ADHD & Wheat...

[krissyjo]

My 7 yo son has ADHD and isn't on any medication. I'd like to use it at a last resort and try other options before going there. We were referred to a nutritionist and they recommended a diet change, specifically, cutting out wheat and cow's milk.

We've done this for about 3 months and while he seems to be better sometimes, he still has issues with self-control (meaning being able to focus on something for very long and/or unable to sit still - he always has to be moving or fidgeting).

I'm mainly concerned with it effecting him at school. He gets very easily distracted and seldom completes all of his work in the class so has come home with incomplete work - which piles up quickly and takes away from family time.

Has anyone tried a diet change to help counteract ADHD or should we start considering other methods? If other methods - what can we try before going to medication?

 

[mom2many]

I tried it all and nothing really worked. Fish oil did a little but it was minimal. My boy is 10 years old and still un-medicated. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with using the medication if that is what a parent choose's do, it just wasn't a route wanted to go.

There are a lot of behavioral modifications that do work, and things teachers can do to help the students but even at that there is still "extra" work that get's brought home.

One thing that worked well for my man was taking a manila envelope and dividing it into 3 sections. As he worked he would open the first section and do that work, once done he would open the next section (keeping 2 closed at all times) and so on. It helped him not become overloaded with the amount of work.

He also had a cushion in his chair it looked like a small exercise ball cut in half, it helped with the fidgeting. The teacher needs to be willing to get him back on track, for my boy it was a tap on the shoulder this way she wasn't singling him out but he knew what it meant.

I know there is more but those were the three man things.

 

[dave]

I just would like to comment on this. I believe Gluten can cause ADD symptoms so going gluten free can help. The Amy's brand kids meals are very good.

As for medication here's my testimony i have been on them all, and if anyone EVER suggests i put him on ANY kind of stimulant i will become upset, due to the negative effects it had on my life.

in the second grade i stopped caring about school (in retrospect it was an emotional thing. I was verbally abused from first through 5th grade for being overweight.

After seeing countless doctors , therapists (never once was i asked if i was bullied) they put me on Ritalin.

Of course as when ANYONE starts taking speed i started doing better alot better.

Years later i was upped to concerta (time release ritalin) and when that stopped working as well they put me on Adderall (full blown amphetamine HCL)

Adderall effected me more than any other drug i have ever taken. it was awfull i was impulsive, even psychotic. But i was quiet when i was told and sat still , did my tedious work (i got real good at tedious work)

My parents reasoned that the drugs were ok because they helped me keep up with society. The problems came in college. depression set in each time before they upped my dose. Finally i was out of school working a great job . everyone loved me and was proud of me. but deep down my spirit had dissolved . I was a machine.

I eventually was promoted to where I, a 21 year old kid was put in charge of logistics and safety officer of a medium sized industrial facility.

I wont go further into that but to say i overachieved and broke down the stress tore me apart. I quit my job i quit the adderall.

It took me 5 YEARS to feel normal again. I spent the first year unable to wake up even if i went for a jog.

Remember i was on POWERFUL stimulants (the same ones you are all going to be asked to put your children on) They will tell you that the dose they give won't hurt your child.

ill stop before i digress further and just leave it that I was in part of the first generation that was treated for add with stims. It did nothing but make my life harder (while it made everyone else's life easier)

I even at one point in my late teens rationalized my doctors med choices by saying i only take it because when im on it everyone else seems happier with me. INST THAT ABSOLUTELY AWFUL!
this was around 2000 when the anti-stim movement was surfacing as parents realized their kids were being adversely affected.

Your child is just being themselves. They WILL grow out of it. If you and your childs teachers cant handle it fine drug them. i just want you to understand my story a bit before you decide.

sorry for the sloppy post.

 

[MJCorr]

My 10 year old son is on meds. He has more issues than just adhd; he is bipolar as well. He also has Asperger's.

The combination has been very hard on him. He was becoming very unstable and spent some time in hospitals.

My wife and I have always been against meds but it gave him something to help him as we look for other things.

We discovered the food dyes (especially red) really sent him over the edge so we always make sure he is eating food without chemical dyes and additives.

Over the summer we removed wheat and dairy from his diet. We discovered that now that he wasn't eating his favorites: pizza and ice cream, he was now eating different foods. And was willing to eat more nutritious foods too.

He has become very good at reading labels.

We also started him on all natural food supplements and fish oil.

We have seen a lot of improvement which is making us hopeful that he will be able to come off the meds.

I'm not sure any one thing will necessarily help, for him it has been the combination of all of the above that has shown improvement.

Soy was something else we took out of his diet. We found that it increased his symptoms too.

 

[singerj]

Might help to get blood tests and allergy tests before changing diets. Taking away favorite foods might really make kids upset on top of whatever challenges they already have.

Jon
Drive4Rebecca

 

[Doloreta]

hmm... good article here, i like it ....

 

[westcoastmom]

Thanks for posting this - has been a few years since we've tried dietary change for our son (now 13) - something to explore again

 

[Supermom4]

Also try getting him to be involved in an activity to get his energy out. My son was on ADD medication and turned into a depressed an bad student where as before he was excelling in most his classes. Thank goodness I got help and got him off the drug and I'm now using natural remedies to keep him calm. Check out this website, it proved very resourceful for my husband and I and I hope it can help your family too because I understand what you've gone through and what you're going through https://www.cchrint.org/psychdrugdangers/