I am lost on what to do

[casper123]

My son has adhd and he is not on meds let but i am sure thinking about it. His marks in school have went to from good to bad. His sleep, eating should i just say it is a big fight everyday with him. I have two other kids on top of him and right now they feel left out because of my son. He does not stop all day, he goes and goes. He also hits, bites, and makes holes in the walls and he is only six years old. I have changed his diet, and everything i am lost on what i should do next. I have asked the doctor what to do but he keeps on saying that he is not ready for meds. Please someone help me!!!!

[misty]

wow, I'm surprised the Dr wouldn't give you some ideas. I'm not sure how old your son is, but I'm thinking you might want to go to another Dr. for a 2nd opinion. If you can find a child psychiatrist in your area, that's a good first step. Even if they don't put your son on any meds, he may benefit from some therapy. You might want to look in the alternative meds section here & read about Omega 3 (fish oil). While it won't do much for the destructive behavior, it can certainly help with a child's focus. Some people give their kids Mt. Dew. The caffeine can act like a stimulant & help a bit with hyperactivity. Of course, I'm no Dr & I don't know your child's medical history but if there's no reason he can't have the soda, its worth a try.

Is there someone to watch your son, even for just an hour each week? If you can & you can set aside that hour for your other 2 kids to spend time just with them, it would maybe help them feel less resentful. Just knowing they have that time each week will make them feel more connected with you.

I'm sure I'm not much help when it comes to the eating & sleeping. My daughter didn't sleep in her own room all night until she was 8. She flat out refused. I used to keep a little bedding spot on the flor by our bed, because no way was she sleeping with us....she'd kick all night long. LOL. As for food, I'd give her some control by offering 2 or 3 choices, instead of asking an open ended question like what do you want t eat or instead of giving no choices. But she never was a picky eater so I didn't have much trouble in that area.

I'm sure others will offer up some further suggestions. I hope some of the ideas help....sounds like you are under a lot of stress.


* edited to fix a typo

[charliegirl]

Something natural you could try is guanfacine.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2526381/

The therapeutic properties of guanfacine in ADHD arise from actions in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The PFC has a significant role in executive functions, which includes regulation of attention, planning, impulse control, and processing (Arnsten and Li 2005). Dysfunction with these areas causes forgetfulness, distractibility, impulsivity, impairment in working memory, and mental flexibility (Arnsten and Li 2005). Disruption in the PFC, and its projections to the striatum and cerebellum, are also associated with ADHD symptoms (Castellanos et al 2002; Seidman et al 2006). Inattention, impulsivity, and distractibility are all core features of ADHD.
Guanfacine enhances prefrontal cortical regulation of attention and impulse control by strengthening PFC functions. In animal studies, infusion of guanfacine directly into the PFC improves performance of PFC tasks (Mao et al 1999; Ramos et al 2006). This improvement can be observed at the cellular level as well, where electrophysiological recordings show that guanfacine strengthens the connections between PFC networks, increasing network firing (Wang et al 2007). PFC neuronal networks interconnect via glutamate synapses on dendritic spines. Guanfacine appears to strengthen PFC network connections by stimulating postsynaptic α2A receptors on the dendritic spines of PFC pyramidal cells, the sites of PFC network connections (Wang et al 2007). Stimulation of these α2A receptors with NE or guanfacine inhibits local cAMP production, which in turn closes nearby ion channels that make the membrane “leaky”. Closing of these channels strengthens glutamatergic synaptic inputs onto the spine, increasing network firing and allowing greater control over attention and behavior (Wang et al 2007). This strengthening of PFC neuronal firing is reflected in greater cerebral blood flow to the PFC in monkeys and humans (Avery et al 2000; Swartz et al 2000).

[casper123]

Thank you misty we have had four doctors now and we have to wait for four months to get into a psychiatrist and we have to drive 4 hours to get there. I started my some on omega 3 a few months ago. I did not know about the caffeine, I took soda and all bad things away from him thinking maybe it would help, but I could try and see just maybe it would work I kind of going to try anything right now because I am very lost. And for someone to watch my son it is so hard to find , know body wants to watch him right now he is a good boy at times but he gets in moods and you can't do anything with him . Oh and my son is six years old. Right now my son sleeps with me but we don't sleep in a bed he will not sleep in one, we sleep in the living room on the floor together . I am so tried of the floor!! Thanks so much for helping me and I am a little stressed and just need ideas on what maybe I could try.

[casper123]

Thank you charliegirl for that to I looked at it and read it and I just hope sometimes works soon thanks!!