strattera
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Christine on -
It kills the appetite and interferes with sleep. It also can cause tics (odd movements and habits to soothe ones self) - which oddly enough, are one of the things it is said to treat.
A Harris, it is extremely dangerous - a controlled substance. I know a good deal of college kids (my kids' friends) that are addicted now, after a decade of use. They cannot get off. It is pretty difficult to be an addict at age 19. Please consider stopping all meds and letting your child develop at his own God given pace. He doesn't need to fit into school to be a success!
There are lots of creative options for high energy, low focus kids. They are NORMAL. Find a natural doctor that will help out without pushing harmful meds on him.
Blessings!
-
Permalink Reply by a harris on -
thats the road we are going down
we haved turned our whole house organic as of 12/05/08
and would like to ween him off and try some natural options
can you advise of any proven remedies
thanx
-
Permalink Reply by TimG on -
Drugs.com is always a good reference site for drugs, their uses and side effects.
Some highlights on strattera:
"Strattera is the first ADHD medication to avoid classification as a controlled substance (a drug with potential for abuse). It is thought to work by boosting levels of norepinephrine, one of the brain chemicals responsible for regulating activity. It is prescribed for children and adults."
"During clinical trials, researchers found that Strattera slowed children's average rate of growth. It's not known whether final adult height and weight are affected, but the manufacturer recommends interrupting use of the drug if a child is not growing or gaining weight at the expected rate."
Side effects in children may include:
"Appetite loss, constipation, cough, crying, diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, ear infection, fatigue, headache, indigestion, influenza, irritability, mood swings, nausea, runny nose, skin inflammation, stomach pain, vomiting, weight loss."
a harris:
If you haven't already, you should read "Natural Cures 'They' Don't Want You to Know About" and its sequel "More Natural Cures..." and look for natural solutions to your child's "attention deficit."
There is always an alternative to drugging a child, such as getting educated with Dr. Mary Block's "No More ADHD" book, sites like ablechild.org, and even Wildcolts.
The problem is most often not with the child. It's with the parent or guardian not knowing how to work with a child.
-
Permalink Reply by a harris on
-
we are presently reading reading both books
there is an overwhelming amount of info to digest
i appreciate your response thank you for the two additional books that you referenced
-
Permalink Reply by Christine on
-
Our 18 yo was diagnosed by her neurologist as 'not even on the bell curve' with add when she was 10.
One thing everyone should know about Strattera and other Ritalin type meds: EVERYONE PERFORMS BETTER ON THEM.
So how do you decide? The very best advice we ever got regarding our child (who had the medical status of 'handicapped' with her add) was:
Change the environment, not your child.
She is entirely, 100% successful - and A-B student in her senior year of high school, college bound. She needed more time. We home schooled her for several years, at her level and her interest. It worked.
God bless.
-
Permalink Reply by TimG on
-
"One thing everyone should know about Strattera and other Ritalin type meds: EVERYONE PERFORMS BETTER ON THEM."
Christine:
Well. This is easy to prove wrong: A memorandum to some children who have died on psychotropic drugs. INCLUDING Strattera and Ritalin.
And this was only a first link on an effort at a search. Think I can't find more?
And as a matter of course, "environment" is ONE factor to recovery. Cleanses and proper nutrition is another, and finally education.
Are you certain you belong on this particular community? We believe in NATURAL cures, ya know. Not drug pushing. Kevin Trudeau is not the first to say it, but he's said it a thousand times in his books: DRUGS ARE TOXINS.
If you believe in drugging your child, all the power to you. But I weep for our future as a society as today we have ignorant parents and drug-dependant children.
-
Permalink Reply by Olive on -
Absolutely, proper nutrition is a BIG factor. If Im not mistaken, thats been shown in several studies.
Im with Tim on this one. I weep for our future as well.
The first thing that came to my mind was omega 3's. Its crucial for proper brain function.
A Harris, I have no first hand knowledge of any natural remedies. I wish I could offer you first hand knowledge.
All I can offer is what I would do if it were me trying to find a natural solution for my child.
First and foremost of coarse, would be changing the diet. No doubt about that. This takes time of coarse, and trial and error.
In the meantime while i was working on those changes, I would incorporate supplementations.
It was easy enough to see the common ingredients when looking at a few different products that claim to help.
When googling "a natural approach to adhd" several products came up on the google search.
The ingredients that most of them tout are these :
phosphatidyl serine
l- tyrosine
omega 3 fatty acids
gamma
grape seed extract
ginko biloba
b vitamins
zinc
vitamins c and e
A few of the products that came up were flavay and ATTEND to name a few. I cant personally say weather these are good products or not. Its up to you to do the research on these ingredients, and to find the best products for you.
Good luck to you and your son. Dont give up !!!!
-
Permalink Reply by Christine on
-
Tim - You are so right. But the way your post is worded, it sounds like you are saying it is easy to prove that my statement (Strattera works for everyone) is wrong.
I believe you mean, it is easy (NOW) to prove that Strattera 'only works on ADD kids' is wrong!! I am being specific for parents out there searching for answers. RESEARCH any DRUG you give your child. (My 9 year old once said to me 'I can't think - I need my pill!') Even if it DOES help your child - there are -huge- problems with these drugs - including a child who thinks they cannot function without popping a pill to think correctly.
I am a parent who had my child on Ritalin, Adderal and then the Dr. was pushing Stratera on my child because she answered she still did not like school. I've done my complete research (7 years ago) and 'let everyone be convinced in his own mind.' If you are not convinced, that is all the more reason to let other parents put their kids on it to 'try' then, is it not? (This is what doctors use and teachers, to convince parents to try it out. It works every time - and kids become addicts at age 6 or 7.)
Psychotropic drugs increase EVERYONE's ability to perform: period. College kids know this - I'm sure you are aware how many kids keep their Rx going up into college years JUST to sell it to people pulling all nighters during exams. My own kids know it is sold in their high school as a recreational drug or just to get As. It works universally.
We were 2 years into drug treating our ADD child when a friend who tried a similar one (for weight loss) had a 3x increase in his work productivity. He began to research it - then called us with what he discovered. EVERYONE performs better on Ritalin.
There is no logical reason that so many of our children are on it. It is deadly - like you say. Teachers and doctors believe the LIE that 'only' people who are 'really' ADD or ADHD find Ritalin 'works.' WRONG. I did my research - anyone who wants to investigate this is responsible to do their own. You have to go beyond the Strattera colored brochure the doctor drug pusher hands you - it's not science, friends.
MDs do not have this information and even our Neurologist was not giving it to me. When she mentioned she already planned to get her two preschoolers on meds as soon as they got to first grade to 'help them focus' - I knew that we were not on the same page.
-
Permalink Reply by Christine on
-
"One thing everyone should know about Strattera and other Ritalin type meds: EVERYONE PERFORMS BETTER ON THEM."
Christine:
Well. This is easy to prove wrong: A memorandum to some children who have died on psychotropic drugs. INCLUDING Strattera and Ritalin.
****
Tim - your memorandum doesn't disprove that everyone performs better on psychotropic meds.
I am well aware kids die on these meds.
That is why it is critical that the LIE that 'only kids with ADHD' will perform better on the drugs.
This is the line used by doctors and teachers on parents to get them to accept that first sample - which works on 100% of children or adults - and why kids get hooked.
It is essential for a parent to have this information - their doctor does not. He is also brainwashed that it 'only works if you really have ADHD.'
Cheers!
-
Permalink Reply by TimG on
-
Christine:
I understand how easy it is to rationalize poisoning children. After all, these "little people" have very few rights as it is (yet do have the universal right to survive) and they can't decide what's best for themselves. And we surely do live in a chemically-laden society.
But to say that Strattera or Ritalin "makes kids perform better" is parallel to Timothy Leary saying that LSD makes people more creative or that steroids makes athletes build more muscle or that Viagra will give you the boner of your life. They are chemical crutches with chemical consequences.
It doesn't undermine the fact that psychotropics destroys people's minds, causing them to suicide or die of heart failure, REGARDLESS that it "makes kids perform better." THERE IS NO CHEMICAL ALTERNATIVE TO PROPER NUTRITION, HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT and SANE EDUCATION STANDARDS. Period.
"If you are not convinced, that is all the more reason to let other parents put their kids on it to 'try' then, is it not?"
No, it is not. You're not test-driving a car, you are dealing with the health of your child. You don't "test-drive" a drug on your kids to see if it works. To my mind, it is criminal. And the pushing of these psychotropics on children by the Education System or doctors is also criminal.
Twenty years ago, that kind of thinking was acceptable. In this day and age, where pharmaceuticals is a prime concern for Western Society, people need to be more cautious about what they put in their bodies. Not less cautious.
To me, "'I can't think - I need my pill!" tells me we're dealing with a chemical addiction.
-
Permalink Reply by Christine on
-
Tim - amen, amen, amen.
But friend, I don't think you are actually *reading* my posts before responding. This thread would be more helpful to the OP and other interested parents considering Strattera if we calmly and intelligently discuss the FACTS.
I -TOTALLY- agree with you.
I am DEAD AGAINST using medication on children with ADHD. : )
You don't change your child: you change their environment, and give them time to develop at their own pace.
The O.P. needs information - not condemnation. :o)
If he understands how strattera works, and that it DOES work on anyone who takes it, he will not fall for the method doctors use to push it.
The doctors don't even understand this - and tell parents it will 'only work if your child truly is chemically unbalanced'. THIS IS FALSE INFORMATION, and it is how they hook parents into drugging their kids into zombies.
I'm on your team, buddy! Just trying to clarify my point to the OP.
Best Regards.
© 2009 Created by naturalcures
