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I have ADHD and the doctor recommends I'm put on Ritalin, Help!?

I was diagnosed with AD(H)D (attention deficit disorder) yesterday and I was told the only way to stop me from having concentration issues and racing thoughts/too many thoughts at night and stop daydreaming in class was for me to be put on Ritalin. I looked it up a couple hours when I got home and I've heard bad things about it (like side-effects) I'm kinda tense about it I would love to stop being so scatter-minded all the time, but not if the medication isn't safe, I don't know much about ADHD or Ritalin for sure is it a safe medicine or are there otherways to treat AD(H)D naturarly in girls? I'm 15 years old I would love to be able to concentrate in class better without going all daydreamy or being distracted so easily by really small things but not if the medicine is bad if you've had any experience with these drugs share them like the pros and cons or how it helped you it'll be appreciated thanks :)

I hope you find this helpful. My DD and I both had ADD. By accident we discovered it was caused by an acute sensitivity to non-organic food. Without non-organic food, we never would have figured this out. We went on a whole food (no or few processed foods) organic diet for other symptoms and our ADD vanished. The change in my DD was dramatic. For myself, the change was significant, but being so much older my condition is more progressed.

ADD is an autonomic neuropathy - the cause of most common health problems. It's a condition when a neuron becomes frail or becomes more frail and causes a health problem. It can sometimes be reversed by allowing the neurons time to calm down. Basically, it's like an allergic reaction. It's a matter of figuring out what substances are over-exciting the affected neurons and changing brain chemistry. It's really not that hard to figure out the triggering substances, once the common neurotoxins are understood and eliminated. Avoiding pesticides is a good start because it's in just about everything in a supermarket, including, food, candy, drugs, meat, milk, baby powder, dish detergent, probably laundry detergent, shampoo and toothpaste.

We were at one time on medication for ADD, but had to get off of it due to finances. If we had been on the medication, we might not have noticed how severely we were affected by pesticides. The meds were helpful but caused us side affects and made us stoic. The drug was packed in a gelatin capsule which isn't organic we later realized. Ritalin, like many other drugs, contains non-organic ingredients (like lactose and starch - called inactive ingredients). For us, Ritalin would have been especially bad because the more non-organic ingredients in a drug the more side affects we develop. There is something about those non-organic drug fillers that make them especially powerful to us.

There is no test for pesticide intolerance, as there is for food allergies, thus it's never diagnosed. It's entirely a do it yourself process of elimination. You may want to try our homeopathic treatment before starting a medication. This would do three things. It would tell you how much if any of your ADD is due to stimulants in your diet and environment. You might not need medication at all after doing the process. If you still need meds after changing your diet, you will likely need a lower dose, because your nervous system and the meds won't be working against the antagonist stimulating your cognitive function autonomic neurons. Testing yourself for pesticide intolerance may also help you figure out which drug to use - for instance if there is one with no pesticide drug fillers. You can do this by typing the name of the drug and the words "inactive ingredients" into a search engine. Non-organic drug fillers are recognizable by the fact that they are from plant or bovine. If you're interested in this process of elimination for pesticides, see the answer I gave to a question concerning another neuropathy at the link below. The author of one of my source books, Dr Rapp, treated ADD patients by treating ADD as an allergy / intolerance. Good luck to you and whatever you decide to do.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090831134056AAhNGyP

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How To Treat ADHD Naturally

If your child is diagnosed with ADHD what do you do next? This is the most common diagnosis given to children in this country today. The AACAP (American Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) estimates that among grade school children 5% of girls and 10% of boys suffer from this disorder. The United States has roughly 5 % of the world's population yet we consume 90% of all the Ritalin produced in it. Even more concerning is the age of children being put on these drugs. In children under the age of 5 prescriptions for these stimulants increased an astonishing 107% for girls and 78% for boys between 1991 and 1995. While these drugs have been shown to help 60% to 75% of children put on them people are getting very concerned about the side effects these drugs have on their children.

The most common medications prescribed for ADHD are Ritalin and Adderall. These drugs are known as psychostimulants. While many children taking these drugs experience improved focus better grades in school and generally feel better about themselves they do come with side effects. These include insomnia, weight loss, abdominal pain, headaches and depression. In 2007 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warnings of side effects like stunted growth and psychiatric problems. So it is not surprising that parents are looking for alternative therapies. We have listed a few natural ways that you can treat this condition.

GET YOUR CHILD INTO A ROUTINE

Children with ADHD have a natural tendency toward chaos. They find new activities and adventures appealing. The fact is that they are balanced by the exact opposite. You want to create a nurturing environment for them. Creating a set time to do homework, eat meals, exercise and go to bed each day provides them with this.

MAKE SURE YOUR CHILD HAS A HEALTHY DIET

At this time the current medical standing is that there is no link between food and ADHD. This is stark contrast to numerous studies that suggest the opposite which have been done over the last two decades. Many parents have reported that hyperactivity is reduced in as little as eight weeks when they limit consumption of sugar, foods with chemical additives and refined foods in their children's diets. They claim their child is more focused and less disruptive when given a diet high in whole grains and vegetables with a controlled amount of protein. In light of the current problem with childhood obesity this choice of a more healthy diet can help with weight control also.

NATURAL HERBS

There are a number of herbs that are known to calm the nervous system. Some of these include St. Johns Wort, skullcap, hops, passion flower and lemon balm to name a few. These can be taken safely as long as you remember that a child's dose should be one forth to one half of the adult dose that is recommended by the manufacturer.

TAKE A BREAK FROM TECHNOLOGY

We all know how much time our children spend on computers, cell phones, and watching television each day. This constant exposure to electronic stimulation does two things. It fragments their attention span and exposes them to unhealthy levels of EMR (electromagnetic radiation). When a child is sensitive to EMR it can cause agitation to the nervous system. Some of the side effects from this are memory and attention problems, sleep disorders, chronic fatigue, dizziness and headaches. It is suggested that you limit exposure to one hour per day.

In conclusion, you need to work with your child. They need to feel loved and part of this new routine. Suggest that he or she have a nutritional snack instead of a sugary one. Or playtime includes the new remote control car they have instead of a computer game. By doing this you and your child will be much happier in the long run.

About the Author

John Bradstreet is an experienced Biochemist with extensive knowledge in nutritional supplementation. To learn more about
ADHD
we have included additional links at the bottom of the page to help educate you on the subject. You are also invited to visit our
Vitamin and Supplement Blog
for information on this and other subjects that may interest you.