hi, ive been looking into possibly trying a herbal-or natural remedy for my extremely hyper three year old son. hes already been diagnosed with adhd, and has been offered adderall,which i declined on count of his age. ive been giving him chamomile tea at night, to help him calm down to sleep, but was wondering what the best thing would be to give him during the day.my son is so hyper, he jumps off of the furniture, climbs,and runs excessivly, until he falls and gets hurt, if i try to chase him, hwe doesnt pay attention and runs into things. out in public at the stores is real bad,as long as we look at the toys hes fine.but the minute i try to look at something else or leave, it get real ugly, everybody in the store stares.he kicks,screams,cries,bites,spits, and just acts like a wild animal. it takes everything i have to get him out of the store, and buckle him into his carseat, with him fighting me all the way.at home here, he has many temper tantrums, where he throws himself on the floor, kicking and crying, he gets very frustrated real easy, and if he is trying to tell me something,and i dont know what he means, he gets very angry.i am on dissability with fibro,and a bad back,so all this is expecially difficult for me.i have a 12 year old daughter, and she was never like this ,so its hard.please if anyone has any advise please let me know

are you opposed to mild amounts of caffiene at that age, I haven't researched it personally but a small amount under certain circumstances may not be unhealthy, check with his doctor before doing that but it's worth considering.

I wouldn't put herbal remedies in a 3 year old either. I would go with the Adderall first. There is mixed results on the effectiveness of the herbal remedies. mspen has a point, research the use of caffiene to help. You would think it would cause an increase in behaviors but it might actually help to level him out.

I wouldn't put herbal remedies in a 3 year old either. I would go with the Adderall first. There is mixed results on the effectiveness of the herbal remedies. mspen has a point, research the use of caffiene to help. You would think it would cause an increase in behaviors but it might actually help to level him out.
Last year we tried giving my then-8-year old granddaughter a half a tablet of Melatonin, with mixed success. Last week our therapist suggested giving a quarter of a tablet of Melatonin to my now-5-year old granddaughter on the nights when she gets her schedule mixed up and can't sleep. She weighs about 45 pounds, so that is something you might consider trying. (He feels she has Autism or Asperger's and wants to send her to a child specialist for a definitive diagnosis, and he is pretty sure her sister has ADHD.)

<!--AuthorList-->The effects of magnesium physiological supplementation on hyperactivity in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Positive response to magnesium oral loading test.
Starobrat-Hermelin B (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=Search&Term=%22Starobrat-Hermelin%20B%22%5BAuthor%5D&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus), Kozielec T (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=Search&Term=%22Kozielec%20T%22%5BAuthor%5D&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus).

Department of Family Medicine, Pomeranian Medical Academy, Szczecin, Poland.

Children with ADHD are 'a group at risk' as far as their further emotional and social development and educational possibilities are concerned, and the consequences of the lack of an appropriate therapy appears to be serious. Some of these children do not respond to prevailing therapy methods. It is reported that dietetic factors can play a significant role in the etiology of ADHD syndrome, and magnesium deficiency can help in revealing hyperactivity in children. The aim of our work was to assess the influence of magnesium supplementation on hyperactivity in patients with ADHD. The examination comprised 50 hyperactive children, aged 7-12 years, who fulfilled DSM IV criteria for ADHD syndrome, with recognized deficiency of magnesium in the blood (blood serum and red blood cells) and in hair using atomic absorption spectroscopy. In the period of 6 months those examined regularly took magnesium preparations in a dose of about 200 mg/day. 30 of those examined with ADHD showed coexisting disorders specific to developmental age, and 20 of them showed disruptive behaviour. The control group consisted of 25 children with ADHD and magnesium deficiency, who were treated in a standard way, without magnesium preparations. 15 members of this group showed coexisting disorders specific for developmental age, and 10 members showed disruptive behaviour. Hyperactivity was assessed with the aid of psychometric scales: the Conners Rating Scale for Parents and Teachers, Wender's Scale of Behavior and the Quotient of Development to Freedom from Distractibility. In the group of children given 6 months of magnesium supplementation, independently of other mental disorders coexisting with hyperactivity, an increase in magnesium contents in hair and a significant decrease of hyperactivity of those examined has been achieved, compared to their clinical state before supplementation and compared to the control group which had not been treated with magnesium.

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Use any form except oxide, which does some bad things (such as creating free radicals) and has very poor bioavailability. Citrate is quite good. There's another study I recall that had 95% of ADHD kids out of 116 tested showing deficient levels of magnesium, with the degree of deficiency correlating with hyperactive symptoms.

I take a very high dose -- 400mg citrate with each meal and up to a gram before sleeping. I wouldn't advise that kind of dose for everyone, however, as at some point it will probably worsen inattention. It is basically relaxant in the brain, as opposed to calcium which is excitatory via glutamate channels.

Learn and Teach Grounding techniques (not the same as "grounding" punishment.)
Lots and lots of hard exercise... (Read Cesar Millan's dog training books. The SAME principles apply to humans.)

The main thing is to not get upset and to not show upset facial and body expressions. This just escalates things.

You have to be in control of yourself. You have to be calm-assertive to bring the child back to a calm-assertive state.

Children cannot learn (listen, or do what you ask, or 'hear') in an agitated state.

His book explains it all. (This topic is called "conditioning", btw.)

Does he go to daycare or preschool? Getting him "socialized" is going to be REALLY important before you try to take him to Kindergarten.

hello yall,I really dont know where to start my son is so out of control my childs behavior has made me cry a lot of nights I dont know how to handle him just remind him all yhe time I LOVE YOU SO MUCH IM HERE FOR YOU.And give him A great big hug.

but,I can only see him once a year but,I do talk to him on the phone twice a week.

high doses of omega 3 fish oil? it works on most inattentive/combined ADD types that i've come across...why not hyperactive as well?

If the child is that out of control, I'd suggest professional help. We wouldn't be having this medication/treatment question come up if your kid was having seizures.

ADD is a real neurological disorder. Brain based. Why don't people ever understand this? (Because they aren't neurologists, i guess.)

Fast forward 15 years. If the child acts like this, he'll be put in Handcuffs and Jail. Or the mental ward. That would be terrible. What's to debate, medication-wise? :)

We so SO MANY people on here (Adults) who wish they'd been treated as kids, so they could have done better in school and jobs. Myself included.

I've heard of some parenting classes for parents that have 'difficult' children. I'm not saying you're a bad parent but you should look into something like this as you may learn some tips.

Keep him/her away from food coloring and sugar if you can, some parents finds this actually helps! As queens said do heaps of exercise.

I think you're doing the right thing with not putting him on stimulants at that age. Not much research has been done with children that young and I think it might be dangerous. I couldn't imagine putting a child of 3 on amphetamines or ritalin, although I'm sure you could find a doctor that would happily do it.

re: #13

Paragraph 1: I think Oz means "skills development for parents". Yup. There are some trick, for sure.

(Particularly challenging when ADHD kids have Undiagnosed non-hyperactive ADD Parents. It seems to run in families sometimes. And many non-hypers
("Inattentives") aren't diagnosed b/c we were Quiet kids.)

Noone here really advocates "pills without skills". :)

I think Ritalin works best for people 6-16 years old

Two words.

cattle prod.:p

Just kidding.

I found as a child that my art was the only thing that could slow me down. This also became a problem too. I would be distracted and want to draw.

I feel a healthy hobby will work for someone that young.
Something that will constructively occupy their mind. You know?

To help w/ some of the tantrums and unwanted behaviors, I recommend the book 123Magic. It is a very easy system that helps parents help kids stop negative behavior (arguing, jumping on the furniture etc.) or start positive behavior. It's based on the old tried and true "counting to 3", but the approach is a bit different.

For example, climbing on furniture. Kid is running around family room, hopping form chair to sofa. (Happens in my house EVERYDAY) You say, "That's 1, Johhny...we don't climb on the furniture." Kid ignores you and continues. You say, "That's 2" Kid continues. You say, "That's 3...take a break (5 minute break or whatever in their room) No anger, no frustration on your part...disengage. Be matter a fact. If they don't go willingly you tell them you'll increase the time. After the break they come out and you move on. No lectures, etc.

The book helps you find creative ways to enforce the consequence if you're at a store or some other public place where finding a place to take a break is a bit of a challenge. The technique is ridiculously simple. No yelling, arguing or spanking and the approach is recommended for kids w/ ADHD. You can find the book at a local book store or the library. (There's even a hoaky, yet helpful, video you can rent from your local library) Here's the website for more info: http://www.parentmagic.com

Another thing I often say, that I got from the Love and Logic Parenting book is "Your behavior is draining my energy. If I don't have enough energy I can't do (fill in the blank) w/ you later" (for more info on this approach check out the Love and Logic forum in the parenting section on ADD forums) Love and Logic stresses empathy, choices and natural consequences. For the short term, though, try 123Magic. It will get you through your day.

Last, but not least...if you can, get yourself and your son out of the house and to a park. Studies have shown that ADHD kids who have "green time", playing outdoors in nature, have better symptom relief and are calmer. Natural open settings are best, but a park w/ lots of trees and grassy fields is also good...better than a concrete playground or indoor play. Getting out will make you feel better too.

And of course, when you just can't take it anymore...there's always TV. :)

The bottom line is that the only thing proven to treat ADHD effectively and safely is medication. You really should
consult a doctor on the matter.

These controversial therapies involving things like dietary supplements and various kinds of cognitive therapies are called controversial because they have not been medically proven to be safe or effective for treating ADHD. Some of them are outright quackery and the few that show some promise for being beneficial are speculative and in need of more study.

Please talk to your childs doctor.

Me :D

For me and others I've talked to, the bottom line is that nothing, including medication, is effective and safe for everybody. For myself, I've had much worse reactions to prescription medications that I've had to supplements. Could be just the opposite for someone else such as those who are allergic to fish. And some folks have to try up to a dozen medications before they find something that is effective. Sometimes it continues to be effective but in many cases the effectiveness wanes and something else must be tried.

Checking with a doctor is always a good idea, but again you may have to change doctors in order to find someone who is willing to try different medications to find the one that works best, and of course the doctor must be somewhat knowledgable about ADHD in the first place and many are not. We are currently looking for a different doctor because our family doc believed that my granddaughter's issues were behavorial and he didn't want to test for ADHD or Autism or Celiac's until I insisted. Autism is not a "behavorial issue." :eyebrow:

Sending me to my room for alone time worked wonders for me.

My son isn't nearly as excitable as it sounds yours is when he was 3, but there are definately times where he acted just like I did when I was his age. I guess the wife and I just try to be consistent, show patience, long-suffering, and gentleness yet firmness, knowing there may not be immediate response from him without assistance, but knowing he's worth the effort in the long run.

My study into the recent developments of Neurology and brain function as is pertains to ADHD / attention / impulse control have helped us to realize that he's really trying very hard to fight past the constant mental static and fixation on certain topics that make it even more difficult to grow up and learn healthy habits and proper ways of respecting his parents and the house.

70% of the brain is there to inhibit the other 30%, and when that 70% isn't working well it's very easy for things to take off on their own and break the normal cycle of "self-regulation homeostasis".

I think it's important to know that your son is having to battle both growing up and a faulty self-regulating system. What may appear to be willful behavior in "normal" children may be nothing more than the system that is able to hear and obey direction from you or social cues is having a hard time listening or communicating to the rest of the brain.

At that age, I'm inclined to use a lot of prayer and accepting help from anyone willing to bolster you up while you fight this continual struggle against your son's disfunctional brain, but make sure you are fighting the struggles themselves and not your son himself.

When he gets old enough (to sit still through the testing and treatment), I would highly suggest finding a Neurofeedback Practicitioner, and exploring that as an option. It's an application of neuroscience and biofeedback that allows you to alter your brain function long-term and reinforce those self-regulation systems in your brain that are a little off in folks suffering from ADHD symptoms.

You can find more info on Neurofeedback at the following sites, or by reviewing some of the other (http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47081) threads (http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21861)on this forum:
http://www.eeginfo.com/info_what.htm
http://www.adhd.com.au/neurotherapy.htm (http://www.adhd.com.au/neurotherapy.htm)

The bottom line is that the only thing proven to treat ADHD effectively and safely is medication.
I beg to differ...

Here is just one for example from "Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback" March 2003:
http://www.adhd.com.au/downloads/Fuchs_neurotherapy_ritalin.pdf

And a study published in the "Child and Adolsecent Psychiatric Clinics of North America" journal in Jan 2005:
http://neurodevelopmentcenter.com/uploads/Emerging%20Interventions%20chapter.pdf

(And a 3-page "Cliff Notes" version of the 2005 article from Brown University)
http://www.neurodevelopmentcenter.com/uploads/CPU-Lead.pdf

For the full current list of articles published in medical journals, see:
http://www.isnr.org/ComprehensiveBibliography.cfm

...These controversial therapies involving things like dietary supplements and various kinds of cognitive therapies are called controversial because they have not been medically proven to be safe or effective for treating ADHD. Some of them are outright quackery and the few that show some promise for being beneficial are speculative and in need of more study.
I do believe that there is a lot of crap out there, but we need to be open to reviewing new information, because things are changing all the time, and eventually there is going to be something really good that comes along. We need to make sure we protect ourselves, but are flexible enough to accept new solutions in the midst of all the "outright quackery".

(But I digress - I don't want to get too off-topic and have another thread closed...)

Indeed, there is a difference between "clinically proven effectiveness" and what people have found works for them personally. And we should be able to stay open to therapies as an alternative to drugs. Having a broad spectrum treatment plan makes much more sense to me than relying on just one form of treatment.

What's that old saying about putting all your eggs in one basket?

What's that old saying about putting all your eggs in one basket?

Don't do it! ;)