Does anyone use an alternative over the counter medication for ADHD that works really well and less dangerous. Maybe I should get off the adderall cuz it's starting to worry me. I want to find something safer and that I can get without a prescription. Anyone have suggestions on what works for them???

Why is Adderall starting to worry you? If taken as prescribed there is really nothing to worry about. No more than taking other meds like Lipitor, Tylenol, etc.... Just check with your doc for periodic blood pressure readings and you should be fine.

If anything, the 'herbal'/'natural' stuff in health stores can be way riskier since there are no regulations in place concerning quality.

J

An EKG is advisable with Adderall, too. And liver enzymes, etc.

Exercise can control ADHD for some people who are dedicated. Research (eg John Ratey) seems to back this up.

JR1973 is correct about "natural" products.

Natural does not mean "safe".

Natural products would include poisons like, oh, Hemlock, and other toxic stuff...

OTC products are often not STANDARDISED (same with street drugs), so do you really know what you are Taking??

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re: alternatives to stimulants

-wellbutrin
-effexor

My almost 14 yr. old son takes riddlin LA once a day for ADHD. i would love to get him off this medication. But not sure how to go about it. I'm trying to skip every other day. Just to get started. But that doesn't always seem to work. Anyone have any ideas for me?

Excerise probably won't help ADHD with me. If I am not interested in something for example something I need to do I can't make myself concentrate. When I get excited I can't sit still... My mind races and I can't focus. Even with something that interests me I can't much focus.

I know natural doesn't always mean safe but there are stuff out there not so harsh as stimulants and all that, that might work so I want to see what others maybe take and find that works.

My almost 14 yr. old son takes riddlin LA once a day for ADHD. i would love to get him off this medication. But not sure how to go about it. I'm trying to skip every other day. Just to get started. But that doesn't always seem to work. Anyone have any ideas for me?The reason that does not work is that for a person with ADHD, meds are like glasses for a person who does not see properly.

Would you ask him to skip wearing glasses every other day?

Ritalin LA is giving him a maximum of 8 hours relief but in my experience it will not last a full 8 hours.

there are stuff out there not so harsh as stimulants and all that, that might work so I want to see what others maybe take and find that worksDefine "harsh".

The herbals that are touted for ADHD have been pretty much proven to be ineffective for the disorder. *shrugs* Maybe somebody here takes something else that works for ADHD? But if they do, I don't know of them offhand. I know some people take fish oil along with meds....and we do have the Dore group if you are willing to pay that fee.

If you are looking for alternatives in the way of supplements, you might try the high EPA/DHA ratio omega fatty acids. They are known for assisting mood and focus/concentration.

Also, you can look into pycnogenol, some have had results with it, but I didn't.

Or, you can look into neurotransmitter treatments with amino acids, many have had GREAT luck with that. If you want to try that, you will need to investigate what transmitter is dominant in your brain chemistry, and which ones you are deficient in to know which amino acid to treat with. There is a thread somewhere here in the misc treatment section about phosyphytidyl (spelling) serine, depending on the brain chemistry, is working very well for some.

You could try Strattera...It's non-stimulant and works for some people.

I'll vouch for exercise as an ADD remedy. Your best bet is short spurts of intense exercise at least twice a day. The focus / feel good you get from exercise is temporary (~ 3 hours).

20 minutes in the morning, 20 minutes at lunch and 20 minutes before dinner of intense (90% of Max heart rate) exercise has worked really, really well for my particular symptoms.

Strattera works really well for me too. But one odd thing is that after I exercise, I don't feel the Strattera anymore; it's almost as if the exercise replaces the feeling I get from Strattera, with the exception that Strattera lasts all day and exercise lasts only a few hours.

But overall, I could control my ADHD symptoms through exercise. It's only when my living situation changed and had to seriously decrease the amount of exercise I was doing that I started to really suffer and went to get meds. (I used to bike 40 miles a day. worked great, but I just don't have 2 hours in my day for that anymore, unfortunately)