I am a part-time Physician Assistant and a part-time stay at home mom. I have two boys with ADD/ADHD. I have a special interest in the primarily inattentive sub-type of ADD/ADHD because I have this sub-type and my eldest son does as well.
The dirty little secret of ADHD research is that doctors do not know that much about how to treat the primarily inattentive disease. Some researchers believe that Primarily Inattentive ADD/ADHD is not even the same disease!! The stimulants, if they work at all, work at a much smaller dose for the primarily inattentive types.
I have two sons. The little one, 8 years old, has the classic ADHD, the older, 11, has Primarily Inattentive ADD. This is not a terrible combination for a household. Unmedicated, one bounces off the wall and the other sits still and stares off into space.
This would all be fine and good except for those pesky phone calls from their teachers. Unmedicated, the little one, who happens to be adopted has spells of depression. Uncaffeinated, the older one makes these annoying high pitched sounds that are, according to his O.T., soothe his Sensory Integration issues. Oh, the little one has sensory integration issues as well.
No worries!! We do Mega Omegas, High Volume Flintstones, Sensatherapy Gymastics (fun for the whole family), Chewable 5-HTPs, Aerobics, Floor time, Motivation Charts... You get the picture. We tried Ritalin for my eldest son but It did not work. He also weighs like 8 pounds so it was not good that he lost 5 pounds while he was taking it. Caffeine actually works great for him and luckily for us, he likes coffee.
The little one is on Vivanse. He actually weighs a lot and needs a weight loss plan. As far as I's concerned, the amphetamine is doing double duty which in his case is not a terrible thing. So far the Vivanse seems to be helping him. I'll keep you all posted. We have know for a long time that he had Hyperactive ADHD but resisted the medication...
Write me and let me know what you know about Primarily Inattentive ADD/ADHD. Let's share the knowledge wealth!!
I recently discovered Red Bull shots and they seemed to focus me. They also felt like I was having a heart attack. Could be that I had them on an empty stomach after consuming a handful of chocolate covered coffee beans. Anyone found the RedBull helpful?
ReplyDeleteI have tried it as well and it makes me VERY productive and makes my family wants to tie me down. It did not make my heart race but I used to own an Espresso cart so I may be used to heavy duty caffeine.
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