Don't medicate

[Reashine]

My opinion and I love my children. I do have 1 problem children/kids should not have phones. We act like we all grow up this way. How many kids respect you. How many parents fear their kids. I know meds didn't help I feel like we need to look farther into the brain and how it fires! Just my opinion. Children need structure, rules, taught respect and boundaries, and consistentse and taught things you wish you were and what you wished you listened to my mom and dad about. Good luck god bless. They need there brains nurtured! Knowledge is power.

[STEM_Dad]

You are correct that children need structure, they need to be taught what is expected, and they need consistency.

It's to bad that medication didn't work, in your family's case. It can be such a big help for many, but doesn't work for everyone with ADHD. But as the saying goes, "pills don't teach skills".

The top recommendation by Dr. Russell Barkley aside from medication is to "build structure into the environment". I've listened to many of his presentations. Like you, he also says that kids with ADHD need consistency, but he emphasized that children with ADHD are limited in what they can remember to do. Structured environment, things that the kids need to remember about where they can see them ("out of sight, out of mind"), routines, consistency.

If your child is getting services at school (OT, or other), then it would probably help to mirror as much of the same at home as at school, to help them further develop those skills.

[CHADDMOM]

Hi Reashine,

ADHD isn't a skill or knowledge problem kids with this KNOW what to do. ADHD is a performance disorder. They cannot perform what they know.

Its difficult growing up in today’s world. We will always have kids who will have difficulty navigating their day. I mean it is a lot of technology and little evolution. Here is what is important to know.

ADHD causes a 2-5 years lag in social and enotional growth. This is primarily because there is a slower development of the cortice of the brain. This shows up hard in the early years and its trajectory is similar to typically developing children. Except it's not. It is a problem that is only solved by time and kids with ADHD have a much harder time with school, relationships and home life.

This happens to them without their consent. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that carries a coexisting condition rate of 80% for one issue and 60% for two. Those can be learning diabilities, mental health problems or other neurodevelopmental issues like ASD. The genetic overlapmod symptoms is high.

Phone no phones, it is very difficult to raise children today. This is an invisible disorder and a we need to provide the invisible

wheelchair for kids who are affected, not yell at them that they aren't trying hard enough.

Of all the people on this planet, this disability like any other, has them trying harder than anyone they come into contact with, and all with a broken “tryer”

Did I fear my kids? No this is a medical condition so i feared for them. They didn't have an easy time of achieving their goals but they did so anyway. Consider it a 50 year plan and not a 5 year one. Don’t forget this, because their behavior will remind you.

Meds helped one child, but the other couldn't tolerate them. I don't know what you mean by “Looking further into the brain” but maybe you mean looking for other solutions. Knowing what ADHD is and the problems you will see, helps a lot to manage it and will guide you in your decisions. Screen yourself for it too. Its hard to raise kids with ADHD, harder to do it when you have it too.

So while typical parenting, revolves heavily around telling kids what to do, and hoping that they remember it when they need it, this approach doesn't work with kids who cannot remember. Working memory is probably the hardest executive function to compensate for, knowing it and all the other executive functions that are affected, and start putting compensations in place to help.

How old is your child?

[Lkh144]

this opinion isn’t at all helpful

[zatoichi1]

I'm going to respond on the "children need structure" statement. Structure is exactly what caused problems for my ADHD child. He's 17 and doing well now but when he was in elementary school, everything was about structure and he didn't have the kind of brain that could handle it. Trying to get him to follow structure actually is what caused him stress and anxiety and resulted in a breakdown at 11 years old which took him four years to heal from. After his breakdown, he couldn't do anything and when you tried to get him to do something, he would have rages. Luckily Covid hit at that time and he didn't have to go to school for a while and that helped. He didn't do anything academically for the four years. Then at 15, he began to heal and I slowly introduced structure back. He still struggles with it but is mentally developed enough to handle it.

[Mamamichl]

I haven’t had that bad of experience with my kid with electronics. I just have to be very careful on boundaries with it. No social media, puzzle games and earning the time through chores and such. The structure is definitely key!

We haven’t medicated my 11 yo yet, but me, her dad and her 16 yo brother have found medications to help immensely as well. But we are both entitled to our opinions and what works for one may not work for another. That’s why life is so beautiful. We all live differently. Zen hugs 🫂

[OrangeRhymer]

ADHD medications were developed by people who wanted to (to use your words) “look farther into the brain and how it fires”.

Does that mean meds work for every brain? No. Does that entitle you do opine that parents shouldn’t trial medications for their kids? No.

[AA1719]

It’s my opinion that parents should do what works best for their children. Interventions such as psychotherapy, parental education, neurofeedback therapy, and medication have worked well for our child. He has very little screen time and so, I cannot blame his difficulties with executive functioning on electronics. While all of the methods we have tried may not work for someone else’s child, I would not dissuade a parent from trying them. I respect other parent’s choices for their children.

[Kruidje]

Adhd is a brain on fire. Take a way the fire. And nurish it. Carbs are one of the most importent things that bring inflamation. Second : salicylates block the uptake of energie for the brain. Thirth : give neurotramitters to the brain. Dopamine, serotonine if the gut doesnt work properly. Bring down inflamation with minerals and omega3 and b-vitamines. They feed the body. Retalin or concerta does not feed the body. They are only temperaly solutions. And do not bring inflamation down.

[CHADDMOM in reply to Kruidje]

I agree on eating WFPB, developing a good biome, and doing things to decrease inflammation. That being said, ADHD is not a metabolic disorder. Diet related approaches or any singular approach is not enough for the treatment of ADHD. This is considered complementary treatment and it has value. It is not a stand alone treatment for anything except things causing it in the first place.

I made a salicylate precipitate in college and while it was very cool experiment to do, I don't understand how this impacts a dopamine issue. If you know this, it isn't a stretch to know how ADHD medications work. They have very little impact metabolically, as predicted and are in use for many many years. I cannot remember, in 18 years, hearing a problem with them causing harm, and of course only if they are taken carefully and as directed. Some people do have substance use disorders and nothing is off the table, however that wouldn't be a problem perhaps if these individuals were treated early of whatever they are self medication now for.

ADHD responds very well to stimulant treatment and works for 80% of those who try it. That being said, it is also not a stand alone treatment either. It does give you good coverage of symptoms, so that “normal development” can take place. There is current literature on the effects of stimulant therapy on closing the gap in development, because the brain matures with brain activity.

Access to certain brain areas is improved and in some cases only possible with medication. There are physical micro-neuroanatomy differences in ADHD that interfere with normal dopamine transfer. This cannot be over come by diet or microbiome. This can be helped with a mechanism to provide more opportunities for dopamine to achieve its goals be for breaking down with excessive dopamine transports. That mechanism is a stimulant medication that produces more dopamine or a medication that holds neurotransmitters in the cell longer like norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. To a lesser degree and with much administration difficulties, exercise can help too. Schools, work environments and other domains people find themselves in, don't allow trampolines.

No one gives their child medication like this without much trepidation and careful thought. The medication has to be micromanage, and there are few doctors who will take on many patients. Children and their parents suffer, while waiting to get treated as it is. Some have appointments 12-18 months to just get a diagnosis.

Be mindful of who you are speaking to. These parents have been through a lot and so have their children. Most of them are experts already in this disorder and the focus of their child’s treatment.

A good gut load isn't going to fix a neurodevelopmental disorder as serious as ADHD.

And yes it is that serious. ADHD needs many approaches to be adequately covered. Education is the number one first treatment for ADHD.

[kruidjenat in reply to CHADDMOM]

I'm sorry Whole foods Plant based is not what the brain can feed. As long as one relay on plants the brain will remain sick. Plants contain to much anti-nutrients like oxalates and salicylates and lectins and phytates and so on. Salicylates block the uptake of energie (glucose) in the brain. Then the brain has to relay on ketons. But on a low fat diet one will have not enough ketons. Most whole foods plant based diets are high in salicylates and low in omega3 fatty acids. Oxalates slow down mitochondria. And cellulose rich foods (carbfoods) are high in molspores. They slowdown the liver. Also salicylates slow down the liverfunction, they block several detox pathway's. And they slow down pancreatic function. For all neurodivergent people a low salicylates and low oxalates and low cellulose therapie have tremendos benefits.

[kruidjenat in reply to kruidjenat]

Also plantbased diets lead to low serumcholesterol that leads to brain-issues : link.springer.com/article/1... Serum Cholesterol Concentrations and Mood States in Violent Psychiatric Patients: An Experience Sampling Study Serumcholesterolconcentraties en stemmingstoestanden bij gewelddadige psychiatrische patiënten: een ervaringsonderzoek

journals.sagepub.com/doi/ab... Lowered serum cholesterol, famine and aggression: a Darwinian hypothesis

salicylates and brain issues:

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/196...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/665... Toxiciteit van salicylaten

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/224... Hyperactiviteit van de amygdala en tonotopische verschuiving na blootstelling aan salicylaat

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/388... Overlap of eating disorders and neurodivergence: the role of inhibitory control

We are playing with our brain by feeding them wrong.

[OrangeRhymer in reply to kruidjenat]

Please stop. The links you are posting are not relevant to ADHD in children. You are using them these studies to spread misinformation.