Does your child take meds for any emotional/developmental disorder? (ADHD, ideas)

[autimom4ever]

lukeache thinks that all parents that give their child medications are terrible parents...


Does your child take any medications?

If so, do you like the fact that he/she is on meds and have you tried other alternatives to medications?

[treeg26]

My child is on ADD medication. I am a good mother, I do my job as a parent, I am not lazy and I have tried other options.

[lukeache]

Dear Ma'am:

Taking a poll on this subject will not really resolve your child's problem. I am not sure if you are looking for some sort of validation from others but the reality is that the majority of people in this country do not make smart decisions. Like I mentioned, I am a certified life/parenting coach and I am very concerned about your child taking ADHD medications (be amphetamines or methylphenidate). In my opinion, what we need to do is reevaluate the current approach. Also, I would like to suggest a few things to you:

Nutrition- Nutrition is a very important part of well being. If your child is not eating healthy, I would definitely reconsider his/her diet. Processed foods (a.k.a garbage) really have a negative impact on well being and mental health of children.You need to make sure that your child is eating a balanced diet (vegetables/fruits/protein/carbohydrates) and not processed foods like hamburgers, pizza etc or sodas or juices with high sugar content. If you change your child's diet, I can guarantee that you will see some improvement

Exercise- Very important as well. Exercise alters dopamine levels just like these meds do, so in a way exercise can work like a "natural" ADHD drug. Exercise is proven to raise the number of dopamine receptors as well as the levels of dopamine in the brain. Is your child overweight? I would look for some type of physical activity for your child ASAP. If your child sticks to a routine of physical activity, some of these symptoms you are seeing might just go away altogether.

Finally, ADHD/ADD are some of the most misdiagnosed conditions today. There are more than 20 different conditions that might mimic ADD/ADHD symptoms but are not ADD/ADHD. Since most physicians could care less about children (all they care about is $$$$), it is very possible that your child was misdiagnosed. I would absolutely stress a healthier diet, very rigid exercise routine and I would get this child off the junk ASAP under medical supervision of course. I might not even know your child but children to me are very precious as children were precious to Jesus " But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these( Luke 18:16)

[charolastra00]

But we all know that "life coaches" are full of it...

I have adult ADD and I eat a gluten free, sugar free, pesca-vegan (due to hormones in meat and dairy and egg allergies) and eat as little processed food as possible when trying to get food in a college cafeteria. Doesn't particularly help with the ADD other than making me feel overall healthier. And since ADD typically overlaps other disorders, I also have severe depression, anxiety disorder, and am considered an HSP. I also have celiac and chronic fatigue but that's a different thing all together (possibly related, but there's no medical treatment for celiac disease anyway other than gluten free). But I guess my special education SPECIALIST mother was just a "bad parent" who didn't have enough "tough love" to deal with my problems.

The only reason I am going to one of the top colleges in the country and people are SHOCKED to hear that I have ADD is because my parents loved me enough to not listen to crackpots such as yourself and get me the medical treatment I needed. Yes, ADD is overdiagnosed- but that's often the fault of PARENTS and TEACHERS who hear the term and throw medication at a hyper kid. There is hyper and then there is ADHD and if a parent cares enough to research as obviously all the parents in this thread have, they know the difference.

[HIF]

Your ideas about nutrition and exercise are good for all of us!

Not sure how old your special needs child is, but can you give me some idea of the menus that you prepare?

And when you say a rigid exercise routine- what has worked with your child?

A friend has discussed taking her son off meds with his doctor and the doctor is reluctant to do so. If you can give me some specifics of what has been working with your child, I will pass them on to her.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by lukeache

Dear Ma'am:

Taking a poll on this subject will not really resolve your child's problem. I am not sure if you are looking for some sort of validation from others but the reality is that the majority of people in this country do not make smart decisions. Like I mentioned, I am a certified life/parenting coach and I am very concerned about your child taking ADHD medications (be amphetamines or methylphenidate). In my opinion, what we need to do is reevaluate the current approach. Also, I would like to suggest a few things to you:

Nutrition- Nutrition is a very important part of well being. If your child is not eating healthy, I would definitely reconsider his/her diet. Processed foods (a.k.a garbage) really have a negative impact on well being and mental health of children.You need to make sure that your child is eating a balanced diet (vegetables/fruits/protein/carbohydrates) and not processed foods like hamburgers, pizza etc or sodas or juices with high sugar content. If you change your child's diet, I can guarantee that you will see some improvement

Exercise- Very important as well. Exercise alters dopamine levels just like these meds do, so in a way exercise can work like a "natural" ADHD drug. Exercise is proven to raise the number of dopamine receptors as well as the levels of dopamine in the brain. Is your child overweight? I would look for some type of physical activity for your child ASAP. If your child sticks to a routine of physical activity, some of these symptoms you are seeing might just go away altogether.

Finally, ADHD/ADD are some of the most misdiagnosed conditions today. There are more than 20 different conditions that might mimic ADD/ADHD symptoms but are not ADD/ADHD. Since most physicians could care less about children (all they care about is $$$$), it is very possible that your child was misdiagnosed. I would absolutely stress a healthier diet, very rigid exercise routine and I would get this child off the junk ASAP under medical supervision of course. I might not even know your child but children to me are very precious as children were precious to Jesus " But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these( Luke 18:16)

[treeg26]

Originally Posted by lukeache

Finally, ADHD/ADD are some of the most misdiagnosed conditions today. There are more than 20 different conditions that might mimic ADD/ADHD symptoms but are not ADD/ADHD. Since most physicians could care less about children (all they care about is $$$$), it is very possible that your child was misdiagnosed. I would absolutely stress a healthier diet, very rigid exercise routine and I would get this child off the junk ASAP under medical supervision of course. I might not even know your child but children to me are very precious as children were precious to Jesus " But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these( Luke 18:16)

Not all doctors are like you describe. I worked at a clinic with 14 doctors. Only 2 or 3 of them would prescribe ADD medications. All the others would send the child to a psych doctor that specialises in ADD. These doctors have training in the different testing that is needed to make a proper diagnosis.
All 14 doctors I worked with were very caring people AND very good doctors. I know there are some doctors out there that don't care, but I have been fortunate enough to not have dealt with any doctors like this. We should all be very picky about which doctor we choose for ourselves and our children. Don't just take who the Insurance company gives you.

[nicolepsy]

lukeache, but i thought you were in the financial sector?

Originally Posted by lukeache

Dear Ma'am:

Taking a poll on this subject will not really resolve your child's problem. I am not sure if you are looking for some sort of validation from others but the reality is that the majority of people in this country do not make smart decisions. Like I mentioned, I am a certified life/parenting coach and I am very concerned about your child taking ADHD medications (be amphetamines or methylphenidate). In my opinion, what we need to do is reevaluate the current approach. Also, I would like to suggest a few things to you:

Nutrition- Nutrition is a very important part of well being. If your child is not eating healthy, I would definitely reconsider his/her diet. Processed foods (a.k.a garbage) really have a negative impact on well being and mental health of children.You need to make sure that your child is eating a balanced diet (vegetables/fruits/protein/carbohydrates) and not processed foods like hamburgers, pizza etc or sodas or juices with high sugar content. If you change your child's diet, I can guarantee that you will see some improvement

Exercise- Very important as well. Exercise alters dopamine levels just like these meds do, so in a way exercise can work like a "natural" ADHD drug. Exercise is proven to raise the number of dopamine receptors as well as the levels of dopamine in the brain. Is your child overweight? I would look for some type of physical activity for your child ASAP. If your child sticks to a routine of physical activity, some of these symptoms you are seeing might just go away altogether.

Finally, ADHD/ADD are some of the most misdiagnosed conditions today. There are more than 20 different conditions that might mimic ADD/ADHD symptoms but are not ADD/ADHD. Since most physicians could care less about children (all they care about is $$$$), it is very possible that your child was misdiagnosed. I would absolutely stress a healthier diet, very rigid exercise routine and I would get this child off the junk ASAP under medical supervision of course. I might not even know your child but children to me are very precious as children were precious to Jesus " But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these( Luke 18:16)

[lukeache]

Originally Posted by nicolepsy

lukeache, but i thought you were in the financial sector?

I am a financial analyst and certified parenting/life coach. I majored in Economics with a minor in Psychology. I volunteered at my local church
as a counselor and then worked for non-profit here in Minneapolis during college where I was able to get training and certification in life coaching/parenting coaching. I am happy to say that I have helped many children in my community.

[lukeache]

Originally Posted by HIF

Your ideas about nutrition and exercise are good for all of us!

Not sure how old your special needs child is, but can you give me some idea of the menus that you prepare?

And when you say a rigid exercise routine- what has worked with your child?

A friend has discussed taking her son off meds with his doctor and the doctor is reluctant to do so. If you can give me some specifics of what has been working with your child, I will pass them on to her.

Thanks!

I would definitely find a doctor that can give you sound nutritional advice and customize a menu for your child's needs, as well as an exercise program.
This will be a hard task because the majority of physicians do not seem to know anything about nutrition, it makes you wonder what the heck they are learning in medical school. As far as doctors being reluctant to take a child off meds, of course, they are getting money from pharma companies everytime they prescribe this garbage.

[HIF]

Originally Posted by lukeache

I would definitely find a doctor that can give you sound nutritional advice and customize a menu for your child's needs, as well as an exercise program.
This will be a hard task because the majority of physicians do not seem to know anything about nutrition, it makes you wonder what the heck they are learning in medical school. As far as doctors being reluctant to take a child off meds, of course, they are getting money from pharma companies everytime they prescribe this garbage.

How old was your child when you did this?