ADHD? Help! My son is a pistol...Dr.'s and parents read!

[claudhopper]

breakingbad, I was researching Red #40 and came upon some parents experiences that you should read, suggesting removing this from your childs diet could make a world of difference.

Watts Up With That?: The Red 40 Menace

and this
New Research Implicates Food Dyes in Children's Behavior Problems
Die, Dye! The effect of food dyes on children's behavior and thinking.

[Kibbiekat]

That is a heck of a lot of drugs for someone who is against medicating for ADHD. Based on your description, I wouldn't rush to an ADHD diagnosis. But FWIW, a good friend of mine had problems with her son for years. I've known them for 5 years, and he is 6. The kid was out of control. They put him on ritalin, and it has made a world of difference. He no longer gets sent to the office on a daily basis. some kids really do need it.

[Karamia82]

HI I would like a chance to respond to your post. I personally have a hard time sitting still for long periods of time when I was a kid, now that I'm an adult I hate moving around, but I can't keep my mind still or attention on when say my kid is talking to me, I get kind of agitated. At any rate, my eight year old has been diagnosed with adhd and also aspergers spectrum..... he also has crazy energy all day lonnng I mean all day long and it sounds the same to me as what you said your experiencing.... so you may consider checking it out, also there are some exercises we can do together to get our children to focus and like listening to what we ask them to do, kind of like tricking them, make a game if he does his work, make it fun for him, he can win a prize then be sneaky and tell him a little story of if he does this everyday whatever it is that he has to learn, that he will be able to buy his own car if he goes to college,,,, crazy as it sounds or "out there" it probably will work to your advantage for a little while, till he needs a break and I would say let him have it, but go back and work with him and make him believe that it is for him to get his car!! Its really just an idea, but it may relieve some of the fighting to get him to do what you need him to do! Eventually he may grow out of the hyperness, which I believe is the case for my children

[LovelySummer]

My sentiments exactly. He sounds way overmedicated. Odd since you are concerned about the effects of drugs. Over the counter stuff are drugs too.

Originally Posted by willow wind

The child is five years old.

You do realize that you already have this five year old child on a huge cocktail of drugs !!!! In a several hour span, you gave him Claritin, Benadryl , QVAR, Nasonex and albuterol.

Have you ever discussed with a medical professional the interactions these drugs can cause? And they are drugs. Ever read the warning paperwork that comes in their containers?. He's five years old ! Why are you giving multiple types of drugs that treat similar symptoms ? Some of these drugs such as Nasonex are not even recommended for children under the age of 6. Does the child's doctor know how many drugs you are mixing together at the same time ?

Yes, people can get hyper from Benadryl- it often doesn't work the way you think it would.

I don't think your child has ADHD- he may be over medicated, he may showing signs of bad drug interactions. I'm surprised he's not swinging from the ceiling. Perhaps it's time to sit down with his pediatrician and come up with a better plan. What's going on right now is not good for the child at all .

On the meantime, sometimes the old ways may be helpful- a steam vaporizer, some Vicks on the chest , etc. Can't be any worse than throwing every drug you can buy into the little guy all during the course of several hours.

[LovelySummer]

Why don't you try a naturopathic medicine doctor if he has all of these severe allergies. Maybe they can recommend something that addresses the root of the problem as opposed to treating the symptoms. Sometimes allergies has to do with reactions to foods that a child may be eating also. Finally, the steroids in utero is not making him tall. He's just tall. I had a preemie and got the steroids too and my guy is not tall, just average. Lots of women get the steroids in utero.

Honestly, it sounds like you are stretched thin in all sorts of directions. You are doing all that you can for him and I understand that as a mother and mother of a past preemie, that's what we do. But I do think that maybe a more natural approach could address these issues in a way that would not require him to have so much medication. MDs are not trained in natural approaches. Maybe see a doctor with an MD and an ND (naturopathic doctor) and he/she can start from ground zero and maybe design a diet for him that will address all of the issues. One designed a diet for me that helped my fibroids shrink.

ETA: I just thought of something - a doctor told me that sometimes kids that were preemies have brains that get extra stimulated and they are on the go constantly. This could be what is going on with your little guy. It's not ADD or ADHD. It's just extra brain stimulation. I think this can be adjusted with his diet as well. If you don't have a naturopathic doctor in your area, I would see a nutritionist for him and have a diet designed to address his hyperness and his lack of attention. I think that way too many kids get the ADD and the ADHD lables nowadays when really the kids just need a diet that addresses why the heck they are so hyper. Everything that we put into or do to our body affects us in some way. Including food, proper rest, etc. Lots of kids get too much sugar, doctors are not teaching parents about what balanced meals are for children (I was surprised to know that our 2 year old was supposed to get five meals a day, 4 food groups for the three meals and 3 food groups for the other two meals). Also, certain vitamins were prescribed. I would see a naturopathic doctor or a nutritionist to figure out how to aid his body and mind.

Originally Posted by breakingbad

Yes, he is on an enormous amount of medication. The Nasonex, Claritin and QVAR are daily maintenance rx for his severe environmental allergies and the daily dosages have actually decreased thanks to the immunology injections. Before this treatment plan he had constant infections, high fever, respiratory problems etc. He could not even go outside. It has been a huge blessing! In addition, I do the neti-pot every night and he will get into a steam shower several times a week. Before I had him I would have thought it was way too much too. I also moved from TX to AZ in hopes to alleviate some of his allergies and asthma but it seems worse due to the air quality...then having to start a new serum concoction didn't help. I also have installed wood floors in all the carpeted rooms, vacuum/dust mop everyday, launder sheets every three days (all sheets and blankets that he uses) nad have dust mite covers on all the bedding as well. It is tiring and hard to manage but routine. At any rate, both pediatric Dr.'s have assured me this is the best treatment for him and is better than the alternative.
...I gave him the Benadryl in place of the Claritin and waited 24 hours to do the switch. I never noticed a Benadryl reaction like this but it reminded me when he was rushed to the ER and given the Epinephrine Attarax, Benadryl, Prevacid and Singular....in like one hour! I swear unless it is an emergency I'll never do it again as the Claritin has worked well usually but he was sick yesterday and I didn't want his nasal discharge to sit up in his sinuses brewing away.
I live in fear of what could happen to him without all of this rx....it was so traumatic for him (and me) when he had such reactions. I feel horrible but he needs the medication.
The dr.'s have not suggested that he is hyper nor did they give me a "heads up" on the medications other than it shouldn't have much effect on his behavior. I suppose I am just getting old...
But he seems hyper and I want his life to be easier than mine of course. Having ADD/ADHD makes it a little tougher and then throwing severe food and environmental into that mixture makes it worse. Having a counseling background you'd think I'd be prepared for these things but I'm not---too personal and giving narcotics to kids seems irresponsible to me.
He eats mostly chicken, cheese and couscous/rice. He does have some sugar and I let him drink reduced sugar Capri Sun usually. I definitely can reduce the sugar and I will from now on due to this epiphany. He exercises everyday...I ride bikes everyday with him to a park about a mile away and let him play with friends...he does soccer...baseball soon...and of course runs around like a nut. He is very tall and muscular for his age but I attribute it to the steroids I was given for his lung development in utero during pre-term labor at 24 weeks. I actually think maybe that has a lot to do with allergies and asthma as well.
Good advice and I feel like I am backed into a corner....I think I am doing a good job as a single divorced mom and I am truly blessed by God to have him...he is definitely a survivor but i am just concerned about that crazy energy he has all the time.
Thank you for your responses.

[Nowaymann]

My son has adhd... Lots of energy. He thinks better when he is moving. Just keep him motivated and keep to a schedule. ADHD kids do better when they are kept occupied.find something that he loves to do and keep on doing it. Schools should and will make modifications to classroom and tests if needed. Otherwise, don't worry about him having adhd. It's not a sickness. It's just a different way of thinking and doing things. Medication usually isn't warranted. Just behavior modification, social skills training, and coping skills. Having a lot of energy is nothing to worry about. If he needs to move a lot, so be it. Just get him involved I. Something physical... Sports, swimming, running...gymnastics, whatever....
Plus he is only 5... Lots of energy is to be expected.... Ps... Video games aren't inherently evil. They can be a blessing to a child with add... In small doses... It allows them to sit still and relax. Plus, they can learn a lot from games.... Try an iPad with games that teach physics, or math..etc... It's not all shoot me up games... ;-)

[Ccpfinn]

There is an excellent book on the shelves called The Learning Habit: A Groundbreaking Approach to Homeowrk and Parenting that Helps Our Children Succeed in School and Life by Pressman, Pressman & Jackson. It's a great read for all parents with school aged children.