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ADD/ADHD: Are drugs the only answer?

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spaceyourbass

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Apr 7, 2008
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I have a presentation coming up in my child development class (infants, children, and adolescents) on the subject 'ADD: Are drugs the only answer?'

I've got some good info but was wondering if anyone had any first-hand accounts or valuable knowledge on the subject. The Frontline report on medicated kids is pretty good but I'm looking for other sources if anyone can help. It's a 500 level class so I have to go in-depth, but any help is much appreciated.
 
They can do wonders if used correctly, but even well intentioned people can come to abuse the drug rather than benifit from it.

Just something fishy about giving children amp.
 
No, medications are not the only answer, even for ADD/ADHD. For some people with mild enough ADD/ADHD, structure/scheduling and routines are enough to keep their minds focused on one thing at a time.

Also, some signs of ADD/ADHD are mimicked by a vitamin deficiency. I'm not positive which vitamin, and a search engine isn't doing me any favors at the moment, but yeah: A deficiency in Vitamin __ makes someone appear to have ADD/ADHD. So for them, a diet change would get rid of their ADD/ADHD.

I'll post back later after I talk with my friend who is much more knowledgeable on this subject as it's something that she suffers with.
 
For most people, symptoms of ADD/ ADHD start in the mind.

As per dictionary,
Attention Deficit Disorder: a condition, usually in children, marked by inattentiveness, dreaminess, and passivity
ADHD: a condition, usually in children, characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness.

However, I have heard these two disorders explained in a way that mentions the spread attention of the mind. The attention is there, it's just focusing on one thing ONLY that is troublesome. Training and diligence can help many through the ordeals of multi-faceted attention.
 
Look up omega 3, they have a proven effect on children in general and I know first hand my neighbour tried that with her son who also has tourettes.
The have quite a rigid routine, they make sure there is little time for him to sit and think and make sure he is eating very well and it has made a big difference in his behaviour, also his tourettes.
They also found getting him to do physical activities helps with his ADHD as well.
 
addictivepersona said:
No, medications are not the only answer, even for ADD/ADHD. For some people with mild enough ADD/ADHD, structure/scheduling and routines are enough to keep their minds focused on one thing at a time.

Also, some signs of ADD/ADHD are mimicked by a vitamin deficiency. I'm not positive which vitamin, and a search engine isn't doing me any favors at the moment, but yeah: A deficiency in Vitamin __ makes someone appear to have ADD/ADHD. So for them, a diet change would get rid of their ADD/ADHD.

I'll post back later after I talk with my friend who is much more knowledgeable on this subject as it's something that she suffers with.
Click to expand...

yeah diet has a big role in the severity of someones' ADD/ADHD
 
Look up recent research from the Radboud University in Nijmegen about diet and adhd. They managed to get significant reduction (>30%) in symptoms for about 60 percent of kids with a diet.
 
i WAS-AM one of those kids turned adult and diet certainly does help(isnt that kind of obvious though?)...To this day i can feel a difference in my attention span if i don't take care of myself
NO processed DAIRY
NO neutrasweet
NO junk food
NO sugar
NO additives, colors, MSG,
YES-colloidal mineral supplements
YES-flax seed oil for Omegas and AMINO supplements

I can tell you that i notice a tremendous difference when i take care of myself...BUT -of course this could be attributed to an "over all well being" that comes from a healthy diet and lifestyle, so I cant confirm that any of these things directly impacts my ADD symptoms, but they def. decrease in severity and my overall productivity is much higher when im not eating shit.
The DOWN SIDE-in terms of efficacy nothing beats a 20 mg of ritalin when you have a paper to write :)
 
i've been anorexic/bulimic since i was 16 and four years later i was diagnosed ADHD. your diet extremely comes into play. you can become anemic, diabetic, iron deficient etc. lack of correct nutrients is what fucks your receptors up in the first place. you are not born with ADHD imo. alot of it has to do with how you were raised as well, routines, curfews, etc. that's why ADD people fuck with uppers is they are usually severely depressed and when an ADHD person takes an upper they do not get high they feel normal.

BUT, even though medication works, you can never be on a steady dose of amphetamine. it's just not realistic. i know people prescribed 90mg a day of adderall, and it doesn't stop there. they have to abuse it because their tolerance builds so fast. not only does the medicine build a tolerance, but it fucks your dopamine receptors up and leads to possible unwanted anorexia because of the appetite surpression. ADHD is co morbid with so many other disorders specifically because the medication fucks you up. i had no anxiety before i was put on medication, and now i got 5 disorders on my belt.

it's not cause i didn't need it either, it worked, it made me feel normal, and the willingness to live. but it ruined my life

i don't believe children should be on any medicine for ADHD until the age of 16 atleast. the child is hyper yeah, you give em an adderall, XR or IR doesn't matter, and they come down from that, they aren't still just hyper little brats, they're coming down from amphetamine and NEED more
 
Supplementation with flax oil and vitamin C improves the outcome of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Kalpana Joshia, , , Sagar Ladb, Mrudula Kalea, Bhushan Patwardhana, Sahebrao P. Mahadikc, Bindu Patnib, Arti Chaudharyb, Sheila Bhaveb and Anand Panditb

aInterdisciplinary School of Health Sciences (ISHS), University of Pune, Ganeshkhind, Pune—411007, Maharashtra, India
bKing Edward Memorial Hospital (KEM), Rasta Peth, Pune 411011, Maharashtra, India
cDepartment of Psychiatry and Health Behavior, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30904-6285, USA
Received 7 July 2005; revised 17 September 2005; accepted 16 October 2005. Available online 28 November 2005.
*Good source to use also look into antioxidants and Li medication might be worth looking into since it has regenerative properties on nerve damage that relates to many psychological disorders.
There is a new treatment that is in testing called EEG biofeedback. It uses certain frequencies to treat.
http://www.sharperprograms.com/EEG-Biofeedback.pdf
 
molly897 said:
i've been anorexic/bulimic since i was 16 and four years later i was diagnosed ADHD. your diet extremely comes into play. you can become anemic, diabetic, iron deficient etc. lack of correct nutrients is what fucks your receptors up in the first place. you are not born with ADHD imo. alot of it has to do with how you were raised as well, routines, curfews, etc. that's why ADD people fuck with uppers is they are usually severely depressed and when an ADHD person takes an upper they do not get high they feel normal.

BUT, even though medication works, you can never be on a steady dose of amphetamine. it's just not realistic. i know people prescribed 90mg a day of adderall, and it doesn't stop there. they have to abuse it because their tolerance builds so fast. not only does the medicine build a tolerance, but it fucks your dopamine receptors up and leads to possible unwanted anorexia because of the appetite surpression. ADHD is co morbid with so many other disorders specifically because the medication fucks you up. i had no anxiety before i was put on medication, and now i got 5 disorders on my belt.

it's not cause i didn't need it either, it worked, it made me feel normal, and the willingness to live. but it ruined my life

i don't believe children should be on any medicine for ADHD until the age of 16 atleast. the child is hyper yeah, you give em an adderall, XR or IR doesn't matter, and they come down from that, they aren't still just hyper little brats, they're coming down from amphetamine and NEED more
Click to expand...

I agree with an age limit because they're no standard test used nation wide to identify ADHD which is one of the reasons so many people are getting prescribed. Almost every student I know good or bad have been unfocused at some point and can't concentrate at some point in class. And how can children be described stimulants when they haven't fully matured. You could compare it to giving a child a shot of rum everyday maybe that will fix ADD...
 
IMO and from my own firsthand experience, behavior modification and a change in diet/exercise should be used first before even thinking about prescribing drugs. Too many parents nowadays just want the quick fix when there is not one. A drug alone cannot achieve what hard work and determination can. That being said, I do think that medication does have it's place but it should be used to enhance other work that is being done and not be used in place of it.
 
I was an ADD kid (now I'm an ADD adult :D) and in grade 3 they put me on retalin. The good news is not only that it worked, but I only needed to be on it for 2 years. After that, I asked to be taken off and my grades remained high all the way through to university and convocation. So even if drugs turn out to be necessary for the child, it may not be permanent.
 
up until the past 20 or 30 years, we didnt have all these drugs for every mental disorder. what do you think people did before all these meds were invented?
 
They suffered.

People act like mental disorders didn't exist until medication and that they're either 'made up' by the drug companies or are products of today's environment or the 'evil toxins', but they've existed forever, it's just people afflicted with them were either thrown into asylums or self-medicated with cannabis, opium, alcohol, etc. The reason they appear to be more common now is because there's more awareness and knowledge about them and there's no risk of being locked up if you're found to have one.
 
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