God, dreams & ADHD

[NateNKayliesMom]

Okay.. first of all let me say this, I know that there is a lot of controversy over the use of ADHD drugs versus the non-use. I ask you to please, not turn this into a debate thread. I know the arguments. :thumb

Okay... my daughter was finally diagnosed ADHD a couple of weeks ago. The doctor prescribed Concerta for her. After numerous hours of research, weighing the pros and cons, I decided to start her on it. WOW! All I can say is that there was a HUGE difference in the way she acted -- that is, until she got used to the medication. Now, she's back to the way she was which makes me believe that when we go back to the doctor for a follow-up, he'll want to increase the meds.

Alright, here's my concern. God uses dreams sometimes, yes? :confused Well, the last few nights -- two at least, maybe three -- I have had bad dreams concerning my baby girl. And they all include head trauma of one sort or another. I've had dreams come true in the past and due to this, I've decided to further research natural alternatives to ADHD and take her off the medication. Do you think I'm being paranoid? :tin

[chel0524]

First of all, I have no experience with ADHD, but I will say this. A parent can never be too paranoid over the health and well - being of their child.

Praying for you and your daughtet whatever decision you make.

[Crusader]

Relying on dreams to make your decisions is dangerous in my opinion. I think it is natural that you would have such dreams, because you are concerned about the results of the drugs. You should not look for divine revelation. Rather, if you want to know what God's will is, search the scriptures. Then make your decisions according what you think is best.

[HiLaReE320]

If I were you I would take her off the meds and use the alternative herbal remedies or whatever you are researching. And yes, diet has ALOT to do with ADHD, so research that. ALL drugs have side effects, especially those dealing with the brain and the psyche. I honestly don't trust these kind of drugs one bit.. and I'm a nursing major! It seems that drug companies keep pumping out these kinds of things just for the $$$. But that's another issue entirely...

[Changes]

If I were you I would take her off the meds and use the alternative herbal remedies or whatever you are researching. And yes, diet has ALOT to do with ADHD, so research that. ALL drugs have side effects, especially those dealing with the brain and the psyche. I honestly don't trust these kind of drugs one bit.. and I'm a nursing major! It seems that drug companies keep pumping out these kinds of things just for the $$$. But that's another issue entirely...

That may be true, but one has to remember that just because one is going the 'natural' route there are still side effects issues.

:):

[LRock]

My 2 oldest boys, 24 (ADD) and 18 (ADHD) were on Ritilin. That was the only drug at the time when they were younger that was given out by Dr's. I would only give it to them Mon. thru Fri. when they were at school. They were not on it at all during the summer or weekends. The only side effect that occured was with my 18 yr. old. It slowed his growth. When he reached puberty I took him off and over the next year he grew 6 in. and 3 shoe sizes.

I didn't start my oldest on Ritilin until 5th grade, even thought he was diagnosed in 1st grade, because I was not in favor of drugs. After I saw a huge improvement in his attention span and his grades improved I had wished I started sooner. To this day his grammer suffers and he struggles with his college classes. Elementary school is where you learn alot of the basics.

Now my 18 yr. old had a friend who was on Adderall. When it was time for him to go thru puberty he didn't. By 16 they had to start giving him shots to bring on his puberty. It took about 5 months. A few yrs. later a friend of my daughter's went through the same thing and he too was on Adderall.

My niece's daughter is on Conterta. She is 8 and my niece has told me that it no longer seems to work for her daughter anymore either. They increased the dose and the same thing happened again.

I have known kids who are put on these drugs 7 days a week, 24 hrs. a day. I didn't want that for my kids. I just let them be boys at home and yes my 18 yr. old was a challenge for me so I invested in every book I could get my hands on and the more I learned the easier it got.

What I learned that helped me the most was repitition and consistencey. Everything that was routine was done at the same time everyday. It helped them not to lose control and know what to expect. I even hung notes up throughout the house to remind them of things. Over time they developed habits and I didn't feel the need to continue their medication.

Learning all you can about ADHD helps to make a better decision on the road you want to take. Kids today are thrown on med's and labeled ADHD when many just have a discipline problem. So no I do not think you are being paranoid just careful. Maybe your dreams are just related to you being worried about what med's will do to her brain so taking her off until you are comfortable won't hurt.

Take care, good luck and God Bless.

[jmak]

How do you know the diagnosis is correct? I am a big anti-drug guy.......I have had more friends and my own brother messed up on OTC drugs from "Doctors", my own brother currently has to go from drug to drug just to stay normal!! I have cousins who are teachers that think they are qualified to say who needs ritalin and the such and who doesnt!!!! I even know some Christians in the capacity of counseling who think OTC drugs are OK.
I myself, did many drugs in college, I am now 50, have not donbe drugs since college, BUT, the same Dr who got my younger brother hooked on OTC drugs 19 years ago tried to get me on them, fortuneately, since I did so much drugs in school....I was able to tell him to take them himself if they are SOOO GOOD!! Didnt make a friend there!! I have had so many Dr. over the years try to get me on OTC drugs....that....well.....you can tell it gets me worked up a touch!!! DRUGS? No thanks!! You take'm!!
PEACE

[NateNKayliesMom]

See... that's just it -- I DO NOT know for sure that the diagnosis is correct. All signs point to it -- she's very hyper, so very talkative that she honestly NEVER stops talking -- she even talks in her sleep, she is restless -- always moving, etc. However, she is also very spoiled -- this is my doing, of course. She did not go through psychiatric evaluation -- only the survey of her teacher was what the doctor used to make the diagnosis.

[ekka]

See... that's just it -- I DO NOT know for sure that the diagnosis is correct. All signs point to it -- she's very hyper, so very talkative that she honestly NEVER stops talking -- she even talks in her sleep, she is restless -- always moving, etc. However, she is also very spoiled -- this is my doing, of course. She did not go through psychiatric evaluation -- only the survey of her teacher was what the doctor used to make the diagnosis.

I would not put her on anything until I knew the diagnosis was correct and looked into all alternatives. I have spoken with the cousins that jmak is referring to(he is my dh) and they have point blank told me that they have recommeded the drugs because the child was disruptive to the class and it made it easier for them too teach. In other words, they wanted the child on drugs because it made their job easier, not because it was better for the child. Also, if she is spoiled as you have said, maybe those issues ought to be cleared up before she is placed on drugs. If her problems are due to a lack of discipline and she is labeled adhd & put on drugs, she will never really learn how to cope. God bless you.......

[allforHim]

I see so sorry for the dilema you find yourself in. I have no experience in this area, but as a mum, I usually trust my senses. Pray hard about it. God gave us all the ability to do what right by our kids. Many, many times ,I've trusted my instincts when it came to my kids and its been the right thing. Ask God to take these worries away if the drug is right for your daughter or make them worse and tell you more clearly if you shouldnt give her them. We can all give our thoughts, but God will speak to you and Hes the one with the right answer. God bless :kiss

:hail AllforHim

[CircleSlide]

See... that's just it -- I DO NOT know for sure that the diagnosis is correct. All signs point to it -- she's very hyper, so very talkative that she honestly NEVER stops talking -- she even talks in her sleep, she is restless -- always moving, etc. However, she is also very spoiled -- this is my doing, of course. She did not go through psychiatric evaluation -- only the survey of her teacher was what the doctor used to make the diagnosis.


An actual dx is very involved. Our son has gone through a battery of testing, many weeks and doctors evaluations to get a accurate dx. He is dx'ed with Autism/Mood Disorder/Short term memory loss/ADHD-NOS (but that is manly because of his Autism). He suffered a closed head trauma at birth which brought about many of his symptoms, and appears to have effected his emotional centers. My husband and I had hoped that he would grow out of it, but by age 5 we knew something was terrible wrong. Especially when we put him in a class room setting.

We homeschool him (which is a major challenge), But he did attend public school in 1st grade and before we had an actual dx a teacher thought he had adha and said we should put him on stimulants. If we had listen to her it would have been disastrous for him. Stimulants are the exact opposite of what he needs and it would have pushed him over into a manic state. Many pediatricians simply aren't qualified to do an actual dx and just feel out a questionnaire. If you read the questionnaire for ADHD every child who is active has it.

Doctors and Teachers are quick to prescribe medication when behavior modification could do the trick. And some, not all teachers just want to have an easier class.

Not telling you what to do but from my experience I would go find some specialist if you really feel it is ADHD. She might just be a active little girl with lots of energy. :nod

[CircleSlide]

oh I wanted to add, I am not against medication at all when it is needed, I would just exhaust all other possiblites. Our son is on medication. I would so love not to give him medication but for his mental well being he really needs it.

praying for you and your family!!

[HisLiz]

First of all, I have no experience with ADHD, but I will say this. A parent can never be too paranoid over the health and well - being of their child.

Praying for you and your daughter whatever decision you make.


I second this reply.

[azaziah]

Sorry to hear about your situation... I know it is hard.

I have some very personal experience in this area.

I want to say that ADHD medications nearly killed me. That would be an exaggeration (I think!). But they were something that I will never forget, something that gave me highs and lows that were staggering, made my family/friends think I was great one minute and a monster the next...

This is hard to think about...

The short story is that I am no longer on meds. It was very hard to kick them, but I did. It cost me a lot.... family, friends, respect, money, property...

I am now much more aware of nutrition. I spend the $ it takes to have good vitamins. This is on the order of $75 / month for an adult male.

I take a water-soluble vitamin (liquid) that is awesome. I also take plenty of omega-3's (fish oil). I believe that these supplements combined with prayer and our loving God has made the difference.

Please be very careful of the prescription meds. The potency drops as a person takes them, and the patient's desire for the 'feeling' (it's not a 'high')increases. A very dangerous combination.

Please be careful. Pray. Try to talk to her if you can. I mean REALLY talk. Start a 'log' of her behaviour, including any info on changes to her meds/diet. I am not kidding... it will help later when you try to decipher her behaviour.

God bless you & good luck.

[Rebecki]

Okay.. first of all let me say this, I know that there is a lot of controversy over the use of ADHD drugs versus the non-use. I ask you to please, not turn this into a debate thread. I know the arguments. :thumb

Okay... my daughter was finally diagnosed ADHD a couple of weeks ago. The doctor prescribed Concerta for her. After numerous hours of research, weighing the pros and cons, I decided to start her on it. WOW! All I can say is that there was a HUGE difference in the way she acted -- that is, until she got used to the medication. Now, she's back to the way she was which makes me believe that when we go back to the doctor for a follow-up, he'll want to increase the meds.

Alright, here's my concern. God uses dreams sometimes, yes? :confused Well, the last few nights -- two at least, maybe three -- I have had bad dreams concerning my baby girl. And they all include head trauma of one sort or another. I've had dreams come true in the past and due to this, I've decided to further research natural alternatives to ADHD and take her off the medication. Do you think I'm being paranoid? :tin

My 13 year old son is ADHD. He is on Straterra, a non-narcotic medication for ADHD and it is wonderful. It also lasts for 24 hours in the system. :thumb He used to be on Concerta, but it would only work for a while, then towards the evening it would wear off and it would be a nightmare to get homework done, chores, shopping, etc. Bedtime was a HUGE fight too. He'd start out going to bed at 8pm (this is when he was in elementary school) and not be asleep until 10pm or later because of all the distractions. Now, he can reason on his own and realize when he's tired and tell us that he's going to bed. No more fights (well, now he's 13, so we do fight a little just because "everyone else gets to stay up") about bedtime, no more homework battles. He's been on the same dosage for several years now too, so we haven't had to continue to up his dosage.

We went all the routes in an effort to not go to meds, ie.; diet, natural remedies, allergies, etc. In the end it turns out that the only thing that would work for him was the medication. For some children that is the only thing that works, and God can work through synthetic medicine too, so don't let anyone tell you that prescription meds aren't the way to go. You'll always hear of horror stories of what happend to so-and-so, or this or that with someone else, and I'm not making light of their stories, but you have to do what is right for your child.

For a correct diagnosis, we had a physical and mental evaluation done on my son, where he was tested on all levels (tactile, mental, rational, etc.)by a liscensed psychologist over a period of office visits, plus my DH and I had to separately fill out a huge questionaire about our sons behavior. It was a long process, at least a month long, but well worth it because we knew the diagnosis was not a flip "yeah he's ADHD, here's a script for meds, bye-bye" kind of diagnosis. I'm confident that the diagnois was correct, which made it easier to move forward for behavior options.

My son is in 7th grade and is excelling. He's a whiz in math, plays the drums, and can stay on task and focused for hours. It's wonderful! And he's still my son, not some drug induced blob that some would have people believe about ADHD meds. He has an outstanding sense of humor and has great comedic timing, always having the right thing to say at the right time. He's intellegent and can carry on a great conversation. This medication has done nothing but bless my son by giving him the ability to organize his thoughts and stay focused and on task.

If I sound bitter at all, I apologize. I just feel very strongly about ADHD meds for the good. They aren't the demons that people try to make them out to be. Yes, Dr's do over prescribe and give meds to those who probably don't need them, but they do that for other diagnosies too. Some meds aren't for all people either, so it's really hard to get an idea of how a med will be for your child based off another child or adults experience.

Just remember, do what is right for your child. Maybe that route is meds, and mayby not. You'll have to make that decision. I wouldn't rely on dreams for your direction either, only because dreams can be based on what you ate right before bed, or something that happened during the day, or even a memory from years gone by. Yes God does use visions and dreams, but I have a feeling you'd know without a doubt if He was trying to reach you in your dreams.

God bless! I know it's hard. I've been there. :hug

For those of you who have had bad experiences with meds, I'm sorry. I know that not all meds work for every person (I've had that experience with a popular antidepressant that people rave about, but it almost put me in the mental ward for a while) and I'm sorry that you've had those bad experiences. Praise the Lord that He led you to what works now and that you are doing well. :yay

[Gracie]

I'm more experienced in this area than I care to be. My advice is to rule out everything else, such as allergies, before you decide for yourself that she is ADHD.

Also, Stratera and other non-stimulant meds are so much better when a child has rebound from the stimulants.

I can't add anything other than what everyone else's said, but I'm praying for you and your precious one.

[NateNKayliesMom]

Thank you all for your replies. I truly appreciate them. As of now, we have removed all wheat and red dye from her diet. This has made the same difference that the Concerta made. Is it a coincidence? Don't know... I just know that another family member had sensitivities to these two things, so that's why I started there... nothing more than that.

Rebecki & Gracie -- I *did* ask her doctor about Strattera when he prescribed the Concerta. His reply was that he did not like Strattera and did not prescribe it except as a last result. Sooo...

We are trying this for now and it seems to be making a difference. If at any time it isn't, then I will be finding a child psychologist that specializes in ADHD. We will not be going back to this doctor for that kind of diagnosis.

[jmak]

Okay.. first of all let me say this, I know that there is a lot of controversy over the use of ADHD drugs versus the non-use. I ask you to please, not turn this into a debate thread. I know the arguments. :thumb

Okay... my daughter was finally diagnosed ADHD a couple of weeks ago. The doctor prescribed Concerta for her. After numerous hours of research, weighing the pros and cons, I decided to start her on it. WOW! All I can say is that there was a HUGE difference in the way she acted -- that is, until she got used to the medication. Now, she's back to the way she was which makes me believe that when we go back to the doctor for a follow-up, he'll want to increase the meds.

Alright, here's my concern. God uses dreams sometimes, yes? :confused Well, the last few nights -- two at least, maybe three -- I have had bad dreams concerning my baby girl. And they all include head trauma of one sort or another. I've had dreams come true in the past and due to this, I've decided to further research natural alternatives to ADHD and take her off the medication. Do you think I'm being paranoid? :tin

Heavenly Father, I pray that your healing touch would be upon this family and that your wisdom would be upon NateNKayliesmom and the Doctors and nurses involved, I pray that your compassion and consolation would overwhelm them and that a complete restoration would take place and that you would get all the glory Lord, Thank you Jesus, In The Mighty NAME Of JESUS CHRIST I pray this, Thank You Lord.

[Rodney]

Personally I suspect that a lot of people diagnosed with attention deficit disorder are simply people of a particular personality type (Sensate Percpetive personality type in the Myres/Briggs personality scheme of things) and are normal for that personality type. I think that people who are actually psychologically healthy (fot the SP type) are being medicated to change personality type because people percieve what is a normal personality type as a personality disorder which it really isn't.

My 2c worth. (Not that I have kids or have had to live 24-7 with an ADD type person).

[Jacob]

Okay.. first of all let me say this, I know that there is a lot of controversy over the use of ADHD drugs versus the non-use. I ask you to please, not turn this into a debate thread. I know the arguments. :thumb

Okay... my daughter was finally diagnosed ADHD a couple of weeks ago. The doctor prescribed Concerta for her. After numerous hours of research, weighing the pros and cons, I decided to start her on it. WOW! All I can say is that there was a HUGE difference in the way she acted -- that is, until she got used to the medication. Now, she's back to the way she was which makes me believe that when we go back to the doctor for a follow-up, he'll want to increase the meds.

Alright, here's my concern. God uses dreams sometimes, yes? :confused Well, the last few nights -- two at least, maybe three -- I have had bad dreams concerning my baby girl. And they all include head trauma of one sort or another. I've had dreams come true in the past and due to this, I've decided to further research natural alternatives to ADHD and take her off the medication. Do you think I'm being paranoid? :tinFirst, the bible does not give us any guidelines or principles on how to interpret dreams or determine the source. A dream could be just a dream.

Secondly, there is no end to the hype that is out there about ADHD. Nevertheless, it is verifiable biological disorder. It's effects and actions have been observed in radiology studies. Concerta is a form of Ritalin, which has been one of the most widely researched medications to date. Natural alternatives have not shown to be effective by any empirical, scientific study. Your doctor did not decide to medicate your daughter based upon dreams. Therefore, you should discuss stopping any medication with the physician.

[Rapture_Witness]

I have ADHD, im on concerta, if its stopped working, well does she get it the same time every day? If you giver her the medication 6 O clock, and then 8 a clock the next day it wont work, it has to be the exact time.

[Waiting2go]

Okay, I finally decided to jump in here as I have lived with this for 10 1/2 years.

First off, ADHD is a true disorder for many people (not to say that some are misdiagnosed). ADHD, as well other related disorders, are very complex and not always so black and white. The biggest advice I can give you is to find a really, really good pediatric specialist and do alot of research. In many cases, someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD also has one or more of other disorders and is not usually just a stand alone disorder.

The symptoms you listed in an earlier post of excessive talking even in sleep, hyperness, being restless and constantly moving around are definate red flags. They are not from being spoiled.

I could seriously turn this into the longest post ever if I gave you all of my personal experiences and details, but I will spare all of you and just give a few highlights in case this information will be of some help to you.

Before I do, I just wanted to say that many kids with ADHD are also Bi-Polar (doctors have discovered this in the past few years to be the case), the symptoms for each are very similar and different for children than for adults. I would incourage you to check out the web site bpkids.org. It may answer alot of your questions. I'm not saying your daughter is Bi-Polar, but the more research you do on her symptoms, the better off you will be for her sake as well as yours.

Like alot of you know (as I have made several posts on this subject in other threads), my twin boys are Bi-Polar and ADHD. They were first diagnosed with ADHD by a very prominate specialist at age 2 and put on Adderall. They said it was the worst case they had ever seen. I won't even go into the nightmare stories of the first 2 years of there life. They were difficult from birth and it had NOTHING to do with discipline issues or being spoiled. Once they were put on Adderall, things greatly improved and we all started to have a normal life. Their dosage did (and this goes for everyone) have to be increased periodically for different reasons. It takes awhile to get them on the right dosage first of all, then as they gain weight or get older, ect. adjustments also have to be made. About 3 years ago, things started getting progressively worse and it appeared the Adderall was no longer working. They were put on Straterra and it was like giving them candy. Then things just exploded!!!! It was suggested to me that they may have Bi-Polar and was recommended to a pediatric Bi-Polar specialist and the website I mentioned above. I first read the site and KNEW without question that my kids were in fact Bi-Polar. The specialist confirmed it. Bi-Polar sometimes takes awhile to surface for different reasons. By the way, their specialist has an adult daughter with Bi-Polar who had been hospitalized 7 times before the age of 12 and could relate to and understand everything I had been going through.

She put them on Bi-Polar meds and cut their Adderall dosage in half because ADHD meds aggravate Bi-Polar. They still needed it because they are secondary ADHD and were still very hyper, ect. They really improved in alot of areas but were still having horrific Bi-Polar rages (and that's a whole different story). After adjusting and changing their meds several times she then decided to take them off Adderall all together. I was very reluctant cause I knew they needed it for a lot of reasons. From the day she took them off Adderall, they had zero rages. This was 2 weeks before school started. They were still very hyper, but I was trying to deal with it.

Once they started school we discovered some things that were very problematic. They could no longer write legiably and their speach was becoming very slurred and muffled. It became hard to understand what they were saying. These are very smart kids and were at one time straight A students. They were now failing because the teachers couldn't read their work. My boys cried and cried over this and were very frustrated, they just couldn't understand why they could no longer write. They used to have beautiful handwriting. Their doctor said they had Dygraphia which is sometimes a side effect of ADHD. We had no idea they had this since they had been on Adderall since 2 and it had been masking it. She ended up putting them on low dosage of Concerta (a dosage for a much younger child) to help counteract all of this. She decided on the low dosage of Concerta as it would have the least chance of aggravating the Bi-Polar and triggering the rages.

It worked!!!! They are now writing beautifully again, their speach improved and they are doing well in school. It also helped curb the hyperness. Their school just can't believe the difference in them since all of this took place a year and a half ago.

Sorry, this turned into a longer post than I intended (and trust me there is so much more to my story). Bottom line is find a good doctor, research and PRAY. As I have mentioned to others, you are welcome to PM me anytime with questions. If there is anyway I can ever help you, I will be more than happy to in anyway that I can.

I will be praying for you and your daughter.

[JG86]

I got diagnosed with ADHD when I was a junior in high school and unfortunately was kicked out of the Marines a year and a half ago because I had it (I didn't tell them when I joined, but they found out--long story--but I do get to go back in in September).

Anyway, since I didn't have health insurance after I got back from boot camp I was forced to look to the all-natural world of ADHD medication, and quite frankly, there's a lot of stuff that is equal to if not better than a lot of prescription stuff.

There's too many to list, and just like prescription medication, the all-natural stuff varies from person to person as well. But just type in 'all natural ADHD suppplements' into google and you should find some good stuff. Vitamins and fish oils would also positively contribute, as azaziah said above.

As for the prescriptions I had taken, I was first put on Adderall and that worked, but the 'coming down' factor, so to say, was horrible. Although I had absolutely no reason to be depressed, I was after the medication began to run out of my system. I would lie around looking at the ceiling wondering, why do I feel this way? I wouldn't want to talk, eat, you could have come in my room and asked if I wanted to take a week off and go to Disney and I probably would have said no thanks.

I was then put on Concerta and that worked similar to Adderall, but thankfully, no coming down effects. After a while though, I felt my personality was shifting. That I wasn't my self when I was on the medication. This bothered me greatly and I stopped taking medication all-together, much to the chagrin of my psychologist, who I might note, had multiple sponsor type gifts from different pharmaceutical companies.

Anyway, to sum up the post--all natural ADHD supplements do work, you just have to find out what works for that particular person and what doesn't. And vitamins are just a good-to-go regardless, since they promote good health and stuff like that.

[NateNKayliesMom]

I have ADHD, im on concerta, if its stopped working, well does she get it the same time every day? If you giver her the medication 6 O clock, and then 8 a clock the next day it wont work, it has to be the exact time.

When she was taking the medication, it was given at 6:30 am each & every morning. By noon, it had worn off. After a week, it had worn off by 10:00 am.

[Gracie]

Hi....I read through your post again, but I didn't see anything about allergy testing. Maybe I missed it? If you haven't had her tested, that might be a good thing to do. Like you said, sensitivities to foods and allergens exist and they can cause behavior changes. Sugar, red dyes, etc can be really problematic.

I don't think you are being paranoid at all. Stimulants can cause all kinds of problems; so can all the other meds. (FYI - Strattera didn't work for my son.)

Dr. Maryann Block has published books regarding treating ADHD naturally; she also has a clinic in the Dallas area. I haven't read her stuff in years, but you might consider researching her.

[NateNKayliesMom]

Yes... I did have her tested. She was allergic to milk, soy, shellfish, and peas. She carries the gene for Celiac Disease (Sprue -- whatever) which means that she should not be having any products with wheat, rye and barley and even some oats. These have been for the most part removed. I think that was part of the problem because she did get lax with her diet at school -- by eating stuff that she knew she couldn't have even though she packed her lunch & took her own snacks.

[Gracie]

Well, it seems to me that you are on the right track with getting to the bottom of things and treating her. :nod Prayers for you both.