Interesting Facts about ADHD Medications that Doctors Might Not Mention
There are some interesting facts about ADHD medications that you need to know in order to choose the best treatment for your child. In this article, you'll learn about these facts along with alternative treatment options that you might not have been aware of.
If your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, he has probably been prescribed medication. As a parent who is making your child's health care decisions, you want to do more than just follow the ADHD advice of your physician: you'll want to know the side effects for the specific drug the doctor has prescribed. In addition to knowing this, there are three crucial things that you should know about ADHD prescription medications in general.
Important & Interesting Facts about ADHD Drugs
Drugs only mask the symptoms of ADHD; they do not heal what causes it. This means that as long as your child continues to take the drug, symptoms like restlessness, impulsivity, inability to focus and stay on task will be less pronounced. As soon as your child comes off the drug, however, the symptoms will return.
All ADHD drugs have side effects and some of them can be quite serious. For instance, a common side effect of stimulant (and even non-stimulant ADHD medications) includes difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep and loss of appetite. When you look at side effects, consider their long term effects. For instance, while short term loss of sleep and stomach problems may not seem severe, they could stunt your child's development.
No one really knows the long term repercussions psychostimulant drugs can have on brain development. Recently, a well-known ADHD drug researcher came out against giving these drugs to children. In addition to being less effective than other treatment methods, it is believed by many that use of these medications as a coping mechanism during childhood could potentially lead to drug use later on.
Recent research has shown that ADHD kids are deficient in essential vitamins and minerals. Obviously, drugs can't change this because they can't give your child what he is deficient in. The only way to achieve this is with nutrient-dense food, vitamin and mineral supplements and homeopathic remedies designed specifically to treat ADHD.
Interesting Facts about ADHD Homeopathic Remedies
In order to highlight the difference between drugs and holistic remedies, here is important information for your consideration:
Homeopathic remedies can actually restore proper function to the brain when used regularly because they give the brain the nutrition it is lacking.
These remedies suppress symptoms effectively and do so without side effects, although they may take a bit longer to build up in the system.
These remedies have no drug interactions, so they can be used while you're tapering your child off of medication. There are also no concerns about addiction or long term use.
In comparing the two lists of interesting facts about ADHD treatments, it is easy to see why more and more parents are following the practical ADHD advice from naturopathic doctors. They are changing their kids' diets, substituting junk food for natural food, supplementing with vitamins and minerals and a homeopathic remedy designed specifically to treat ADHD and give the brain the nutrients it needs to function at its best.
About the author: Laura Ramirez is a child advocate and dedicated researcher of natural remedies for ADHD and other health issues. Read about her findings by going to www.treating-adhd-naturally.com.
Ms. Ramirez is also the author of the award-winning parenting book, Keepers of the Children: Native American Wisdom and Parenting and is the publisher of Family Matters Parenting Magazine. She is a parenting educator and speaker.
