ADHD Therapy - ADHD vitamin
Over the years many attempts have been made to find natural ADHD therapy in order to avoid the use of stimulants. Very little research has been done in this area since the medical profession has focused their attention almost exclusively on the use of stimulant drugs. It does seem probable that some vitamins, nutrients or herbs could eventually be found to be helpful. Several supplements can be tried, including DMAE, acetyl-l-carnitine, and fish oils.

Childhood and Adult ADD ADHD Therapy naturally
Acetyl-l-Carnitine reduces impulsive behavior in adolescent rats.
Adriani W. stituto Superiore di Sanita', viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2004 May 8
ADHD can affect human infants and adolescents. This study assessed the ability of chronic acetyl- l-carnitine (ALC, saline or 100 mg/kg SC, plus 50 mg/kg orally) to reduce impulsivity in a validated animal model for ADHD. Present data suggest that ALC, a natural supplement devoid of obvious psychostimulant properties, may have some beneficial effects in the therapy of ADHD children.
   Comments: Acetyl-l carnitine is not a vitamin but a nutrient. The dosage that could be helpful in adults or children with ADHD is not known but could range from 100 to 500 mg.

ADHD Therapy - Walk your ADHD child through nature
Is ADHD partly due to a deficiency of exposure to nature? Parents may find a good therapy for their children's ADHD symptoms by going back to nature. A study of 452 parents of children with ADHD found that activities in "green" spaces such as farms, parks and even backyards often seemed to temporarily mellow the children's symptoms. Children were more likely to show improved behavior in the hours after an outdoor, green activity than after activities performed indoors or in concrete-and-steel settings.

Adderall ADHD Therapy
Adderall is a stimulant pharmaceutical drug used in the treatment of ADHD in both children and adults. Made from a combination of four amphetamine compounds, Adderall is useful because it covers a broad range of ADHD symptoms, and because it is a "one a day" dosing. A child with ADHD usually has to take only one dose of Adderall per day to get through school and get his homework done. Adderall is a new ADD ADHD drug, Adderall is a mixture of four drugs, all from the amphetamine family.

ADHD patch medication
A patch system delivers methylphenidate -- the main ingredient in Ritalin, Concerta, and Methylin -- throughout the day. Made by Noven and Shire pharmaceutical companies, this ADHD patch medication is the first ADHD drug that does not have to be taken orally. Noven and Shire call the ADHD medication patch Daytrana.

Adult ADHD medications by prescription
Medications available for ADD and ADHD include:
Adderall
Catapres (clonidine)
Cylert (pemoline)
Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine)
Dextrostat (dextroamphetamine)
Ritalin (methylphenidate) - Ritalin is a stimulant drug used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder but it can cause brain changes in mice similar to those seen in cocaine addiction. Healthy mice exposed to daily injections of the Novartis drug Ritalin, or methylphenidate, developed changes in the reward centers of their brains, and some of these changes resembled those in mice given cocaine.

These medications all have side effects and may be dangerous to use longterm.

ADHD medication for child
Choosing an ADHD medication for a child was easy in the past since the options were limited. There are now quite a number of ADHD medications available including sustained release pills. Stimulants are considered to be first line treatments, and antidepressants, are second line treatments and might be considered if stimulant medications don't work for a child. Stimulants include different formulations of methylphenidate and amphetamine available in short, intermediate and long acting forms.
   Warning: Usual doses of Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine sulfate) may cause sudden death in children and adolescents with pre-existing cardiac problems.

Adult ADD ADHD Characteristics in parents and children
The parents of children with ADHD have more characteristics of inattention / cognitive problems, hyperactivity / restlessness, impulsivity / emotional lability, and lower self-concept when compared to parents of children without ADHD.

ADHD or Bipolar
ADHD and bipolar disorder have some common characteristics. The mania stage of bipolar disorder can show some great similarities to ADHD. Both ADHD and bipolar disorder can cause distractibility and inability to focus as well as impulsiveness. Temper tantrums in children with ADHD are often caused by over-stimulation while those in children with bipolar disorder are many times the result of a conflict with authority.

ADHD woman
Much research has been done with ADD ADHD but this research has infrequently addressed the unique situation and characteristics of women.

Difference between ADD and ADHD
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is the term used in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR). ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) is the older term from the DSM-IIIR.

Artificial food colorings and benzoate preservatives increase hyperactive behavior in preschool children, according to a new report. Despite claims about the detrimental behavioral effects of artificial food colorings and preservatives, the authors explain in the June Archives of Disease in Childhood, there have been no broad studies of the prevalence of ADHD related to intolerance to food additives. Dr. John O. Warner from Southampton General Hospital, UK, and colleagues studied the impact of artificial food colorings and benzoate preservative on the behavior of 277 preschool children. At the start, 36 children had ADHD and allergies, 75 were only hyperactive, 79 had only allergies, and 87 did not have either condition. Parents' ratings of their children's hyperactivity fell after withdrawal of food additives from the children's diets

ADHD vitamin questions
Q. Has there been a lot of research with ADHD vitamin therapy in children?
   A. Compared to ADHD medication use, there has been very little ADHD vitamin research.

Q. I have a15 year old son who is very, very bright (literally scores at the top of his middle school on standardized tests), but displays symptoms of ADD. He will lose interest, focus, or motivation and his grades will suddenly plummet to "D"s and "F"s. He has big goals, but will often forget, or "space" doing daily things to get him in touch with those goals. He hates our constant reminders, and we ourselves are concerned about how he will function when we don't "nag"...which we would rather give up. After he was diagnosed with ADD by a therapist and two doctors (we didn't believe in this "ADD" thing until we experienced it ourselves...and looking back found that we have a family history of ADD symptoms and various mental/emotional disorders) we had him on Adderall XR. That worked really well for his school performance and focus on lots of things, but it curtailed his appetite, so we took him off it a couple of years ago. Since then, we've tried various natural and herbal remedies with varying amounts of success. One of the big problems has been his "gag reflex". He can't stand to swallow pills of any size unless we grind them up and mix them up in a drink. Then he won't drink it because "it tastes awful". You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. I have been impressed with what I have read about Mind power RX, and would like to try it with him. But first I wanted to find out about the size of the pill, how it tastes, and, most of all, whether or not you think it would address the symptoms of his type of ADD.
   A. We can't predict the response of any individual person to any supplement, it is near impossible to predict. The size of the capsule is medium, and it may be a little bitter but can mix in juice with minimizing the bitterness.

My friend has been diagnosed with ADD (without hyperactivity) and depression. Are there any natural substances that would be good to manage both depression and ADD in an adult female? It appears that SAM-e could be useful, but I haven't seen any information stating that it is good for ADD. It seems like it may provide stimulating effects, which to me seems like a good idea for ADD. Prescription stimulants currently work well for reducing her ADD symptoms, but I am concerned about her taking them long term. She has tried non stimulant ADD meds, but they caused her to feel intense negative emotion. She have not had much luck with Rx anti depressants, however, she reports being less depressed on the ADD stimulants. Are there any natural substances that are as effective or more effective than prescription drugs for treating both ADD and depression with fewer side effects? What about yohimbe bark herb.
    There are natural supplements that influence depression and ADD but it is difficult to predict which will work in any one individual. Options include Mind Power Rx, SAM-e, acetyl carnitine, and St. John's wort. Yohimbe would not be effective. It may take trial and error to find out which one, or which combination, works, or works the best. Begin with low dosages and learn how each one influences you by itself before combining. Always use low dosages when combining, even if it means taking part of a capsule or tablet.

Is there an ADHD vitamin that works for an adult with adhd and bipolar?
    A vitamin would not help, but certain supplements as discussed earlier in this article could be helpful.

My son has ADD without hyperactivity, for which he takes methylphenidate. It works well but suppresses appetite. That would be okay, except that my son is genetically very thin. When he eats less on Ritalin, his BMI falls from about the 8th percentile to the 1.4th. (That's one-point-fourth, not fourteenth.) So, I'm seeking information on appetite stimulants. As an RN, I've seen Marinol work well for patients with anorexia, but I hesitate to suggest that to my son's pediatrician because it's essentially cannabis. Question: Do you sell ghrelin, a ghrelin stimulator or a mimetic? What other supplements make people hungry?
    I am not aware of natural supplements sold over the counter that increase appetite.