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Post by misty on Feb 29, 2008 11:29:01 GMT -5
Also it is not typical for childen with AD/HD of either type to benefit significantly from omegas. I don't think schools should be repeatedly telling parents to put their children on meds, and they should be providing any needed accommodations no matter whether the child takes meds or not. I disagree that its not typical fot ADD kids to benefit from Omegas. I'm on 3 different ADHD support boards & ALL the kids who've taken Omegas (Whether otherwise medicated or not) have shown a significant improvement while taking Omegas. My daughter is otherwise UNmedicated , inattentive type ADD & her concentration is MUCH MUCH better when on Omegas than it was off of them. We also have a lot of info & links to studies in our Alternative meds board. Heres the link to the Omega studies: adhdldsupport.proboards107.com/index.cgi?board=alt&action=display&thread=1146 |
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Post by rakuflames on Feb 29, 2008 11:30:36 GMT -5
Carol, I missed your post the first time around, so I want to reply now. First of all, I don't think you owe the school any explanation in why you choose not to medicate. That is your choice, and I applaud you for it. I wish when we started this journey with ADHD five years ago that I would have been more informed to the alternatives. I know for a fact that that would have been the road we would have taken. With that being said, Josh has made some wonderful stride with the meds, but all isn't perfect. We deal with side effects, the ups and downs of rebounding, and the struggle of "Are we doing the right thing?" It's funny, because no matter what you do, your going to be questioned by the school. My son is EXTREMELY HYPER, can't sit still in class, blurts out whatever comes into his head, sings in class, I could go on and on. Even though we DO medicate, they will ask me on some days if he even is. It never ends. It's true (and i'm a retired special education teacher) -- sometimes no matter what you do, someone will be second-guessing you. Personally I think rebound is an awful side effect. Has the doctor helped you manage it? I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard a teacher blaming the parents for something they had absolutely no control over. In 20 years I can think of only two cases where the parent really was the problem (and yeah, I am pretty certain in both those cases). I agree with you. No matter what your choice as a parent you don't have to explain it to anyone at the school. I think the thing to do is to redirect the conversation to things they could be doing. |
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Post by rakuflames on Feb 29, 2008 11:35:13 GMT -5
hey rakuflames (interesting id!), the innattentive ADD thing kind of confuses me, I am taking my daughter to see a physc today to further look into if she might be that or if there is more LD stuff happeing with her or anxiety or whatever. But, back on my question to U - why do you think the innattentive is more serious? My observations are that my daughter struggles in some ways like I do, but then she does this total shut down thing when she is feeling challenged by school or overwhelmed! Somtimes she really like falls asleep at the table doing homework when she is not totally tired like that, she glazes over a lot and I also have to make sure I have her attention on me for her to listen to half of what is said. I read a long article recently on this site by a doc that talked about some challenges with innattentive and it is very different for me since I am the way hyper ADHD! Oh welcome to the board too! Most kids who are hyperactive also have some inattentive issues, but it's the hyperactivity that gets most notices. It's sooooo more obvious. But it's inattentiveness that interferes most with learning. I've had hyperactive students who could attend for long periods of time -- if they were free to move around. We'd sit them at the back of a room at a table instead of having to sit in a "student desk" -- they're very student unfriendly, especially for an active or disorganized child. I had one student who would (quietly) walk back and forth across the back of the room when they had a guest speaker. Afterwards he'd be able to tell you exactly what the speaker said, did, demonstrated. that was a HUGE improvement (fourth grade) over him in kindergarten. I was observing him for evaluation when he was called to the "story circle." He walked across the room -- across the table tops. The inattentive kids miss all sorts of subtle things that really matter. It can be quite dangerous, in fact. |
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Post by charliegirl on Feb 29, 2008 14:26:03 GMT -5
I'm sorry but it's just not true that the meds only work 20% of the time for the inattentive type of AD/HD. They work equally well for both types. In my opinion I think the inattentive is more serious for a child than the hyperactive. Also it is not typical for childen with AD/HD of either type to benefit significantly from omegas. I don't think schools should be repeatedly telling parents to put their children on meds, and they should be providing any needed accommodations no matter whether the child takes meds or not. Actually, I have read several studies which state that the percentage of children with the inattentive type who respond well from meds is around 20%. I'm not pulling this out of thin air. I believe that no matter which type of ADHD a child has or what the chances are of meds working well, its worth trying meds if you don't have a specific reason not to. I have seen many posts from parents who have children with ADHD and taken omegas. Some have benefitted and some haven't. The percentage of those who have done well on them isn't nearly as high as those who take actual meds but when someone is unable or unwilling to medicate its worth trying. Many times they don't see improvement quickly and stop giving it to them prematurely. It can take up to 90 days to show the full effect. I want to welcome you to the site, Susan. Its great to have someone with your experience on board! |
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Post by lcdc1 on Feb 29, 2008 14:56:30 GMT -5
I just got back from Ran's 2.5 hour physc visit and testing - shewwwwwwww! That physc told me too that the innattentive stuff is hard to pinpoint. I hope we have some anwsers in a couple weeks that are beneficial to Ran. I will talk about the rest of her visit in the approprioate place - just wanted to throw in there that the attentive type from what I heard briefly this morning, is harder to nail down.
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Post by rakuflames on Feb 29, 2008 16:03:14 GMT -5
Also it is not typical for childen with AD/HD of either type to benefit significantly from omegas. I don't think schools should be repeatedly telling parents to put their children on meds, and they should be providing any needed accommodations no matter whether the child takes meds or not. I disagree that its not typical fot ADD kids to benefit from Omegas. I'm on 3 different ADHD support boards & ALL the kids who've taken Omegas (Whether otherwise medicated or not) have shown a significant improvement while taking Omegas. My daughter is otherwise UNmedicated , inattentive type ADD & her concentration is MUCH MUCH better when on Omegas than it was off of them. We also have a lot of info & links to studies in our Alternative meds board. Heres the link to the Omega studies: adhdldsupport.proboards107.com/index.cgi?board=alt&action=display&thread=1146Doesn't help me; didn't help my daughters; didn't help the students I had with AD/HD. Research varies greatly in quality. I just ask that people keep an open mind. I wish it did help, but the only thing I've seen it help is bipolar. We probably won't agree on this one but I hope we are both free to express our opinions on it.  |
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Post by charliegirl on Feb 29, 2008 16:11:12 GMT -5
We believe its good for everyone to be able to share their experiences and opinions. People trying to learn about something can get all sides of it before they make a decision.
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Post by jill on Mar 1, 2008 8:20:22 GMT -5
A little late but I would just point out to them the scary stuff about side effects and ask them if would they put their own children on them knowing the side effects.
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Post by jj on Mar 8, 2008 12:40:35 GMT -5
I meant to comment about Omega's and somehow never got around to it. More and more studies are coming out about how Omega's are so important in our diet and not just for ADHD kids. And they play such an important role in our cognitive (brain memory and performance) and behavioral functions. We all know how important good nutrition is so it is only common sense to look at what someone may be lacking first before using medication, if at all possible. As a lacto-vegetarian I know that deficiencies can cause all kind of nasty problems. If I'm not eating properly and and am low on B-12, for example, I get dizzy, my memory stinks, & I get ringing in my ears. If I'm low on iron I'm tired and have no energy - which could be construed as laziness. (My doctor threatens me with making me eat raw liver when I become anemic.)  And if I'm low on calcium I get terrible cramps in my legs. So as a person who experiences a lot of side affects when I am eating poorly, I would encourage every parent of an ADHD kid to take a serious look at omega's and diet. Oh, and I too have ran across quite a few people who have had good results using Omegas. I'm so glad this site supports both alternatives to medication and those who medicate! O.K. That's my 2 cents. LOL |
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Post by charliegirl on Mar 8, 2008 13:02:10 GMT -5
I personally believe we should try supplements first, look at tonsils, how our kid is sleeping, all the things which can bring on ADHD symptoms but not be true ADHD or may be comorbid with the ADHD. Once we are sure it can't be remediated by diet or life changes, we can be comfortable trying meds.
When my ADHD inattentive son was acting up badly, the omegas helped his behavior immensely. I saw some improvement with his ability to focus but not as much as I would have liked. I suspect that was from being able to sit still without an attitude problem. Even though he didn't benefit from them as far as the ADHD, they were beneficial in other ways.
We have to remember also that any supplement which can affect the body or brain has the ability to cause side effects and be dangerous. The safest way to treat your child with anything is to discuss it with your ped first, have any tests he feels may be necessary to be sure your child has the best chances of being helped with the lowest risk factors.
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I was about to conquer the world but then I got distracted by something shiny.
