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Prevnar and ADHD link? - Page 2

post #21 of 34
2/19/13 at 5:52pm

Out of curiosity, how long has your son been on Adderall? I'm not being judgmental or trying to criticize your parenting but I'm not sure I would give a 5 year old Adderall. I've been on it for years, and it is a wonderfully helpful medication but a lot of its effects are somewhat uncomfortable and frustrating. In a young child who isn't old enough to understand and be able to cope, it might cause some of the additional behavioral problems. Personally, I don't really think Adderall would really offer a small child any benefit over its annoying side-effects. 
That being said, I'm not in your situation and don't know what you've been through already so I hope I'm not coming off as judging your choices. 

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post #22 of 34
2/19/13 at 6:13pm
Thread Starter 

He's been on it since November.  I'm not happy he's on it, but he wasn't able to focus in school.  Since he's been on it, we're not receiving as many emails from his teacher.  The couple days we've missed a dose, we get emails from the teacher.  And his report card has improved.  I'm researching diets at the moment.

post #23 of 34
2/20/13 at 6:39am

My sympathies! I have no idea if there is a link between vaccinations and ADHD. I do know about dealing with ADHD! I have it and so does my kid. Please take a look at the video on parenting options to medicine by Amanda Baten, clinical nutritionist psychologist. Medshadow.org

The website has a lot of info on side effects and long-term effects of meds. Even if you choose to use meds, best to be prepared for what the long term effects are. 

 

Also, when our kid was 12 the (Catholic) school tried to kick him out because we wouldn't put him on Ritalin. It was a long, hard fight to allow him to find his way. ADHD is often linked with other learning disabilities. Your child's frustration with undiagnosed learning disabilities might be causing some of his mood swings and bad behavior. 

 

Good luck! There are no simple answers and even the solutions might change with his age. 

post #24 of 34
2/20/13 at 7:50am

I agree with the PP who suggested having your DS checked for SPD or ASD as the signs and symptoms don't seem so much ADHD.

post #25 of 34
2/20/13 at 8:42am
Thread Starter 

The behavioral therapist said flat out that he wasn't ASD.  I don't know where else to go.

post #26 of 34
2/20/13 at 9:11am

A developmental ped might be worth seeing for a rediagnosis. The thing with these conditions are they are basically labels and therefore the naming of them is somewhat arbitrary. I am generally not one for labels, kids are what they are, but I would seriously question the single diagnosis of ADHD. My DD never tantrumed, had sensory issues, food intolerances, or any immune deficiency conditions, like excema, asthma, it was purely attention/focus difficulties.

 

I really recommed reading on both the special needs and allergy forums. Good luck, many parents have had success in helping their kids without medications. My DD was never medicated, although her 3rd grade teacher pushed for it.

post #27 of 34
2/20/13 at 12:36pm

My son was diagnosed with ADD and Anxiety and was quickly prescribed Zoloft at 6 years old and then Adderal about 6 months later. We didn't do either. The teachers, principal and his play therapist all highly recommended it. What we did do is remove him from school to be home-schooled and figure out exactly what was going on with him, changed his diet, changed his therapist to one that was more on our wave-length, started omega-3 and learned techniques that worked for him (although nothing works all the time) and now he is having a successful 1st grade year in school with an IEP. He does still have issues and I am not sure if he doesn't have other issues going on that are yet undiagnosed but we take it day by day.

 

And, I am not saying your son should not be on medicine BUT don't worry about emails from the teachers or what they think. You are your sons best advocate and it is about what you feel comfortable with - same goes for vaccines. No one can really tell you what to do and reading through all the threads does get exhausting and confusing. I spent many sleepless nights worrying and wondering if I was doing the right thing and how and why things are as they are. It takes time to figure it all out but just hang in there!! 

post #28 of 34
2/23/13 at 12:58pm

In the book Gut and Psychology Syndrome, (GAPS) Dr Natasha Campbell argues that the health of the gut will determine how well a child responds to  vaccines.  Did your child display any symptoms prior to vaccination that would suggest gut dysbiosis(imbalance of good/bad bacteria in the gut)? (im sorry if this was already mentioned upthread, i did not read the entire thread)  For eg, as a baby, was he prone to colic, eczema,  cradle cap?  Does he  have healthy regular bowels?   There are a whole host of symptoms that  indicate an imbalance of good and bad bacteria in the bowel. The child typically inherits bowel health from the mother at birth (the father pays  role by passing on his gut ecology through sexual intercourse) How is your gut health? Are you prone to digestive problems? Ibs? Do you tolerate wheat well, etc etc. (you need to look into  it further, do a google first) Dr Campbell recommends testing for gut health before receiving vaccines. 

 

A GAPS diet is also recommended for healing the gut.

 

In short, it may, or may not have been the vaccine that triggered your sons  'diagnosis' ( i dont consider adhd a real diagnosis, but im just a parent, not a doctor), but  gut dysbiosis  combined with vaccines my have led to it.

 

My son who displays some adhd symptoms, responds marvellously to  eliminating gluten, so clearly his condition is related to  how guten is metabolized and therefore the  condition of his gut.


Edited by contactmaya - 2/24/13 at 6:48am
post #29 of 34
2/23/13 at 1:00pm

ps, was he on antibiotics?, which kill off good bacteria


Edited by contactmaya - 2/24/13 at 6:48am
post #30 of 34
2/23/13 at 5:15pm

My son (10) was fully vaccinated until 5, and had used antibiotics for strep throat several times. He is one of the most hyperactive children in his class (or anywhere else for that matter lol.)

We live a healthy lifestyle, but I had a feeling his behavior could be related to gluten intolerance. So, for the past week, we've made several changes. I removed all gluten from his diet, and mine as well. He loves to play video games in the evening after dinner and homework, but I made a new rule: video games on Saturday only (mean Mom!!)

 

I have to say, and I don't want to "jinx" anything, but I've seen a huge turnaround in this past week without gluten and video games. I am very encouraged by this!

(He's reading my reply as I type, and he wanted to add: "There's so many good gluten free things, that taste so good. And you should try some.")

 

 

The GAPS diet is worth learning about. I listened to this interview one night while painting the living room lol! http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bYJkS3ZBqos

(By the way, I post videos a lot because I like to listen while working or doing something else, like working, cleaning, or cooking. Multitasking and learning at the same time.)

Also, search certain topics like "gluten and behavior" or "ADHD gluten", etc. Very helpful.

post #31 of 34
2/23/13 at 6:46pm
Thread Starter 

Thank you. :)  He didn't/doesn't have any gut issues or show symptoms.  He was nursed until 18 months, didn't start solids until 7? months - he was reaching for my food, sitting up, etc., and I didn't feed him solids daily unless he was showing interest.  I don't think he started eating daily until 12 months.

 

I do want to eliminate gluten, but he;s so picky already and rotates between a handful of foods. 

post #32 of 34
2/23/13 at 8:22pm

:o)  He sounds a lot like my son. I breastfed until 13 months, and he was a picky carb-lover after that. He also does not have any gut issues that I know of.

 

 I'm fairly new to the whole gluten-free lifestyle. These are a few interesting points I recently learned:

"In children and young adults, gluten ataxia can also cause developmental delay, diminished muscle tone, learning disorders and ADHD."

 

"Only a proportion of patients presenting with neurological dysfunction association with gluten sensitivity will also have GI symptoms.”

The bottom line is that gluten sensitivity can be primarily — and at times exclusively — a neurologic disease."

http://www.livingwithout.com/issues/1_11/untreated_gluten_sensitivity-1800-1.html

post #33 of 34
2/24/13 at 1:27am
My oldest DD has been off gluten for a little over two years now, and she is like a different person. I wouldn't have believed how much difference it could make if I hadn't seen it. She never had any GI issues that I was aware of, either, but she was diagnosed by our ND as gluten and dairy allergic, and the diet has changed her life. joy.gif
post #34 of 34
2/24/13 at 6:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ~Kristina~ View Post

Thank you. :)  He didn't/doesn't have any gut issues or show symptoms.  He was nursed until 18 months, didn't start solids until 7? months - he was reaching for my food, sitting up, etc., and I didn't feed him solids daily unless he was showing interest.  I don't think he started eating daily until 12 months.

 

I do want to eliminate gluten, but he;s so picky already and rotates between a handful of foods. 

My son as well, weaned at 3 1/2, no antibiotics or symptoms as a baby, seems to have good gut health  if you use the bristol scale ( a scale that tells you if your elimiations   show a healthy or unhealthy gut wall)....

but...

 

his symptoms of adhd (  poor impulse control, hyperactivity, oppositional behavior, an other symptoms-picky eating, sugar addiction, and more)  all go away without gluten. So there is something in his digestion going on.... There are other factors like antibiotics in our food supply...leaky gut resulting from an over  growth of yeast...

 

Anyway, ironically the picky eating is drastically improved with gluten removal-for us anyway...