Adhd Guide

What Happens When Medications Are Not Enough?

When trying to medicate a child for ADHD it is really a process of trial and error. The doses needed depend on a variety of variables. Quite a few parents are beginning to realize that they do not like the side effects from the medicines and are looking to eliminate or greatly reduce the amount that their child is required to take. With a little time and research you can come up with some other techniques that will hopefully reduce your child's dependence on these drugs.

Most of the time conventional medicines are not the end all cure for ADHD. If fact it may only play a small part into lessening the symptoms of ADHD. There are many alternative ways to deal with these symptoms. First make sure that the pediatrician you are working with has experience in dealing with ADHD and is open to the idea of bringing in alternative methods of treatment, if not find one that is. If your normal pediatrician is not experienced enough ask him or her for a referral to a specialist. Educate yourself on the other treatments and if your child is old enough ask for their input on the decisions you are making.

There are a few alternative treatments that seem to be having very positive effects on ADHD, in fact many studies are being done to test them and early results show that these alternative methods are making a good impact in controlling the symptoms of ADHD. Here are just a few of the options available:

Herbal treatments

There is really not one stand-alone herb that you use to treat ADHD but there are a few herbs that when combined make a great symptom reliever without the side effects of conventional drugs. The best place to get these pre-made combinations is at your local health food stores, they will have a few different brands to try. When deciding on the brand to use make sure that it contains at least Skullcap, Kava, and chamomile. Skullcap is a natural sedative it calms and relaxes, kava is a natural stress and anxiety reliever, and chamomile is a natural tranquiller.

Dietary Changes

Once your child has been diagnosed with ADHD you will need to modify their diet. The best thing you can do is eliminating all processed food. This includes thing like breads, cookies and pasta and one of the big offenders is fast food. Processed food is full of refined carbohydrates, preservatives, and food dyes. Instead of those foods add whole foods into your diet, don't give up on it to soon because it will take several weeks for your body to completely clear its' system.

Positive reinforcement

Many parents have found that using positive reinforcement for good behavior can help their child learn how to properly behave. Many set up a reward system, for instance if the teacher says that they behaved well in school that might turn into an extra 15 minutes of television that night. It does not matter what system you come up with as long as you are consistent.

Many parents are finding that conventional medicines make their child lethargic and unenergetic so they are looking for some alternative methods to help reduce or completely eliminate the need for these drugs. Talk to your doctor about your concerns and goals and together you should be able to come up with a treatment plan that will work well for your child.