7 Awesome Alternatives to ADD Medication

 

Do you usually experience distractions as you do your everyday tasks? It’s possible you have either ADD or ADHD. ADD (attention deficit disorder) and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) are among the most common mental disorders today. The common characteristic of these two conditions is that they are both attention deficit disorders. They can affect kids even in their adulthood.

Luckily, there are several options for treating these two conditions that affect both kids and adults alike. Medication is among the best options for treating ADD and ADHD. People with these two mental disorders usually use medicines such as Ritalin and Adderall to treat their symptoms. Nonetheless, ADD and ADHD medications could pose a threat to adults and kids. Fortunately, you can try some alternative options for treating ADHD and ADD, whether you are an adult or a kid struggling with these two medical conditions.

Consult our mental health experts before starting on alternative ADD treatment options.

 

Try an Elimination Diet

Diet is among the best alternative cures for persons struggling with ADD even in their adulthood. A deficit of essential chemicals in the brain can aggravate the symptoms of ADD. Eliminating some foods such as sugars and processed food will help reduce your kid’s symptoms of ADD. Furthermore, eliminate dairy products, corn, wheat, eggs, citrus fruits, and soy from your kids’ diet since these foods can heighten the hyperactivity in your kid.

 

Protect Your Head

As mentioned, head injuries can heighten the symptoms of ADD. You can avoid sustaining various types of head injuries by being cautious while going up the staircase. You can also put on a helmet if you are riding a motorcycle to protect your head against injuries in the event of an accident. Buckling up in your everyday ride can help protect your head from brain injuries that can make your ADD symptoms worse.

Ensuring you have worn a safety belt each time you drive in a car will protect you from head injuries resulting from vehicle accidents. Avoid driving your car, especially when you are under heavy influence of alcohol and drugs. You should also protect seniors from having accidents that will cause brain injury. For instance, you can accompany your loved senior one to places where they are likely to fall if they are walking alone.

 

Investigate Sleep Problems

There is a close link between ADD and sleep problems. People with sleep problems are at a high risk of getting ADD. Moreover, sleep problems will worsen your ADD symptoms, making you experience inattention and hyperactivity. Having quality sleep can be an effective alternative treatment option for ADD.

Investigate whether you, your kid, or a loved one have serious sleep problems to help you deal with their ADD problems holistically. Some of the sleep problems that people with ADD experience include-

• RLS: RLS means restless legs syndrome. It is a sleep disorder whereby one moves their legs persistently during sleep due to an unpleasant sensation. People with this sleep disorder are at risk of experiencing hyperactivity during the daytime. They can also show signs of inattention and restlessness.
• Insomnia: Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder that affects persons with ADD. This disorder makes it difficult for people to fall asleep. Persons with insomnia have difficulties staying asleep. This sleep disorder can also make you wake up quite earlier than usual and also stop you from getting back to sleep. Persons with this condition are at significant risk of having ADD. Worse still, insomnia can make you feel tired during the daytime.
• RBD: RBD is a sleep disorder that stops people from having a quality sleep due to vivid dreams. The sleep disorder can make you, your kid, or your loved one susceptible to ADD. Furthermore, it can make their ADD symptoms more severe.
• Sleep Apnea: Most teenagers and kids with ADD have sleep apnea, a condition that makes people breathe repeatedly in their sleep. Sleep apnea also causes people to snore loudly and feel exhausted the following day. There isn’t an effective drug for this sleep condition.

The best way to investigate whether you have any of these sleep problems that can expose you to a high risk of getting ADD is by visiting a sleep specialist. A sleep specialist has training in internal medicine and therefore they are in a position to detect any sleep problems that could be affecting persons with ADD. You can also detect sleep problems yourself if you are having trouble sleeping, or sleeping more than usual.

Book an appointment with our ADD expert and learn more about alternate treatment options for the condition.

 

Check Important Health Numbers

Your physical health and your loved one’s physical health can worsen the symptoms of ADD. There is a close link between some biological issues with ADD symptoms. These biological issues include-

• Abnormal thyroid levels- having low thyroid levels can lead to low motivation, cloudy thinking. High thyroid levels can lead to hyperactivity in persons with ADD and ADHD.
• Low levels of ferritin in the body
• Low levels of zinc vitamin D, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids

Make sure your loved one or someone close to you who has ADD goes to a physician to check these levels. The physician will recommend solutions on how to raise these levels, and they will recommend ways to lower such levels if you have excess levels in your body.

 

Try Non-invasive Treatment Options

Non-invasive treatment options, such as neurofeedback are a great way of treating ADD. Non-invasive alternatives such as interactive therapy will help calm your brain, helping you counter symptoms of ADD. Other non-invasive alternatives include cognitive therapy, which helps counter the negative behaviors that aggravate symptoms of ADD and other medical conditions. Cognitive is particularly effective for kids and teenagers since it helps them deal with hyperactivity.

Consult our mental health experts for non-invasive treatment option. Book you appointment today!

 

Check For Symptoms of Other Serious Medical Conditions

Health problems, such as migraines can worsen the symptoms of ADD. Abnormal thyroid levels in the body can make your kid experience hyperactivity in the long run. Take your child or loved one for a medical checkup, especially if you think their ADD problem results from a severe medical condition.

 

Natural ADHD Treatments Alternatives

There are several alternative treatments for ADHD which are suitable for those with ADHD. You can choose any alternative treatment that will best suit your ADHD symptoms. Furthermore, you can try some of these natural ADHD treatments without any prescription from a medical doctor. Medical treatment alternatives need a doctor’s assistance or input for any alternative to work effectively for the person with ADHD.

One of the best alternative natural cures for ADHD is changing your diet. For instance, eliminate food additives from your diet. Food additives can trigger and worsen the symptoms of ADHD. Add more healthy foods to your diet to avoid potential allergens that heighten your ADHD symptoms. Below are the common food additives you should avoid to offset your ADHD symptoms.

• Sodium benzoate: Sodium benzoate is a common ingredient in fruit juices, salad dressings, jams, and carbonated drinks.
• FD&C Yellow: This food additive is present in chips, cheese sauce, jellies, jams, cookies, candy, bread crumbs, and soup mixes.
• FD&C Red: The food additive is a common ingredient in soft drinks, ice cream, cereal, baked foods, and candy.

Apart from food additives, several allergens can worsen the symptoms of ADHD, making it hard for people to cope with this mental disorder.

 

Some of these allergens you should avoid adding to your diet if you have ADHD include:

•         Eggs
•         Milk
•         Apples
•         Grapes
•         Chili powder
•         Tomatoes
•         Prunes
•         Peaches
•         Plums

Supplements can also work as an effective natural treatment for ADHD. Several studies show that supplements can help people with ADHD to combat this disorder. Zinc supplements, for instance, can help children manage their ADHD symptoms. Nonetheless, avoid taking any supplements before checking with your doctor whether the supplement can help you alleviate your ADHD problems. Below are a couple of supplements that are effective in combating symptoms of ADHD.

•         Zinc
•         Magnesium
•         Vitamin B-6
•         L-carnitine

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 Other Natural Treatments for ADHD

Below are other effective natural treatments for ADHD that are suitable for kids and adults.

• Parental or behavioral therapy: This alternative cure for ADHD works well for children with ADHD. Behavioral therapy should be the first healing option for children with ADHD, since it helps such children combat hyperactivity. Behavioral therapy works by resolving certain problematic behaviors through holism for adults and kids. Furthermore, behavioral therapy offers solutions to help prevent these inappropriate behaviors in the future.
• Tai chi and yoga: Some studies show that yoga can help combat ADHD symptoms in both children and adults. Adults and teenagers who practice yoga report a significant improvement in dealing with hyperactivity and other ADHD symptoms. Studies also show that tai chi can help improve the symptoms of ADHD. Researchers suggest that kids who practice tai chi are less likely to experience anxiety and hyperactivity due to ADHD. Encourage your kid to practice either tai chi or yoga to improve their ADHD symptoms.
• Video games: Video games can help enhance concentration. Lack of attention is also a common symptom of ADHD. Kids and adults with ADHD have difficulty concentrating on their tasks. Encourage your little one with ADHD to play video games, especially when they show ADHD symptoms.
• Spend time outdoors: Spending time outdoors can help adults and kids with ADHD deal with this debilitating medical condition. Research shows that spending at least 20 minutes outdoors can benefit persons with ADHD by enhancing their concentration.

 

Medication Vs. ADHD Natural Treatments

Medical doctors usually prescribe medication to persons with ADHD. Doctors find medication as the quickest fix to ADHD. Both adults and kids have to visit a doctor for about one to three months. Doctors can also recommend more medical checkups depending on the severity of ADHD.

Therapy for ADHD treatment requires a one-hour session with a licensed counselor. The sessions can take place several months a month to help offset the symptoms of ADHD. Some people prefer nonmedical ADHD natural cures. Nonetheless, it would help to try several natural ADHD treatments to offset your ADHD symptoms. The advantage of ADHD natural treatments is that they have no physical side effects, unlike most ADHD medical alternatives.

Those who opt for medication to treat their ADHD problems should take their drugs per their doctor’s prescription. However, most ADHD patients don’t take their daily doses of ADHD medication, hindering them from offsetting their problems. These are some of the harmful effects of ADHD medication, especially if you abuse any ADHD medication.

• Mood swings
•  Poor appetite
• Heart problems
• Suicidal gestures or thoughts
• High blood pressure
•  Sleep problems

Alternate ADHD treatment alternatives rarely have noticeable side effects, unlike ADHD medications. Nonetheless, the only exception when these alternatives can lead to harmful side effects is when a person takes any supplements without consulting their physician. Or, when the person is not using the alternatives effectively.

The other major disadvantage with ADHD medications is that these medications don’t introduce coping skills to the person with ADHD. Those living with ADHD or ADD need to master some coping skills which they can stick to throughout their entire lifetime.

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Treatment Delay

Delaying a cure for ADHD can lead to severe consequences in children and adults. For instance, delaying cure can make your hyperactivity more severe. Furthermore, it can make you or your kid lose concentration more often. In extreme cases, treatment delay can also lead to irritability, especially in adults. Hence, it helps to seek cure for ADHD immediately if you observe any symptoms of ADHD. Talk to a certified counselor or a medical doctor about your ADHD problems in advance. If the doctor recommends any meds or treatments for your ADHD symptoms, ensure you take these meds and stick to your doctor’s prescription once you get treated. If you are using natural treatments for ADHD, ensure the treatments are working best for you.

 

 Side Effects

People experience the side effects after using ADHD medications. Understanding the side effects of these medications will help you decide which medication suits your ADHD problems. These are some of the side effects of ADHD medication.

• Social isolation in children and adults following long-term use of ADHD medication
• Reduce job and academic performance in kids and teenagers
• Depression in kids and adults
• Conduct disorder
• Substance abuse in adults and teenagers
• Inability to form relationships, especially in adults
• Antisocial disorder in adults and kids

 

Final Thoughts

ADD and ADHD are among the most prevalent mental disorders today. These two disorders can affect all social aspects of our lives, in both kids and adults. Luckily, you can combat these disorders thanks to the many effective ADD ADHD alternative treatments. If your condition is severe, you can visit a counselor or a doctor who will recommend a sound plan for treating your condition.

Treatment plans work especially well for adults who are grappling with ADHD and ADD in their lives – Click the banner below to book an appointment.