Attentive Child ??

[MamaBug]

I didn't know if I should put this here are in the special needs forum, so I apologize....

My son has ADD....he was on Adderall but didn't want to eat and had alot of issues sleeping. I read about Attentive Child and have started him on that after several months totally off the Adderall.

My question for anyone who has used this is:

How long until you notice a change?
Do you use it every day?
How many wafers do you give your child? The dose says 2-3 wafers but does not say when, we have been taking them both in the morning before school...should I give him 3 since he is 11?

What was your experience with this.?

My son wants to go back to the Adderall but I really want to give this all natural stuff a try....I HATE the Adderall and the unknowns for his future so I am really hoping that this stuff will help him.

Thanks for any info or advice

[jeliphish]

I have seen some reservations about using the product which has (I think) 50mg of DMAE. DMAE increases striatal dopamine which you don't want to in people with ADHD as they have an abundance of Dopamine receptors.

There is risk for some pretty moderate depression and anxiety issues.

What are his complaints? why is he saying he wants to go back to aderall? Even though it's marketed as "natural" it still has an ingredient that can cause some pretty bad side effects.

[MamaBug]

His only complaint is the taste of the wagers, the Adderall all you do is swallow a small pill.

Can you direct me to any reviews! Thanks!

[jeliphish]

I'll get them at work tomorrow- i was actually advocating it for one of my clients through his pediatric neuro-development clinic physician. She's the one who sent me the reviews. However this child had significant problems with depression and I do remember her mentioning concerns about his ability to adequately use choline (??). And I am not sure how that plays into it all.

[ASusan]

Are you sure his only complaint is the taste of the wafers vs swallowing a pill? He doesn't notice differences in concentration or behavior or mood?

If so, I'd crush the wafers and put them in applesauce or other appealing dish. Or follow them with a chaser of chocolate chips, or a spoonful of jam, or a couple of cookies that he DOES like...something that he likes to scam from the cupboard. When I was 11, I liked to eat spoonfuls of Lipton Iced Tea Mix (yes, the brown-colored sugar in a can!) or peanut butter-dipped-in-chocolate-chips, or a swig of Hershey's syrup. I know, all awful stuff. But, a spoonful-of-sugar-helps-the-medicine-go-down in our house.

(and all that stuff I was swigging from the cupboard at 11 was NOT chasing supplements or medicine!)

[busybug]

the striatum of adhd have enough dopamine transporters, but the problem is that they don't have enough  dopamine to transport hence the reason stimulants are given they have the opposite effect on an adhd brain so if the ingredient in attentive child helps produce more dopamine it is indeed beneficial in taking the place of stimulant meds with out the harmful side effects.