Hi,
This is the first time that I have posted here, I have read alot of the posts though. I have a 9yo daughter and she has ADHD, she has been on ritalin for just over a year now and has been doing not to bad. Now that being said, there has been problems along the way including halucinations, hearing things, violent out bursts, depression and even trying to kill herself. We finally seen a specialist today and he has alot of ideas, he says that maybe she doesn't have ADHD. He is looking at the possibility of her either having epilepsy (which my 16yo has) or being bi-polar. I have been doing a little research and believe it or not it could be possible. I am just wondering if anyone else has been misdiagnosed, do any of your children or kids you know have problems like this? Could it still be ADHD, with other problems? The difference the ritalin makes is like night and day, if it isn't ADHD why would the ritalin make a difference? Any thoughts, ideas or personal expierence would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I am not a doctor. Before chosing to act on anything i say, check with a docotr first.

The stimulants working is one issue.. The side effeects are another.

I know more than one professional who gets great results with stimulants, but can't use them because of side effects. (tics, heart racing, etc.)

Stimulant ABUSE is characterized by mood changes, sullenness and depression. If you self medicate those are called "warning signs." if you are under aprescription, they are called 'side effects."

It may well be that the drug works great for her, for the intended purpose, but that the side effects are intolerable (I'd say suicide would be an indication of that or a separate problem.)

I think people might be too eager to consider those effects as evidence of a separate problem, than considering the possibility that they could be side effects of the medication,

Remember, the drugs don't care "why" you are taking them. they do what they do.

All that being said, ADHD is co-morbid( goes with) so many other things too. it is quite possible there are multiple things going on for your child.

Become an expert if you can, or hire them if you must, and keep attending to this until your child is "out of danger" if you can.

Good luck.

One mis-conception many people have is that ritalin and other stimulants only help those with AD/HD. But stimulants do help those who don't have AD/HD too.

There are a number of reasons she could be having side effects from the ritalin.

Many times there are co-existing conditions with the AD/HD too. It is very for Drs to misdiagnose AD/HD for other conditons.

Try to find a specialist and have a complete physical and psychological eval done.

CHADD Canada may be of help too
http://www.chaddcanada.org/

SweetnSour,
If I were you, I'd look at natural treatments such as at the Pfeiffer Center in Warrenville, Illinois or the Bio-Center in Wichita, Kansas. Both have a website. I would HURRY and have a pyroluria test done on both kids. It's a very simple urine test that can be performed at any LabCorp and costs under $75.00. The longer it is left untreated, the harder it is to cure.
Keep in mind that psychiatrists in this country have absolutely NO PROOF that anyone is properly diagnosed. Often, what they call ADHD or bipolar is really pyroluria. You can easily prove the pyroluria with a urine test but shrinks cannot prove ADHD or bipolar. They have been taught to prescribe drugs for your children because that's where the money is but drugs only control the SYMPTOMS of mental disorders, they don't cure the disorders. It's just like if your car's exhaust pipe is spewing out black smoke. Would you stuff a sock in it and say it's all better?
All shrinks in this country must do as the APA (American Psychiatric Assoc) tells them to do and the APA is in bed with the drug companies because of the literally BILLIONS of dollars to be made from psychotropic drugs.
I know a lot about pyroluria because I have it and so do both of my sons. Shrinks tried to put me on amphetamines and other drugs. My older son was diagnosed "ADHD' but he NEVER had it. My other son was "uni-polar bipolar" (depressed) and put on drugs costing twenty dollars PER PILL! But the three of us have pyroluria!
Call LabCorp and just ask them if they have a urine test in their catalog called "pyrroles" or "pyroluria."
I would be happy to help you with more info.
NWLinda

NWLinda,

I have done some digging on pyroluria, and am having some difficulty finding reliable information (from websites other than nutritional & supplement websites). Do you have any medical research, not sponsored by a nutritional or supplement company that describes pyroluria, how it develops and its impact, etc.?

That would be most appreciated.

Thanks,

NWLinda,
Thanks for your reply. I'm sorry, but I haven't heard about pyroluria before, could you please tell me what it is, and maybe the symptoms or anything else you could think of. I live in Canada, so those centers would be definitely out of the question. I am really interested in this pyroluria, and would like to know more. Thank you.

SweetnSour,

Some additional info is available here: http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3200&highlight=pyroluria

To Big & SweetnSour1967,
Pyroluria is a mental disorder caused by a naturally-produced poison that was discovered back in 1952 by two Canadian researchers, Dr. Abrahm Hoffer and Dr. Humphrey Osmond. Dr. Hoffer describes this poison called "pyrroles" or "kryptopyrroles" in "How to Live With Schizophrenia," but I always hesitate to tell people about this book because the title is so frightening. Schizophrenia is a worst-case result of untreated pyroluria.

Dr. Carl Pfeiffer wrote the classic mental health reference book, "Mental and Elemental Nutrients," which also includes some info on pyroluria.

These researchers, among others, have found that many, if not most, cases of mental problems stem from a biochemical imbalance, in other words, the NATURAL chemicals that our bodies need to be healthy. Drug companies want you to think it's a "chemical" imbalance so they can sell you more chemicals.

When a shrink tells you that you have ADHD, bipolar, or schizophrenia, what PROOF do they have? Do they have ANY blood or urine test?? No! It's all just theory and opinion.

In contrast, there IS a urine test to detect pyroluria. Here in the U.S. it's only $72.00. In Canada, you can contact the Canadian Schizophrenia Association.

I have it. Both of my sons have it. If you have a mild case of it you might just have mild symptoms such as anxiety or a little irritability. If your score is high, you end up with more severe symptoms. Alcoholism is common among pyrolurics (people with pyroluria) because of the way it can make you feel so alone, irritable, or just plain "out of it." Then people drink in excess to try to feel better & become alcoholics. It's estimated that 20 to 50% of all alcoholics have pyroluria as their underlying cause.

I have lots more info if you're interested but those books I mentioned are a great place to start. Also, "Seven Weeks to Sobriety" is another great book with a section on pyroluria & alcoholism.

Dr. Hoffer lives in Victoria, B.C. and I just took my son for an appointment with him in December. Well worth the trip. Dr. Hoffer is in his late eighties and still has a thriving psychiatric practice.

NWLinda

Hello SweetnSour1967,

I apologize if my replies are not being posted right. I'm 52 and computers are still difficult for me! So I can only hope this message goes to the right place.

Please read my other post from today about pyroluria. It's very possible that both of your children have it.

Did you know that some people have a genetic NEED for more B-6 than they can get from their diet? Read "The B-6 Book" by Ruth Adams (Larchmont Press). The library might be able to find a copy for you.

A baby (or child, too, I would imagine) can end up with convulsions if he or she is extremely low on B-6. So does your child have convulsions or epilepsy? Also, a B-6 deficient person can end up with pyroluria which is often mis-diagnosed as ADHD, bipolar, or other disorder. My first son was supposedly ADHD, then another doctor said it was bipolar but they were both wrong: it was pyroluria. My other son was diagnosed "uni-polar bipolar with psychosis" (what a laugh) and that also turned out to be pyroluria. My family has a MUCH greater need for B-6 than other people. Shrinks are clueless. All they know how to do is drug people. To quote my pharmacist-friend, "Virtually every drug on the market just controls the symptoms of chronic disorders. NONE of them are there to cure them." Think about that. Is that what you want to do - control your children's symptoms with drugs? Or do you want to cure them? You have to do what YOU think is best for your children. We're out of the vicious cycle of shrinks & drugs and will NEVER go back.

You can spend hundreds of dollars on a test to see if the body has enough B vitamins but I think it's a waste of money.

If at all possible, have the pyroluria test done ASAP and then start your kids on the treatment which is just B-6, zinc, vitamin C and a little B-3. Just see if it works because it won't do any harm, I promise! If you truly cannot get the test done, just start them on the treatment and see if they get better. Don't expect results right away - it could take days or months to see improvement.

NWLinda