Natural treatments

[Lisa Mullins]

Is anyone familiar with any of the natural products for ADHD and do any work? I wrote about my son's motor tics and now they are getting worse. There is a very real possibility that he just can't take these meds, so I need info on other treatments. Anyone familiar with guanfacine? brightspark? Focus? The guanfacine is a hypertension drug, I beleive, but it does supposedly help with hyperactive/impulsive type ADHD. I need recommendations. If anyone has found anything that helps, please let me know. Thanks! I should add, he has now been on 3 diffferent stim's and they all give him tics.

[Anni Rodgers]

Hi Lisa:

I would recommend downloading this free report on Alternative ADHD Treatments from ADDitude magazine. It goes into depth on fish oil, neurofeedback, behavior therapy, nutrition, exercise, green time, etc.

You might also want to check out this article about combating common tics in children taking ADHD medication.

I hope this helps!

[Lisa Mullins]

Thanks for the info!

[Hiking Junkie]

I have heard good things about L-Tyrosine. Not sure if it's as effective as meds, but a lot of people seem to be using it instead of them.

"This is an amino acid (a protein) that the body uses to synthesize dopamine and norepinephrine, the two neurotransmitters believed to be involved in ADHD. These neurotransmitters are the targets of the medications used to treat ADHD. Some studies have shown that children with ADD may have lower levels of this amino acid. By increasing the intake of L Tyrosine through diet or supplements, it is possible to increase the amount of dopamine and norepinephrine available in the brain."

http://www.revolutionhealth.com/drugs-treatments/rating/l-tyrosine-...

http://www.addforums.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-13707.html

[Lisa Mullins]

Thanks! I may try this on me and see how I react then try it on him. I added some vitamins a while back and they seemed to increase his tics, which I surely don't want to do. I am ADD, inattentive now, but impulsive as a child. He is ADHD with a CAPITAL on the H for HYPER!! Bless his heart! Thanks again!

[Voodoo]

I have prescription medication, but I don't know the brand name... Sigh. I did find out some stuff through school science and my own deduction. Okay then so ADD people chemically have a lower concentration of dopamine at the synapses. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps with focus, but obviously a high concentration of dopamine at the synapse is bad, which you can see by the extreme affects of illegal stimulants. However a much much smaller amount of the extreme stimulants can help those with lower concentration levels of dopamine reach the levels of dopamine at the synapse that unAdders have.

So basically and put bluntly. Ritalin is mini-cocaine. Not all ADD drugs use stimulants like the mini version of cocaine...and there are some differences in the way these mini stimulants increase the concentration of dopamine levels in the synapse. Ritalin blocks some of the dopamine receptors. My medication (this is the deductive reasoning part) probably goes into the vesticles. It is labeled by the pharmacists as a dextroamphedemine (not sure if that's spelled right) which reminded me of the illegal drug methamphedemine...so it's probably a much smaller version.

Here. http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/issues/ritalin.html
That has an article about Ritalin that might be useful and also I suggest you go to the main page and then to 'Mouse Party'. It shows how different illegal drugs cause dopamine or serotonin overloads in the brain...how the illegal stimulants work show an extreme view of how most legal ones work..well except it's less extreme and you're not starting at normal levels of dopamine. So finding out what exactly those brands contain might be useful, because your son could've been taking three brands of almost the same thing... I'm no doctor though. Definately not, but...well if it weren't for the fact that I'd have to be in school for waaay longer than I want to be and that I don't want to take a bullet out of a person EVER (yeah I've watched too much TV) ...well I'd probably think that maybe I should...nah.

[theadhdwarrior]

Hi Lisa,

I recently came across this article on using ginseng and Ginkgo biloba in combo for ADHD treatment. There's been a ton of buzz surrounding these 2 herbs for memory and mind-boosting benefits in general, but from everything I've gathered, there's a fair amount of evidence supporting their use for ADHD in particular.

P.S. If you don't have time to read the whole 8-page study, a 1 paragraph summary of it can be found here.

[Bryan Hutchinson]

Actually, I have used a multi-vitamine with 60mg of Ginkgo and 60mg of Ginseng with great success for several years! It's interesting though that when I try either of these seperate I don't get the same results. I have written about this here before, somewhere... where did I place that post??

Please be sure to consult your doc before trying new things like this.

[theadhdwarrior]

It's interesting you say that, Bryan, the paper I mentioned above also says that the 2 work really well in tandem. Of course, your personal testimony means more to me than some random clinical study!

And Lisa (I didn't want you to think I was ignoring your or anyone else's recent posts!), thanks for sharing about your son. Stimulant meds can definitely worsen tics, as can food or drug allergies, so I think your methods of eliminating things as well as your personal "detective" work is right on the money. I know it takes a lot of discipline to sort through all of these possibilities and stick with steering clear of all of these potential irritants, but once you and your doctor nail it down, it'll be all worth it. Trust me! Please keep us all posted on how your son's doing.

[Bryan Hutchinson]

Seems like a good study to me, but, just 6 people? I like your write up, as usual, excellent!

[Her Lateness]

I have recently been trying to find out more info on neurofeedback. I was looking for info for a treatment w/o drugs (and their side effects!) and stumbled upon this. It is available in my area so I may be making an appt. for a consultation. You may want to google it and check to see if anyone in your area is trained in this.
Good Luck!

[DANA]

I just ordered a combination that has Ginko with Ginseng. I think a few other herbs, such as Schizandra are included in this supplement for the memory. The #1 natural alternative that I use is Phosphatidylserine, which helps with strengthening your memory, increasing vigilance and attention, boosts learning, increases mental acuity, intensifies your concentration, relieves depression and improves mood and decreases stress—whether you are young or old.

Note: Be sure to research this supplement to get a complete look at all of the benefits. Consider checking with your physician when trying new products.

[Lisa Mullins]

Thanks for all of your suggestions on my post. He is now on a multi vitamin that contains no allergens or dyes. He has had a complete neuro-psych and will probably have an MRI because the tics seem to stay on one side of his body. The neurologist thinks he has a latent tic disorder that is made worse by the stim's. The tics are now better with the vitamin, so maybe cutting out the dyes and such has helped. We also went over his med history from birth and found that he had a pretty serious reaction to the chickenpox vaccine, I knew he reacted but the neuro felt the reaction was more than the average kid gets. As I have said in the past, he is very allergic. All of this is being researched very thoroughly now, so I am confident we will find the right treatment soon. He most likely has ADHD with a mild form of Tourette's, which is livable! Thanks again for your suggestions-they are all so helpful!