. We needed up needing to pull him off stimulants after 2 years due to it exacerbating tics and OCD behaviors (these behaviors were more than just a nuisance for him) and it took about 2-4 weeks for him to adjust but he’s actually doing better OFF of medication. I open a capsule and put 250mg Bacopa Monnieri (1/2 pill) of the Bacopa power in a spoonful of Barlean’s Omega Swirl and my son takes it like that. His mood is improved, better self control and regulation. I cannot speak if it improves focus and that is a concern for the next school year but he’s doing so much better we’ve decided to hold off on trying non-stimulants for now.

[BStron in reply to BVBV]

thank you, thus is reassuring. I am definitely going to try for my son. What brand of bacopa do you use? We grow it at home so wondering if he can simply just eat it.

[BVBV]

He uses the Double Wood brand, but I haven’t tried any others. I’m sure home grown would be better!