Has anyone here tried GF diet for their ADHD child?

[spanannie]

My son is newly on stimulant medications for ADHD. He's doing fine on the medications, but, what you never hear about is the "rebound." I can't get comfortable with that just yet, and don't know if I ever will. I'm gluten free (and mostly casein free) myself--have been for several years, so I'm looking into diet as an alternative. I'm searching and searching for other alternatives, though, I know diet is not "proven" to make a difference. Have you made changes in your child's diet that's helped with behavior or know anyone who has? Oh, and DS is the inattentive type, not the hyperactive type. I'm willing to try just about anything, so any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[daisymommy]

I tried it with Joshua, and didn't notice any difference. We also tried going dairy free as well. But life has turned around since we began the Feingold diet nearly 2 years ago.

It doesn't make everything all better--he is still on his medication. But even the medication alone wasn't enough to combat his food sensitivities. If he is on his medication, and eats for instance a piece of candy with red dye in it--everyone in the neighborhood will know about it! It's that bad.

I'd say for Joshua, diet corrects things 40%, medication adds another 40% positive outcome, and the remaining 20% is just "him" and something we work on daily.

[spanannie]

Thanks for your input Amy. I just thought there might be a connection for Zach, since I'm proven Gluten/Casein intolerant. If you don't mind me asking, does Joshua have rebound from medication? How do you deal with that? PM me if you'd rather. I never knew of rebound until we started the meds and, while it's better on this 2nd medication, Z is still not himself in the evening. It makes me wonder if I want a child who can focus at school all day, so I can have a child who is not quite himself at night?

[spanannie]

I tried it with Joshua, and didn't notice any difference. We also tried going dairy free as well. But life has turned around since we began the Feingold diet nearly 2 years ago.

Where is the best source of information you've found on the Feingold diet?

[daisymommy]

In your case, since you are Gluten/Casein intolerant, it might make more sense that there is a connection with your son. We have no one in our family that is, so maybe that's why?

As far as the rebound, yes, it affects Joshua. It was REALLY bad in the beginning, but it's been about a year of being on the medication, and it's not so bad at all now. He gets grumpy for about 30-45 minutes when it's wearing off, so we always give him some alone time in his room to read books, play legos, etc. And then after that he's really hyper for a good 30-45 minutes and he goes outside to run laps around the back-yard (his idea!). I think in our case, it has all been about knowing how to handle and "steer" him when he is coming off of it.

My brother (now 30 yrs. old) was on meds. for all the same reasons as Josh, so I'm a bit used to it. But even still, it's hard to see your kid go through. In his case, our family was being torn apart from the effects of Josh's behavior. Much as I love him, and didn't want to use medication (we tried everything else first!) we had to try it for his sake as well as the good of our family. I am so glad we did, because it has really, really helped. He is a much happier child with himself as well, and I think that's important too. So, we choose to deal with the short period of rebound here.

Hopefully you can find something that works well for your son. Has he been on it for awhile? Like I said, it took awhile for things to calm down here, adn now it's more bearable. Hugs to you :hug:

[daisymommy]

Feingold.org

The package is worth every penny!

[lisams]

If you have sensitivities to gluten, I'd take a guess that a gluten free diet may be helpful.

We had DD off dairy for about a month and didn't notice a change, but I've been thinking about the Feingold diet. We do try to avoid artificial food dye, preservatives and flavorings as well as HFCS but sometimes it's hard!

For DD we've lately noticed that fish oil and magnesium rich foods help her. We ran out of her fish oil and I didn't get some for a week or so and she was unbearable. I couldn't figure out what was going on, and then it hit me and about 2 days back on the fish oil she was able to settle down better.

Hope you're able to find something that helps.

[spanannie]

Hopefully you can find something that works well for your son. Has he been on it for awhile? Like I said, it took awhile for things to calm down here, adn now it's more bearable. Hugs to you :hug:

He was on Daytrana 10 mg patch for 3 weeks before the holidays with great results. The rebound was just intense chattiness and stubborn bedtime behavior. He needed the 15 mg, since the 10 mg seemed to "wear off" according to his teacher (it doesn't wear off, so it wasn't enough) and we upped to 15 for 5 days. The rebound on the 15 mg was awful. He wasn't hyper, just so stubborn and down right bizarre in the evenings. I think he may have been hallucinating when he was coming off of it, as well. He just started the Focalin XR and the main rebound effect is just being VERY inattentive in the evening, so it makes the main effect that we are treating during the day amplified. This is very difficult to have your most mature child unable to take care of their needs in the evening, since they are so distracted by every. little. thing. since we have a difficult "spirited" 4 year old to deal with bathing and getting ready for bed, while I'm getting the 6 mo old nursed and ready for bed. It has been very rough to say the least. BUT we have to do it. I can't have him suffer in school and we're in the middle of applying to schools for the 1st grade, so having him be productive is even more crucial right now. Ugh, this is such a tough process. I think I laid in bed last night for 3 hours agonizing over this. I will order the Feingold literature. I am glad to hear that the rebound does improve. I am going to hang in there with the Focalin, since it's not too too bad, but I know we'll have to increase the dose and the rebound will probably increase for a while as well. I so appreciate your input!

Oh, and while the gluten intolerance may have a link to his ADHD, I know it's not the cause. He is a spitting image of dad who is most definitely is and was ADHD. The apple did not fall far from the tree. I know why DH was a horrible student and struggled. The good news is that he turned out great. The bad news is that he had to struggle and it greatly affected his self esteem. I don't want that to happen to Zach, and that is why I reluctantly have chosen to medicate. I know it's the most effective treatment out there for ADHD.

[spanannie]

For DD we've lately noticed that fish oil and magnesium rich foods help her. We ran out of her fish oil and I didn't get some for a week or so and she was unbearable. I couldn't figure out what was going on, and then it hit me and about 2 days back on the fish oil she was able to settle down better.

Hope you're able to find something that helps.

Thanks so much! I just bought a big bottle of Nordic Naturals for Children today. I hope it helps us as well!

[pinkmomagain]

He just started the Focalin XR and the main rebound effect is just being VERY inattentive in the evening, so it makes the main effect that we are treating during the day amplified.

Thought I'd jump in and say my dd age 9 is on Focalin XR for ADHD-inattentive type. She is on 10mg and it's really helped her alot in school and at home on weekends since beginning it in April. We find that she comes home a little crabby and hungry. We feed her and then give her a small dose of regular Focalin (2.5mg) at about 3pm to help her with the irritability she has coming down off the morning dose and (more importantly) help her attend through homework and afterschool activities through the afternoon. This has worked out well. Doesn't affect her appetite for dinner or her ability to fall asleep. We don't give her the afternoon dose on the weekends, but definitely the morning dose. If we didn't, we'd be repremanding her all day, and her self-esteem would plummet. DD's self-esteem has really improved since being on the medication. I am so happy with our decision.

eta: We too give her fish oil in the evening. Can't say I notice anything dramatic (although I think her skin is less dry) but figure it can't hurt.

[lizajane]

Thought I'd jump in and say my dd age 9 is on Focalin XR for ADHD-inattentive type. She is on 10mg and it's really helped her alot in school and at home on weekends since beginning it in April. We find that she comes home a little crabby and hungry. We feed her and then give her a small dose of regular Focalin (2.5mg) at about 3pm to help her with the irritability she has coming down of the morning dose and (more importantly) help her attend through homework and afterschool activities through the afternoon. This has worked out well. Doesn't affect her appetite for dinner or her ability to fall asleep. We don't give her the afternoon dose on the weekends, but definitely the morning dose. If we didn't, we'd be repremanding her all day, and her self-esteem would plummet. DD's self-esteem has really improved since being on the medication. I am so happy with our decision.

eta: We too give her fish oil in the evening. Can't say I notice anything dramatic (although I think her skin is less dry) but figure it can't hurt.

hmmm... the rebound everyone is describing is exactly what we have NOW without medication. very stubbon, unwilling to perform daily task (get dressed and undressed, brushing teeth, going to bed), very whiny, very crabby, extremely hyper as soon as the crabby wears off...

does that mean it will be worse when we start meds? or better?

schuyler has ADHD- hyperactive type. does anyone else have a hyperactive child, not inattentive child? schuyler is not inattentive. he can focus on what he enjoys for a long time, he just stands up while doing it. but if he is bored, watch out. he is running circles.

[spanannie]

I think the rebound is usually an intensified version of whatever their problematic symptom is. For us Zach is more inattentive, more stubborn; he is normally not stubborn. On the Daytrana, he was VERY chatty and inattentive during rebound. Both doctors have told me chatty is very common. When I say chatty that is an understatement. We aren't having that problem so much on the Focalin, but the stubborn and inattentive, yes.

For us the meds have been fine during the days, but the rebound has not been fun, but we are just at the beginning of this journey.

Oh, and Zach is ADHD with hyperactivity. However, I don't view him as hyper, nor does his teacher. He does have some of the impulsivity and fidgety stuff, so that got him the diagnosis. We are specifically seeking help because of the inattentiveness, though. Zach can focus very well . . . on things he loves and enjoys. He gets distracted in class by something else going on that would take his attention away. Or if he sees something outside the window, when putting on his shoes, etc. That's how he's inattentive. They were doing a 1-10 exercise for pace in his K class last week. They were writing ten words in a specified time. Case in point, he got so hung up on making the C in his name look just so that he never made it to 10. Writing his name was word number 1. That's the sort of thing that he's dealing with that's causing him problems in school.


hmmm... the rebound everyone is describing is exactly what we have NOW without medication. very stubbon, unwilling to perform daily task (get dressed and undressed, brushing teeth, going to bed), very whiny, very crabby, extremely hyper as soon as the crabby wears off...

does that mean it will be worse when we start meds? or better?

schuyler has ADHD- hyperactive type. does anyone else have a hyperactive child, not inattentive child? schuyler is not inattentive. he can focus on what he enjoys for a long time, he just stands up while doing it. but if he is bored, watch out. he is running circles.

[spanannie]

Thought I'd jump in and say my dd age 9 is on Focalin XR for ADHD-inattentive type. She is on 10mg and it's really helped her alot in school and at home on weekends since beginning it in April. We find that she comes home a little crabby and hungry. We feed her and then give her a small dose of regular Focalin (2.5mg) at about 3pm to help her with the irritability she has coming down of the morning dose and (more importantly) help her attend through homework and afterschool activities through the afternoon. This has worked out well. Doesn't affect her appetite for dinner or her ability to fall asleep. We don't give her the afternoon dose on the weekends, but definitely the morning dose. If we didn't, we'd be repremanding her all day, and her self-esteem would plummet. DD's self-esteem has really improved since being on the medication. I am so happy with our decision.

eta: We too give her fish oil in the evening. Can't say I notice anything dramatic (although I think her skin is less dry) but figure it can't hurt.

He doesn't have the rebound effects until around 5 pm. 7-8 pm it is probably it's worst. It sounds like most people are having it earlier than we are. I have heard of others doing the short acting later in the day to combat the rebound. I may bring that up to the doctor after this break-in period. I'm sure he's still adjusting.

Do you feel that your daughter functions as any other "normal" (for lack of better word) 9 year old child now? DS is so so smart and such a great kid. If he could just stay focused, he would do great in school . . . and it has yet to affect his self esteem, so, hopefully, we've caught it early enough. We do reprimand A LOT though, but he does not seem to notice. I try not to, but, gosh, how many hundred times can you tell a 6.5 year old to put on his seat belt or shoes, without getting frustrated?? I'm sure you can relate.

You say you leave her on the long acting on the weekends. When do you take a medication holiday (for growth catch up purposes) or do you not intend to? The psychiatrist seemed to think a couple of weeks in the summer was plenty and the pediatrician said that most kids don't take it on the weekends, but I think that would make home life pretty unmanageable.

I appreciate your feedback. It gives me a lot of hope!

[lizajane]

He doesn't have the rebound effects until around 5 pm. 7-8 pm it is probably it's worst. It sounds like most people are having it earlier than we are. I have heard of others doing the short acting later in the day to combat the rebound. I may bring that up to the doctor after this break-in period. I'm sure he's still adjusting.

Do you feel that your daughter functions as any other "normal" (for lack of better word) 9 year old child now? DS is so so smart and such a great kid. If he could just stay focused, he would do great in school . . . and it has yet to affect his self esteem, so, hopefully, we've caught it early enough. We do reprimand A LOT though, but he does not seem to notice. I try not to, but, gosh, how many hundred times can you tell a 6.5 year old to put on his seat belt or shoes, without getting frustrated?? I'm sure you can relate.

You say you leave her on the long acting on the weekends. When do you take a medication holiday (for growth catch up purposes) or do you not intend to? The psychiatrist seemed to think a couple of weeks in the summer was plenty and the pediatrician said that most kids don't take it on the weekends, but I think that would make home life pretty unmanageable.

I appreciate your feedback. It gives me a lot of hope!

jumping in to ask MORE questions! hope that is ok!

schuyler talks INCESSANTLY. so this "more chatty" thing is reeeeeeeally scaring me. then again, when you said yours is fidgety, but mostly inattentive, ours is the opposite. i got a note home one day that said he got a "straight face" for "running around the classroom." i also get, "not coming in from recess when called" and "jumping around in hallway." i never ever get "not being a good listener." it is always "being disruptive."

doing homework is a NIGHTMARE. i know he is super duper smart. we have his IQ test scores. but it takes for-ev-er to write very short words that are truly easy for him to write, just hard for him to be STILL and write.

when we ask him to get into the car and put on his seatbelt, he isn't lagging behind. he is running circles around the bushes in the front yard.

honestly, it will bum me out if i can't reap some benefits of the meds on weekends or evenings. i know, i am terrible. but homelife is HARD HARD HARD and it really affects dylan, DH and me, and DH and me as a couple. so i am really getting freaked by these rebound stories.

as for the growth issue- what is that about? will it stunt their growth? really??? ack!!!! schuyler is enormous, so i can't really stress about it too much. but he is already VERY skinny. he is constantly moving- imagine exercising for more than 50% of your day. he is very thin, VERY muscular and either eats constantly or not at all. so losing his appetite would not be good.

finally- on weekends, if you don't use meds, do you exercise your kids intentionally? i was looking into a hip-hop dance class on sat am. or wondering if i could take him running with me- him on his scooter. he has ridden his bike FIVE MILES while his daddy was running. and that was LAST YEAR. at age 4! or maybe sat am swim practice? our ped recommends swimming for ADHD- just like michael phelps! and with schuyler's height (49 inches at age 5) and shoe size (size 2) he could just BE the next phelps! lol!!

oh, mamas, you are such a wealth of information!!!! THANK YOU.

[brittone2]

jumping in to ask MORE questions! hope that is ok!

schuyler talks INCESSANTLY. so this "more chatty" thing is reeeeeeeally scaring me. then again, when you said yours is fidgety, but mostly inattentive, ours is the opposite. i got a note home one day that said he got a "straight face" for "running around the classroom." i also get, "not coming in from recess when called" and "jumping around in hallway." i never ever get "not being a good listener." it is always "being disruptive."

doing homework is a NIGHTMARE. i know he is super duper smart. we have his IQ test scores. but it takes for-ev-er to write very short words that are truly easy for him to write, just hard for him to be STILL and write.

when we ask him to get into the car and put on his seatbelt, he isn't lagging behind. he is running circles around the bushes in the front yard.

honestly, it will bum me out if i can't reap some benefits of the meds on weekends or evenings. i know, i am terrible. but homelife is HARD HARD HARD and it really affects dylan, DH and me, and DH and me as a couple. so i am really getting freaked by these rebound stories.

as for the growth issue- what is that about? will it stunt their growth? really??? ack!!!! schuyler is enormous, so i can't really stress about it too much. but he is already VERY skinny. he is constantly moving- imagine exercising for more than 50% of your day. he is very thin, VERY muscular and either eats constantly or not at all. so losing his appetite would not be good.

finally- on weekends, if you don't use meds, do you exercise your kids intentionally? i was looking into a hip-hop dance class on sat am. or wondering if i could take him running with me- him on his scooter. he has ridden his bike FIVE MILES while his daddy was running. and that was LAST YEAR. at age 4! or maybe sat am swim practice? our ped recommends swimming for ADHD- just like michael phelps! and with schuyler's height (49 inches at age 5) and shoe size (size 2) he could just BE the next phelps! lol!!

oh, mamas, you are such a wealth of information!!!! THANK YOU.

Liza, I know you totally have your hands full, but this description of S. has me thinking again that you might want to look into OT/sensory integration stuff, even if you choose to medicate.

Not trying to step on toes, just offering up the suggestion again. You can smack me if you want to ;)
:hug5:

eta: the swimming is often helpful for sensory kids (with or without ADHD) as well.

[spanannie]

jumping in to ask MORE questions! hope that is ok!

schuyler talks INCESSANTLY. so this "more chatty" thing is reeeeeeeally scaring me. then again, when you said yours is fidgety, but mostly inattentive, ours is the opposite. i got a note home one day that said he got a "straight face" for "running around the classroom." i also get, "not coming in from recess when called" and "jumping around in hallway." i never ever get "not being a good listener." it is always "being disruptive."

doing homework is a NIGHTMARE. i know he is super duper smart. we have his IQ test scores. but it takes for-ev-er to write very short words that are truly easy for him to write, just hard for him to be STILL and write.

when we ask him to get into the car and put on his seatbelt, he isn't lagging behind. he is running circles around the bushes in the front yard.

honestly, it will bum me out if i can't reap some benefits of the meds on weekends or evenings. i know, i am terrible. but homelife is HARD HARD HARD and it really affects dylan, DH and me, and DH and me as a couple. so i am really getting freaked by these rebound stories.

as for the growth issue- what is that about? will it stunt their growth? really??? ack!!!! schuyler is enormous, so i can't really stress about it too much. but he is already VERY skinny. he is constantly moving- imagine exercising for more than 50% of your day. he is very thin, VERY muscular and either eats constantly or not at all. so losing his appetite would not be good.

finally- on weekends, if you don't use meds, do you exercise your kids intentionally? i was looking into a hip-hop dance class on sat am. or wondering if i could take him running with me- him on his scooter. he has ridden his bike FIVE MILES while his daddy was running. and that was LAST YEAR. at age 4! or maybe sat am swim practice? our ped recommends swimming for ADHD- just like michael phelps! and with schuyler's height (49 inches at age 5) and shoe size (size 2) he could just BE the next phelps! lol!!

oh, mamas, you are such a wealth of information!!!! THANK YOU.

You can have him on the meds on the weekends. When the ADHD is disruptive of home life, then you keep them on the meds all of the time. Yes, the meds can slow growth, but they follow their growth at each visit. It sounds like you don't have anything to worry about on that front, though. My doctor says they haven't had problems with that, though. I guess a lot of it has to do with loss of appetite. We are more concerned with it because Zach is small(er). He's 6.5 and about 47 inches. You will laugh, since he wears a 12!

Just make sure to feed him well when you give him the medication--right before. I've been literally feeding Zach myself, since he's not really a breakfast person. I'm making sure to get protein in him, as well. When they're on the med, I guess lunch is notoriously their worst meal. Zach hasn't really been so affected at lunch yet, but he's probably not on the most therapeutic dose yet. The psychiatrist told me that when he's on the right dose, he likely won't have much interest in lunch. They recommend that I send snacky foods and mayble one of those Kid Ensure/Boost type drinks, if he's not eating, to follow his meal. Again, we're not there yet. He's doing OK at dinner, and I'm letting him snack whenever. He's pretty hungry in the early evening. Again, he's not at his optimum dose--ugh--so this is probably all going to change.

I wouldn't doubt if Schuyler got chattier when coming off of the meds. I sure hope not, but it happens a lot. Like I said, it's not really happening for us so much on the Focalin. However, our psychiatrist said Z was the first kid she'd seen rebound on the Daytrana (patch) and he was VERY chatty on it. I guess it all depends on the person. I don't know what happens with the hyperactivity.

Zach doesn't have trouble with being disruptive in school; he is very compliant. He just doesn't stay on task or drifts into planet Zach . . . but we do go through the same problems with the homework taking forever; homework he is more than capable of doing. The medicine has alleviated that problem.

[TraciG]

How did you know your child had ADHD? My mother think's my DD might have it, I am not sure I agree. She's not hyper but doesn't listen well AT ALL. I think really it's more of inconsistent discipline ( my fault ) my mother disagree's & think's she should be tested.

There is no problem in school. Would they notice in school if she really had it ?????????

[lisams]

or maybe sat am swim practice? our ped recommends swimming for ADHD- just like michael phelps!

Yes!! DD takes swimming lessons year round and I can see a difference. She takes lessons on the weekend and it really does help get us through the weekend. She just seems calmer. I think part of it is sensory (the pressure of the water on her skin) and another part is that she is using almost all of her muscles in a controlled way while swimming.

I've noticed that if DD takes a bath alone, she is so calm and usually quiet. Something about the water is soothing for her.

[spanannie]

I started hearing about this when Z was age 3. They were telling me that I needed to get Z's hearing tested. They said they thought he could hear sometimes, but then other times, that he couldn't hear at all. We tested him and he was fine. Somehow, we ended up in OT, and continued down the road, all along the problem persisted. He's a well behaved kid, he just can't stay focused. Well, there's more to it than just not paying attention. But, a mom just knows. I've known for a long time, in my heart, I've just known. We tried everything. Finally, this year, when his K teacher told me the same thing the past teachers told me, I decided to have the formal evaluation by a Pediatric Neuropsychologist. It was a 4 hour deal. It is very costly, so I'd want to have quite a big hunch that that was the problem before going down that road. Just my opinion, though. It was our final resort, especially since I knew it would result in medicating him. I think if your DD had ADHD, you'd be getting some feedback from the teachers.

How did you know your child had ADHD? My mother think's my DD might have it, I am not sure I agree. She's not hyper but doesn't listen well AT ALL. I think really it's more of inconsistent discipline ( my fault ) my mother disagree's & think's she should be tested.

There is no problem in school. Would they notice in school if she really had it ?????????

[pinkmomagain]

"Do you feel that your daughter functions as any other "normal" (for lack of better word) 9 year old child now? " Yes, I think if someone were to observe her class, she would not stand out. That being said, she still does have some problems budgeting her time in class (like when they need to complete several things during independent work) and organizing her papers and remember to bring things to/from school. But we try to implement things to help her. Remember, the meds can't help everything. Also, she is still a quirky kid -- socially -- but she is doing much better, has some friends and is well-thought of in her class (was voted to student council!).

You say you leave her on the long acting on the weekends. When do you take a medication holiday (for growth catch up purposes) or do you not intend to? The psychiatrist has not suggested a med holiday -- yet. He monitors her height/weight at every visit (every 6 weeks). She was thin to begin with, but she has not been gaining weight...not losing, but not gaining. We are trying to do things to fatten her up. She is a picky eater on top of it all and doesn't seem to like feel too full. It's hard because the morning is rush time, lunch - as you described - is what she is least interested in. Well, she says she doesn't have time to finish. I only send in snacky-things....she has never eaten a "real" lunch at school. She has lots more snacks when she gets home. And has a very good dinner. My MIL and SIL were rail-thin growing up, so I don't know that it's fair to blame it all on the meds, but I'm sure they contribute. Of course, since she has anxiety too, this has been a source of anxiety (ie. Am I too skinny? Checking the scale, etc., Googling how to gain weight). Obviously we don't want to give her a weight complex ontop of everything else! So we need to be careful how we handle all of this.

Other than the weight thing, I don't think it services her well to give her a break on the meds. Over Thanksgiving I didn't give her meds because I was low on pills, awaiting a shipment and wanted to save them for school. It was frustrating to deal with her and she would say "I'll try to hard to be better." Too sad.

I hope things work themselves out with dosage and such for your son. It does take a little time. We were lucky that we started on the FocalinXR straight away, but we did have to increase dosage to see a significant improvement. I think for most, there is more playing around with meds/dosages before they find something ideal.

[lisams]

How did you know your child had ADHD? My mother think's my DD might have it, I am not sure I agree. She's not hyper but doesn't listen well AT ALL. I think really it's more of inconsistent discipline ( my fault ) my mother disagree's & think's she should be tested.

There is no problem in school. Would they notice in school if she really had it ?????????

A big problem is that girls with ADHD are often over looked. It can look very different in girls. The same hyper-active that can show up in boys often shows up in girls as hyper-social. Things like talking non-stop, talking loudly, interrupting, being demanding or not taking "no" for an answer, having a hard time keeping friends, not noticing or getting non verbal cues, etc. They can also be very quiet, overly shy, withdrawn, "wallflowers" (which is what is called inattentive).

There's a great book about girls and ADHD, Understanding Girls With AD/HD http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Girls-AD-Kathleen-Nadeau/dp/0966036654 It talks about what it looks like in preschool age girls, school age girls, teenagers, and adults. The scary thing is that girls with ADHD are more likely to have other mental health issues (depression, anxiety, eating disorders, etc) as they get older if they don't get the help that they need.

It's worth a read if your library has it.

[BaileyBea]

Hi Annie..

Hey long time no talk... have you met Dr. Luptniz (Okay I spelled it wrong but I have his card here somewhere I just need to find it)? He's the best guy to talk to. I also recommend meeting with Peoples Pharmacy to discuss diet options.. go to the one on Westbank in Westlake. They have a lot of great Gluten Free kid products. Ask them about running a Food Dye Test. A family from Curt's OT did this and it came back with high-allergies for several types of dye. They cut them out and they are gluten free and their son isn't bouncing off the wall anymore. Especially in the evenings. As for finding out if he's allergic.. there is nothing wrong for asking for: IGE and IGG blood tests while they run the gluten/casin test. Good idea of finding alleries you may not have thought of before.

The fish oils are a great idea. We do this too and have had fantastic results.

Now with other stuff... my friend now buys brown rice flour, quinoa flour etc. .and she makes her own chicken nuggets. The whole family has adapted nicely to the new diet.

HTH.
Nancy

[June Mommy2]

Thanks so much! I just bought a big bottle of Nordic Naturals for Children today. I hope it helps us as well!


I just wanted to say that I've noticed a HUGE difference in my DS since starting him on DHA supplements. He's 4.5 and very spirited/active, and possibly has some sensory issues (I'm reading and researching right now, and I think he's overresponsive. I haven't had him professionally evaluated for anything yet.) I started him on DHA supplements the week of Christmas, and just this past week, it has been like a different child. So, it took a couple of weeks to notice a difference, and maybe it's a coincidence, but DH and I have both remarked how different his behavior has been. I bought Source of Life Animal Parade chewable DHA for Kids instead of Nordic Naturals (the Source of Life was a little less expensive and 3 vitamins a day as opposed to 4.) I'm definitely keeping him on it. HTH!

[spanannie]

Hey Nancy--
I've gone to Dr. Lupentiz for a few years now . . . he's actually suggested several things for Z, but said they wouldn't cure ADHD. There's only so much you can do with supplements. I've had all the testing by EnteroLab through Dr. L, but Z has not at this point. I think I will have him done, too, but the Pediatric Neuropsychologist says she's really seen no link between the two :-( Ugh. That's why I was posting here and hoping to hear stories telling the opposite. Thanks for your suggestions. Dr. L is awesome! He really helped me SO much!


Hi Annie..

Hey long time no talk... have you met Dr. Luptniz (Okay I spelled it wrong but I have his card here somewhere I just need to find it)? He's the best guy to talk to. I also recommend meeting with Peoples Pharmacy to discuss diet options.. go to the one on Westbank in Westlake. They have a lot of great Gluten Free kid products. Ask them about running a Food Dye Test. A family from Curt's OT did this and it came back with high-allergies for several types of dye. They cut them out and they are gluten free and their son isn't bouncing off the wall anymore. Especially in the evenings. As for finding out if he's allergic.. there is nothing wrong for asking for: IGE and IGG blood tests while they run the gluten/casin test. Good idea of finding alleries you may not have thought of before.

The fish oils are a great idea. We do this too and have had fantastic results.

Now with other stuff... my friend now buys brown rice flour, quinoa flour etc. .and she makes her own chicken nuggets. The whole family has adapted nicely to the new diet.

HTH.
Nancy

[TraciG]

I'm going to check out the book.

[daisymommy]

Okay, get ready for a long catch-up-on-posts reply :)

Joshua is mainly hyperactive minoring in lack of attention. But he was also diagnosed as oppositional/defiant conduct disorder. He did things that were considered "on the spectrum behavior" as well. Funny thing is, after taking the medication for ADHD--Dexedrine Spansules--those other issues faded away (the oppostional/defiant stuff and autism like behavior). His pediatrician said that can often be the case with kids, although no one is really sure why. I'm just glad it helped, because we were all nearly in family therapy over it.

It took probably about 4-6 months of being on the medication for the rebound symptoms to get much better. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it did take that long.

Josh's medication is long acting/slow release, and it lasts about 8 hrs. We keep him on it 7 days a week, because without in in the weekend, our family is in a shambles due to his behavior.
It doesn't seem to be affecting him at all weight wise (to answer to your question Liza--it does suppress children's appetite, so many kids lose weight on it). I make sure to feed him a good breakfast in the morning, give him his meds., then he usually is only hungry for a small snack at lunch time or nothing at all, the meds wear off, and he is starving for a huge dinner during which time he makes up for the missed lunch.

We do know that Joshua deals with sensory integration disorder. We did therapy for that, and continue to mold our daily lives around it and work with him. But when it became apparant that therapy wasn't enough, we started the meds. It really is a combined approach in treating him. No one thing is enough to make it all better.

Several people mentioned that they know their kids are smart, but that they still have these problems. One thing I wish everyone in the world understood is that your child having ADHD has NOTHING at all to do with how smart they are. I actually had a doctor blow me off one time saying that Josh couldn't have ADHD because he was obviously so smart (oh-brother). The majority of children with ADD are actually very bright! It's sad--a child that would normally be super-excelling in school, trapped in a body that will not let them calm down and focus enough to get their work done.
My brother who has ADHD scored in the genius range on an IQ test. My father who has it as well has 2 Ph.D's, and 3 Masters. Joshua who is in his first year of homeschooling is already doing some 1st-2nd grade work that is self taught! So you can see, it hasn't affected their brains at all :)

As for books, I really enjoyed Sensational Kids and The Out of Synch Child. I know they are sensory books and not for ADHD so much, but they really helped. There is an old thread around here somewhere (I know Liza was in on that one too)--where we all talked about sensory issues. It does seem to go hand-in-hand with ADHD for many many kids. The sensory issues amplify (make worse) the ADHD issues. Take away the sensory triggers, and the ADHD comes down a notch or two.

Whew! Okay, I think that's all for now!