I don't think meds should be used unless completely necessary, as a result I have done a lot of experimenting with alternative treatments including natural supplements.

I have been on adderall and had some success with that. I havent taken it for years though so I just recently tried strattera (only planned to take it for 3 months or so) so I have something to compare the effectiveness of my natural alternatives with.

My daily ADHD treatment plan:

Before breakfast with a glass of milk 1-2 Omega 3 fish oil gel caps

For breakfast I drink Carnation instant breakfast mix. Its packed with tons of vitamins. With breakfast I then take a multi vitamin.

2 Hours after breakfast I take 2 capsules of beCalmd
(I would recomend beCalmd to anyone and everyone experiencing problems from ADD, depression, anxiety, OCD, or addictive illness) Its a wonderful product and definantly worth trying!
beCalmd is all natural, it contains 5-HTP, L-Glutamine,
DL-Phenylalanine & some vitamins. (This is THE BEST thing I have ever taken, for me it works better than adderall and way better than strattera)

Each night I do 30minutes of hypnosis/meditation

I take 1-2 extra beCalmds per day as needed.
Every other day I take a vitamin B complex sustained release.
Melatonin I take as needed.

why do you only take vitamin B every other day?

Do you drink Regular Milk or Soy Milk?

I take it every other day because it has VERY HIGH amounts of all vitamin Bs including Niacin, if I take it every day the niacin makes me get "burns" on my skin. Not regular burns, its kinda like a sun burn. The doc said thats what it does to some people...its not that uncommon apparently. I just found out it did the same thing to my uncle, my mom, and one of my friends.

I just drink regular fat free milk. I did try taking things like milk, dairy, sodas, anything with chemicals, out of my diet to see how much of an effect it had. The only thing that really has a negative effect on me food wise is white sugar and food dyes - Red dye is VERY VERY bad for me. If I eat candy or drink soda high in red dye I get soooooooo hyper and feel like I'm on drugs!!! I pretty much eliminated white sugar and red dye from my diet now. (I occasionally have something with red dye in it just for fun, like at a party, then no one offers me illicit drugs because they end up thinking Im already high on something lol)

Funny you should mention the red dye, I have heard of a number of other people who it is terrible for too...

As for the nutrition... Dr. Amen says that for most ADDers you want to cut your carbs and increase your protein, plus do a lot of other stuff, most of which you seem to be doing already. :D

This is strange, but I have tried fasting for spiritual purposes, and I find that I feel so much better when fasting that I don't really want to eat anymore. I got allergy testing for everything, and I don't have any (60 different tests). I tried a controlled carbohydrate diet and that worked wonders, weight wise as well as mood and health.

I take magnesium every day, multivitamin plus liquid B complex, 4-5 fish oil capsules, natural progesterone for PMS, and a digestive supplement called AZ2-12. If I go off of any of it I feel like a space cadet.

But I still can't bring myself to exercise regularly, even though I enjoy it when I do??

Hi, Amiegrace.

I'm very intrigued by your supplements and was wondering a few things.

Which b-supplement do you use?

And what does magnesium and your digestive supplement do to prevent your add symptoms?

My son has been diagnosed with ADD/HD recently. he is only 5 yrs old and I hate the thought of putting him on meds. We tried adderall for a month and it broke my heart watching him because he just spaced out on me. All he wanted to do was play his play station ALL day long. He was like an addict. It made him, I guess you could say hyperfocussed.
I just don't know what to do with him. When he is not on meds he absolutely drives me and my husband batty.
All this talk about nutrition and diet is making me wonder and making me hopeful, is this something I can control? Can I help my poor little boy by giving him vitamins and making sure he eats well? God if it were that simple I would be so happy, but sad at the same time that he , and we have suffered needlessly for so long. He has also been allergy tested and is allergic to many foods. I do know one thing he can eat and within a 10 minutes he is climbing the walls. I need help, I don't know where to begin with all of this. I have my own issues as well, I am almost convinced that I have it too and that this is why I have been so messed up all of my life.

I'm with you on this, my son was just diagnoised with ADD, not so much hyperactive, I have not put him on the meds YET, because I was hoping I could find an alternative. I don't want to make him suffer or give him all that he needs just because I "don't believe in medicating kids" . He is already having self esteem issues because he can't finish his work. he is a big daydreamer with a big imagination and it shows through his interactions at home and at school.

My daughter is 8 (this week) and was diagnosed 2 years ago with ADHD. We resisted medication for a year and tried alternative methods. We adjusted her diet to see if there were trigger foods and we gave her vitamin supplements. After a little bit of a change, we decided that there had to be more done for her. After much debate, we put her on Straterra. What a miracle that was! A different child, she did her work, she stayed in her seat etc, yet, her personality was not altered, our biggest fear. But, here we are, a year later and after having her medication altered to higher doses several times, we are back at square one. :mad: It seems that her body became use to the medication and it no longer has any affect on her. We found out that she is allergic to sugar and wheat, both which can cause the symptoms of ADHD. We are now trying other food eliminations so that we can avoid going to a stronger medication. If it can be avoided, we would prefer that. Now we are just at a loss as what to feed her!:confused:

Littlemissattitude, thanx for the post, you sounded like me there, researching and researching for that perfect supplement. But i look at it as an aid to the amphetamines or adderall which i take.
Definetel Omega 3 fats EPA DHA, which protect the nerve cells or methylin sheath which cover the nerve. Also, helps receptors bind better.

SOme Dopaminergic precursers are an up in the air issue. You have L-Tyrosine, which converts to Da, but what or where in the brain. I dont think it converts to the Dopaminergic cells in the Nucleus accumbens. The closest I would say would be a Herb called Munuca Prurriens, which is natural L-dopa, 15-25%, 600mg daily, with Tribulis Terrestis, studies show potentiates the turnover. Another natural Doapminergic and GABA agonist is L-Theanine. From studies , This ingredient found in green tea has a triple action. First its tooted to increase Gaba, or calming factor. Then it increased Dopamine.(still trying to find out how), and another research preliminary study states L-Theanine and Magnesium are NDMA antagonist, or glutamate/aspartate blockers, which actually increase Parkinsons drugs, and amphetamines. It potentiates amphetamines. But some say high doses like 800mg, which i take 200mg.
Mementine, a nootropic drug, used in Europe now for ALziemers, and is having good effects, is a very good NDMA antagonists, and 2 reports iv read, that adderall users over 2 yrs, lost alot of there tolerance, then started Memantine and they basically got back most of there effect. Now there are side effects, but i cannot recall, but nothing too serious from what i read. But for 30pills are like 130 dollars!> I guess if you have alzhiemers, its worth it.!

Supplements that are stimuating, not like ephedra, but give you a scence of mental clarity, yet along with calming ones like L-theaine, Kava, Valerian, Phenibut, picolimamine, esp last 2 which look promising, and Omega fish oils, Amino Acid Precursors such as Acetyl L Carntine, L-Tyrosine, DL-Phenylalanine, Vitamin B-Complex, esp B5, B6 B12, Folic acid, and adaptogens, used in russia for years such as Rhodioa Rosia, by pinnacle which has multi uses, and ashwanganda. I can list more, but a product by Vaxa, which posted on here before, looks great, the ingredience list is phenominal, but doesnt list the mg of each. I believe its called Attend. They also have numerious other supplements for other ailments. But this company seems like they put some effort into there supplements. (adhd becamled, sees opposite)

MindResearcher

I think it's safe to say that almost all the adults on here wish they had had the option of taking ADD medications when they were little, all the years of heartbreak it would have saved. It's not a matter of medication or diet or lifestyle changes; it's medication and diet and lifestyle changes together. If your child "spaces out" that's a sign that either the dose it too high, or it isn't an appropriate medication and he should try one of the others. Meanwhile, plenty of kids space out around video games and become addicted to them--inherent problem with video games. My mother never let me have video games and while I hated her for it and still think that was too extreme, I do not think I would have done nearly as well in life if I had played video games as much as other kids did.

Do you avoid giving your child triamenic, tylenol, or other medications for physical problems? What's the matter with ADHD medications?

I'm on the ADD Nutrition Solutions diet. It seems to be helping my ADHD symptoms quite a bit. When I stray from it my head gets fuzzy, l feel lethargic, and just generally don't do as well (more forgetful, disorganized, depressed/anxious, and so forth). It's a really big change, so probably isn't for everybody (no dairy, eggs, wheat, corn, peanuts, oranges, processed food with any additive, preservatives, or dyes), and no chocolate -- I cheat a bit on that one. After a month you can start testing some of the food groups one at a time to see how you do -- so far wheat and peanuts are definately out -- I had an immediate negative reaction to them. The difference in how I feel is just amazing though, so for me it's worth it. The difference between being functional and non functional (I'm not on medication).

There are supplements you're suppose to take too, but I can't afford them yet.

Scattered

My son has been diagnosed with ADD/HD recently. he is only 5 yrs old and I hate the thought of putting him on meds. We tried adderall for a month and it broke my heart watching him because he just spaced out on me. All he wanted to do was play his play station ALL day long. He was like an addict. It made him, I guess you could say hyperfocussed.
I just don't know what to do with him. When he is not on meds he absolutely drives me and my husband batty.
All this talk about nutrition and diet is making me wonder and making me hopeful, is this something I can control? Can I help my poor little boy by giving him vitamins and making sure he eats well? God if it were that simple I would be so happy, but sad at the same time that he , and we have suffered needlessly for so long. He has also been allergy tested and is allergic to many foods. I do know one thing he can eat and within a 10 minutes he is climbing the walls. I need help, I don't know where to begin with all of this. I have my own issues as well, I am almost convinced that I have it too and that this is why I have been so messed up all of my life.
I'd like to suggest the book The ADD Nutrition Solution. I'm trying the diet and the results are so good I'm willing to put up with the eating changes. It also has alot of good information on how allergies to food and stuff make ADD worse.

I'm having my daughter tested this week for ADHD (she is 7 and quite literally bounces off walls -- I have the hand prints to prove it). If the doctor thinks this is the problem, I'm going to begin easing her into this diet, since it made such a difference for me.

Good luck to you!

Scattered