Tried 7 different medications(!) & all had bad side effects. what do you do that actually works but isn’t harmful?

[grateful4breathing]

Hi all!

10 year old son with ADHD has been struggling so much with life the past few years. About a year & half ago we knew that OT & the other things we kept trying weren’t enough to help him, he really needs medication because he was just suffering - couldn’t function in school, was really affecting him socially, & in turn lowering self esteem.

Took a long time to get him into testing & then get psych appointment etc, and then long journey of trial & error with each med.

In the past year, he’s had to go through 7 different medications! Stimulants & non stimulants.

Each of them gave him either : crazy high anxiety and emotional meltdowns (crying/screaming/panic), stomach pain and nausea, total lack of appetite & just stopped eating, and/or would tell me he feels weird/something is wrong/bad feeling but can’t explain it…

Dr has just prescribed quelbree to try next but my son doesn’t want to try another one. (I don’t blame him!)

The only thing that has helped him was a homeopathic remedy called Brillia . I know, totally not scientific & makes no sense that it works…but we were desperate for anything that might help and it actually did make him incredibly calmer, but it seems to have worn off and has no effect on him anymore.

He’s having a terrible time in school this year again, and because he acts so crazy in class, other kids get annoyed at him & don’t like him. He’s falling apart emotionally - getting angry so often, he’s understandably frustrated and uncooperative & just so unhappy.

He needs help - but what do we do next??

[Onthemove1971]

What a journey! A few things, it would be a great idea to set up tools on school to help him like an IEP or 504 Plan, these help guide the teachers how best to help him.

Second is thearpy/counseling which could help him look at his behavior and make changes when he can.

These could help a lot.

We are always here to help and bounce ideas off each other.

Best of luck!

[Nanchli]

I think if you want to try something natural first thing will be omega 3's I like Nordic natural brand, secondly a good multi vitamin may be smartypants! I am not saying they will do miracles but I do believe they help!

[Nanchli]

Also I like your profile name "grateful4breathing"

Hang in there and remember you take care of yourself while looking for solutions for you son

[Boo0102]

A lot of behavior originates in our gut, often called our second brain. If you haven’t already done so, then examine diet. Get rid of artificial anything - dyes, flavors, sweeteners. My youngest was sensitive to red dye as it made him climb the walls, and it’s in a whole lot of things. Then make sure they are eating properly and maybe try a probiotic, but ease into it. None of these things should have any negative side effects and may end up helping.

As for the medication route, ask your doctor about genetic testing. We did GeneSight and did all the major profiles. It will tell you which meds are ok and which ones will react badly with your son’s metabolism. A friend told us about it a few years ago. It changed their sons life when he was able to get on the right meds that wouldn’t make him crazy. Our youngest’s also revealed an MTHFR issue. He's now being supplemented with methyl folate as a medical food which helps with his depression.

[LAJ12345 in reply to Boo0102]

I agree. My husband has Parkinson’s. We had him gene tested and he has the mthfr gene. He also reacts badly to every med he takes and also processed foods, seed oils, gluten. Turns out he doesn’t process seratonin and dopamine properly so they all make him hyper anxious.

He takes Hardy daily essential nutrients with added vitamers as a multivitamin. These have been clinically trialled for adhd too. These are specially formulated for people with gene variants. This has made the most difference to him. My friend’s son has also been taking them from age 7 to 17 for add and they helped him.