Herbal alternatives to Ritalin and other prescription drugs

Post Reply New Topic

My son was recently prescribed a low dose of Concerta. I am not a fan of prescription drugs and I am having the hardest time finding out what else works well for concentration. Some people have suggested St. John's Wort, Gensing, Ginko Biloba, and fish oil/cod liver oil. I have been giving him Cod liver oil for about a month.
I have also heard some things about chelation and some kind of mud baths to remove toxins. I am so confused. I just want to help him without man made drugs.
Has anyone had any luck with any herbs or other natural medication or treatment.

Chelation has caused the death of more than one autistic child. Don't add your kid to that list.

Meditation and mindfulness work better than any drugs.

Ginko Biloba made my son manic. Hyped him up way too much - mind you, so did ritalin and prozac.

Executive B helps me concentrate.
My mum took Gensing and it made her a bit loopy.

Don't trust chelation.

The Paleolithic diet is a low toxin diet. It includes nuts which are high in omega-3's which are important for brain functioning.

Green tea pills (sold as diet pills), that's what I take. All the benefits and none of the druggy feeling. Also, not as long lasting, maybe 4 hours?

I had some success with Gotu Kola ...

You're right to keep away from ritalin except as a last resort. I used it in my final years of school, I never would have graduated with straight A's without it, however, sometimes I feel like it has caused permanent effect to my brain and the side effects could not be taken lightly (constant ongoing high stress levels, unable to relax, reduced appetite bringing me to the brink of anorexia, depression and negative thinking, constant brittleness feeling high strung). I was pretty much unable to relax or enjoy my life. As soon as I finished y12 I went off it and swore I'd never go on it again.

As far as alternatives go, I'm not sure what would be good. I find in my opinion the best option is battling it out with yourself and using your own willpower, determination, and intellect to figure out ways to improve your coping. Also, i think it's a highly bad idea to start someone on drugs from a young age, so you're doing the right thing.

Unless you think its the little devas living in herbs is how they work, you'll have to understand the functions of the chemical constituents of herbs.

If you'd like to use herbs, why not consult a person professionally trained in herbalism and/or nutrition?
Without training its a gamble that what one takes is what one needs. Its a bit like walking into a drug store and just picking things off the shelves without reading labels and hoping something works.

Even if you know what herbs to use, there's also the factor of dosage.
Pharmaceuticals have established dosages. They know exactly how much of any given chemical is in them.

The chemical constituents of any herb is not only dependent on the DNA of the herb, but also the growing conditions where it was raised, how it was harvested, processed, and how long it was warehoused before one uses it.

The dosage you might be used to today could be very different the next time you purchase the herb again.

Btw, fish oil/cod liver oil is usually taken as a vitamin D supplement. Has your son's blood tested to be deficient in vitamin D? You regular MD can test your son's blood to see if he has a vitamin D deficiency. Its possible to overdose on vitamin D if a person doesn't need supplementation.

Its not only a waste of money to supplement with chemical constituents (pharmaceutical or herbal) one isn't deficient in, it could also be deadly.

I don't know that you would call it an herbal supplement but there are plenty of people that discovered giving their kids a cup of strong coffee helped more than the Ritalin. I have no idea why this helps, but apparently it does.

I also saw some sublingual spray for ADHD for kids online but no idea what is in it. I'll try to find the site again and post it.

Some people have a chemical imbalance and it is only prescription drug that can restore this imbalance so they can be normal - Fact.

Alot of people who have been in denial about thier illness or condition have refused medication and died as a result of suicide as a consequence of relapse.

What has contributed to thier denial is other peoples ignorance that they don't have an illness and/or non approval for prescription medications.

She's talking about a child here. None of the psych meds have been approved for consumption by children and many have the black box warning they can cause suicide in children and young adults. And many teens and young adults who were forced on Ritalin as youngsters will grow up and tell you how bad the Ritalin made them feel and how they felt better when they became adults and were allowed to make their own decision to quit taking it. Give the lady some credit for investigating before doping up her child.

Have you ever had a blood test to show your chemical imbalance? Few doctors ever do this before dishing out the SSRI's and instead just experiment on their patients giving them chemicals that may make their condition worse. There's also medical conditions particularly endocrine disorders that can cause brain chemical imbalances specifically depression which could be eliminated if the endrocine system was treated and not the brain imbalance.

If I hadnt of been medicated when I was a child. I would have surely committed suicide. With out them I would become very angry and go into rages.

Last edited by BellaDonna on 27 Jan 2009, 2:08 am, edited 1 time in total.

'Many' is a term I find very hard to apply to this. There are 'many' children who fare well with methylphenidate and many only do well because they're on meds. Then there are the children who do as bad or worse under meds and whom we hear a lot more about.

Depression up to suicidal thoughts also has to do with the irresponsible handling of professionals and parents.

There are people who're not nearly as thoughtful as Shae who think that if a professional prescribe their child a drug, it's 'going to be ok'. That a child with AD(H)D that is put on meds will need to receive counselling because their perception has been suddenly altered in a way that makes them abruptly aware of what they cannot do (even with meds) compared to what other children can do easily is often forgotten by too many professionals and their parents.

I'm really surprised by some cases... I mean, a parent isn't a professional, but that doesn't mean they may blindly trust professionals! Whose living with their kid - they or the professionals? Seriously. You inform yourself if you're put on meds yourself and you should also inform yourself if your child is put on meds I think.

Anyway, even when trying every other available possible remedy medications should not be thought of as bad just because they should always be a last resort. I think that too often people take meds these days that are not necessary and then complain about when meds are indeed necessary.

I was just going to bring up a similar topic. My better half has ADD, and wants to try alternatives to prescribed drugs. She is taking Omega-3 tablets, does this work?

If a deficiency of essential fatty acids is the etiology of her disfunction, yes, then it would help. Did she get a blood test to determine that before starting the therapy?

If her blood test showed no deficiency of EFAs and she'd getting relief from taking them could be that her requirements for them are higher than normal,

but then again, if any benefits she gets from taking them is questionable she might just be wasting her money.

There are people trained in nutrition. They are usually referred through an MD, Chiropractor, or Naprapath. A lot of the education given doctors of Oriental medicine and acupuncturists focuses on herbalism and nutrition.