Just so you all know

Drinking alcohol and coffee alters a persons brain. So does eating chocolate, taking anti-depressants, seizure meds and sleeping pills. Almost every time you put something in your mouth it alters your brain.

Which in turn can make what comes out of your mouth altering.

chickaree wrote: Drinking alcohol and coffee alters a persons brain. So does eating chocolate, taking anti-depressants, seizure meds and sleeping pills. Almost every time you put something in your mouth it alters your brain.

No, I thought taking anti depressants altered your feet or somthing...

chickaree wrote: Drinking alcohol and coffee alters a persons brain. So does eating chocolate, taking anti-depressants, seizure meds and sleeping pills. Almost every time you put something in your mouth it alters your brain.

Good point chickaree! But now you've made me want some chocolate. :bash Just kidding.

I'm self medicating now with a cup of 3:15 Milk Tea from the asian market.

http://www.luuux.com/food/315-milk-tea-all-day-everyday

chickaree wrote: One thing i learned being a parent is that until you've lived it you don't get it.

I'm not a parent and I have lived it with my entire family! I have a niece that was diagnosed ADD when in middle school. When she reached the age of 16 or 17, she REFUSED to take her medication as she was tired of feeling like a zombie all day while on Ridalin (spelling?).

When I was a kid, I was hyper too (probably would be diagnosed ADHD if I were a kid today). When we were kids, we were sent outside to play all day so we could wear ourselves out and I didn't take medication and did just fine. Also, we had a more active childhood since we didn't have the computers and electronics that are so popular in todays world.

I personally don't think medicating all children for ADD or ADHD is necessary. What works best is a healthier diet, (less sugars and caffeine), getting them more physical activities, at least 7 to 8 hours sleep a night and maintaining a routine schedule.

Who the hell gets 'zombified' by taking a stimulant? Ritalin is just speed. It passes through the system quickly, and has no long term effects. The meds that are advertized to be "long acting" are speed in a capsule that alows for slower digestion of the medication.

ADD and ADHD are treated with stimulants. Take away stimulants from an ADD kid's diet, and it'll just get worse. Look for the kid that's drinking coffee or large amounts of Mountain Dew or energy drinks and you'll probably find a kid that's self-medicating.

Stimulants allow the ADD brain to focus longer on a single topic. If a kid is diagnosed ADD, given ritalin. and suddenly can't sit still, can't sleep well, and gets anxious, it was an incorrect diagnosis. If a kid is diagnosed ADD, given ritalin, and can suddenly sit through class paying attention the whole time without being distracted by birds out the window, his pencil, his shoe, the ticking of the clock, what's for lunch, what the next chapter in teh book is about, etc etc etc, then it was a correct diagnosis.

ADD and ADHD people are hard wired to get along well in jobs demanding frequent changes in focus. Give them a task that takes a few weeks to complete and they are in hell. Give them something that'll take 10-15 minutes of intense focus to complete before they move on to the next one, and they'll do just fine. The reason it' such an issue in schools is because the kids are expected to sit and study a single topic for almost an hour. Most people can do that. ADD kids can't - without stimulants to help focus.

Go ahead and argue with me - give me anectotal evidence of your niece or nephew, or a friend of a friend that was turned into a drooling lump of flesh by the meds... I know you're wrong because I'm living it. I have ADD, and wasn't dagnosed until I was an adult. Ritalin has saved my career. The diagnosis has helped me work with my boss to find assignments that drive others nuts - requiriing me to shift my focus multiple times an hour. I'm far more productive in that environment. Multitasking comes naturally for me.

In certain situations ADD is a disability. School is one of those situations. In other situations, it is an asset.

Diets for ADD are a crock. Yeah, if a person's diet sucks then changing it can make improvements in their life. But if they already have a good balanced diet, changing it up is a short term patch at best.

Science Chic wrote: My son has learned that his ADHD means only that he has to try harder than his peers to focus and get his work done, NOT that there's anything wrong with him, and to make sure that he eats on a regular basis, especially protein sources that provide the amino acids that his brain needs (we pack extra snacks for school and it is in his accommodations that the teacher make sure that he eats when he needs to - at the recommendation of the teachers who recognized that he was getting hungry at school and when that happened he was more likely to make poor decisions acting out, being disruptive, or even belligerent). We've even almost filed a 504 Plan with his school so that his records transfer from year to year and each teacher can review what methods were instituted that worked best to help him succeed in school.

Good Job :thumbsup:

Science Chic wrote: Do you really think that I didn't research all the alternatives available, and try them first, before acceding to medication? Or that I didn't research everything about the drugs available, benefits and negative consequences?

I don't think any right thinking person would think that you did not do extensive research before doing anything affecting your kids.

Nobody that matters wrote: Who the hell gets 'zombified' by taking a stimulant? Ritalin is just speed. It passes through the system quickly, and has no long term effects. The meds that are advertized to be "long acting" are speed in a capsule that alows for slower digestion of the medication.

ADD and ADHD are treated with stimulants. Take away stimulants from an ADD kid's diet, and it'll just get worse. Look for the kid that's drinking coffee or large amounts of Mountain Dew or energy drinks and you'll probably find a kid that's self-medicating.

Stimulants allow the ADD brain to focus longer on a single topic. If a kid is diagnosed ADD, given ritalin. and suddenly can't sit still, can't sleep well, and gets anxious, it was an incorrect diagnosis. If a kid is diagnosed ADD, given ritalin, and can suddenly sit through class paying attention the whole time without being distracted by birds out the window, his pencil, his shoe, the ticking of the clock, what's for lunch, what the next chapter in teh book is about, etc etc etc, then it was a correct diagnosis.

ADD and ADHD people are hard wired to get along well in jobs demanding frequent changes in focus. Give them a task that takes a few weeks to complete and they are in hell. Give them something that'll take 10-15 minutes of intense focus to complete before they move on to the next one, and they'll do just fine. The reason it' such an issue in schools is because the kids are expected to sit and study a single topic for almost an hour. Most people can do that. ADD kids can't - without stimulants to help focus.

Go ahead and argue with me - give me anectotal evidence of your niece or nephew, or a friend of a friend that was turned into a drooling lump of flesh by the meds... I know you're wrong because I'm living it. I have ADD, and wasn't dagnosed until I was an adult. Ritalin has saved my career. The diagnosis has helped me work with my boss to find assignments that drive others nuts - requiriing me to shift my focus multiple times an hour. I'm far more productive in that environment. Multitasking comes naturally for me.

In certain situations ADD is a disability. School is one of those situations. In other situations, it is an asset.

Diets for ADD are a crock. Yeah, if a person's diet sucks then changing it can make improvements in their life. But if they already have a good balanced diet, changing it up is a short term patch at best.

I'm not arguing with you, only expressing my thoughts and opinions based on my experience. I truly don't appreciate the accusatory tone of your post, since I only expressed one opinion.

I used the word "zombie" because that is the word my neice used to describe how she was feeling while taking medication for her ADD. Also, when I consulted with my doctors about my issues, I was advised to cut back on my sugar and caffeine intake. I have managed to maintain my life and work without the help of medication - lucky me, and I do accounting for a living. It is possible to have normalcy in your life without the taking of medication, simply by makinjg certain adjustments in lifestyle. Gosh, what did people do before we had Ridalin???????? Why would you want to give a stimulant to an already hyper person, whether they be a child or and adult?

If you would re-read my post, I clearly state that I don't think medicating ALL CHILDREN for ADD or ADHD is necessary. I didn't say it should NEVER be done. Also, not all people react the same or experience the same results while taking the same medication. Some people have more severe symptoms than others and will react differently to medication. This would be true no matter what the medication.

I will still say that some people don't need alot of stimulation in their lives when they are already hyper. I'm glad your meds are working for you, but not everyone is you! I guess your doctor and my doctor have different approaches to the same medical condition, huh? I will continue down my path of treatment, as is my choice, and wish you all the best on your path.

By the way, my neice has been off meds for over 15 years and she seems to be doing GREAT in her life and career without meds and/or daily stimulants to get her through the day and that's the important thing.


FYI - This is another example of an individual attacking another's credibility, simply because we differ somewhat in our opinions and what is the best treatment for a condition. Like I said, what may work for you doesn't necessarily work for another.

Why would you want to give a stimulant to an already hyper person, whether they be a child or and adult?

If you don't know the answer to this, then you aren't informed enough about anti-ADHD drugs to judge the relative merits of medicating vs not medicating.