Advice on ADD/ ADHD?

So my oldest is a 4 year old girl and she’s a wonderful child, but I’m pretty confident that she either has ADD or ADHD. I had ADD as a kid and her father has ADHD. I was on prescription adderall for 10 years until I graduated. It did help, but around late middle school I learned how to control/harness it when need be, medication or not. My daughter’s father still struggles to this day at 32. She is a lot like me, although I feel like she is following the same path he did. She is a well behaved child, extremely bright and emotionally intelligent. There are days when she even tells me “mommy, I’ve been good and listened all day, but I can’t be good anymore”. Almost like she’s tired from trying so hard to reign herself in. I’ve seen a similar post where a mom asked for advice with her little one struggling with adhd and someone advised microdosing with caffeine to help calm them. I know it may sound backwards, but it makes sense to me because it aided me here and there. I’m considering trying this method with her because adderall kept me pretty underweight most of my life and she is alreadly pretty thin by nature (not that I’m thinking about medication at her age). Does anybody else have experience with this method? Or helpful advice to help her calm down and not act out? I’m understanding since I went down a similar road, but i want to help her since she is about to start school and I don’t want to see her struggle with that aspect or get in trouble when she is trying her best. Please, any advice would be nice

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Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. Advice on ADD/ ADHD?

Start now with consistent schedule. And teaching her to calm down. And slow down.

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I’m gonna be the person to say caffeine don’t always help but could actually make it worse. My son has severe adhd combination type autism dmdd/bipolar spd and caffeine makes him even more hyper. We used cbd when he was that little before he started on meds he’s now 10 almost 11

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Vandy Gibson i 100% agree with routine it helped my son hugely.

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As someone who went undiagnosed until adulthood, I’d take her to the doctor and ask what the best course of treatment is. ADHD is something that can actually be treated and eventually can get better with treatment not needed anymore. But going completely untreated, results in it getting worse and worse. It is really hard to deal with as an adult trying to figure it all out.

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Not everyone needs medication although I will say this: I made a lot of stupid life choices as a young adult that I probably wouldn’t have if I had been medicated for my own attention deficit. As my therapist put it, women tend to go undiagnosed and we tend to make decisions that people think are a result of being rebellious when it’s really just a result of not thinking things through all the way and operating impulsively. That said, one of the things that helped me survive unmedicated was constantly being involved in some sort of sport. Most ADHD brains work best through physical activity and most children who have attention deficit are kinesthetic learners, which means their brains absorb information better when combined with movement.

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I tried the caffeine method when my son was younger (18 now) - I have to say I unfortunately did not see a change

My oldest has ADHD, we have ONLY given her St John’s Wort since she was 4. She is now 13 and still not on meds, when she feels like she can’t control herself she starts taking SJW and gets back on track for a few weeks and then goes off of it again… her father and I both have ADHD, we all are unmedicated. We don’t believe in the meds unless truly needed

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I suspected my daughter had it along with sensory processing, and anxiety around 3/4 yo and she’s now 6. In her diagnosis it was all that plus ODD. I would definitely take her to get a diagnosis. My daughter does OT and therapy for hers, and medication- which in our case has helped tremendously. There are other ADHD medications besides Adderall for kids if you do decide to go that route, but whatever works best for your daughter.

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Call her pediatrician.

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I was diagnosed with Adhd recently at 47. I struggled all my life with social anxiety, depression and many other things but to many people I was a picture of perfection. My 16 year old also has the same problems and I understand where you come from. Love and light to you and your family

My little brother has ADHD and when the doctor would mess with his meds my mom would have to substitute with straight black coffee, no sugar or cream. He’s 36 this year. I also have an Aunt and cousin that drink coffee to help control their ADHD.

ADD isn’t classified as a mental health disorder it’s now just ADHD, just to give you info. My daughter, I suspect she does but the meds are very strong and I wouldn’t want that for her. We just make her environment very carefree and play-based learning. When she switches tasks we just go along with it and I’ll redirect to clean up what she was playing with before etc. I would try talking to the pedi about it and see what they suggest. She may thrive in school, maybe waiting and seeing how she does with school? It’s very rigid. I was always suspected as having adhd and my mom had teachers evaluate me, come to find out I’m bipolar 2, diagnosed at 22. It could be anything and it could just be her personality.

As someone who went undiagnosed until I was 49. Take her to a doctor get a diagnosis. Also meds for life is fine there is no shame in needing medication

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eliminating red food dyes and refined sugars. Along with the caffeine worked wonders for my daughter. She is 50 now and never on any meds.
Not diagnosing or prescribing…just telling you one mom to another.

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Take all food away that has food dye and preservatives in it it’ll be called under these names in the ingredients :
sodium benzoate
fd&c red 40
fd&c yellow 6
c&d yellow 10
Fd&c yellow 5
Bha/bht

Limit caffeine (caffeine sometimes help tho strangely)

Avoid allergens

Also outside activity and yoga can help also

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Try it you’ll never know

Mt son’s son has a mom who was put on all kinds of meds for adhd early in life. As a young adult woman she had a lot of growing pains. At 35 she is somewhat calmer now but still remains on some mild meds. Her ten year old son started having issues so some school counselor suggested she put the boy on meds. Thank goodness no one followed through because now at 14, he has matured and no longer has issues. I think the meds the mother took affected the child somewhat. Her family became his support system and he outgrew the problems without going on meds. So don’t rush into anything.

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I would consult with a doctor. St John’s Wort can be toxic to some people,especially if mixed with other meds. Caffeine might not work for some people and might affect her sleep patterns. Your doctor will know the best course of action. If you are deadset against meds, you could look for a doctor that also uses holistic methods. That could help too.

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Take her to her pediatrician and ask for Genesight testing

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I have two boys. One has ADD and the other ADHD they are both medicated on school days only (Dr said this was ok) they’re on Biphentin and it in no way changes the person they are. It truly helps them to keep focused in class.

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My son started on medication at age 4… his pedi saw it in him at age 2… we just watched him until we felt the need for it. When he started prek 4 in the Public school setting he needed the help. Daycare was easy as the class size was smaller and less stimulation… but in the public school setting, the class was 25 I believe and it was too stimulating for him. But the medication did help. We started on the lowest dose which was all he really needed. Just a touch in the morning and after nap… he did great…

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I’ve got two kids. My oldest, girl 18, has add or adhd. She also has ocd. So far, mental health has only prescribed therapy and some pills for her anxiety.
My son is 12 now and has not had any issues thank goodness. My brother had adhd growing up and took Ritalin. He never wanted to take them and was only prescribed them for like a year. He has self medicated with cannabis for 30 years now. Swears by it.

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I think the first thing you should do before trying anything is to her evaluate for a proper and a accurate diagnosis

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Have an allergy test done. For foods. They do blood tests so it’s not painful. But some foods can cause this. Also look into Vitamins and herbs. Magnesium is a good calmer and niacin is used for brain health. I used coffee for my daughter and Vitamins for my son. My son was more hyper than my daughter. The Vitamins helped more than anything. Talk to her Dr about a Vitamin Panel and a regimen for her. If he says he doesn’t do that then I would suggest an holistic Dr.of natural medicine.

Yes my 5 yr old can drink a Mountain Dew and be totally calm

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My son was given Adderall at 6. I never gave it to him though. I got this vitamin off of Amazon and it has worked wonders so far

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If she does have ADD/ADHD, there’s no shame in needing medication if it’s truly needed. There are non- stimulate forms as well. Start with your pediatrician and go from there.

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Adderall is nothing but legal speed. Amphetamines. I was on it for a long time. Please stay away from giving it to your kids. Not that you would. I grinded my teeth at night and broke them. I kept taking Adderall. Then I lost all my teeth. In my 40s. And I obsessed over my teeth. I had beautiful teeth and took care of them. Adderall is poison .

I would remove all artificial foods as much as you can. My oldest son needs caffeine to help calm him down. He drinks green tea (we brew it ourselves and use stevia to sweeten) with lemon for his caffeine. It turns out he also had food allergies… Gluten, sugar, and dairy. Once we got his diet right, he was able to focus better, his anxiety and OCD are more manageable.

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My granddaughter has ADHD and sensory issues. No choice but to put her on meds. She takes it in the morning and that is all. Lowest dose possible. We also have her in therapy to help with sensory and swimming (that does wonders). For class we got her some fidgit cubes (small so no distraction for class). For school it is best she is diagnosed so they have to accommodate her. She is 9. It also depends on they type of ADHD. Is it inattentive, hyper or a combination? Mine is a combination so it makes things more difficult. I wish saying getting her diagnosed is not a problem but it can be very difficult for the diagnosis. You may need to get her diagnosed by a mental health physician

Scripts are the worst thing you can give her. Try natural remedies. Valerian or other home essences … Go to health food store

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I have had ADD all my life although not diagnosed until I was older. Always thought that I just wasn’t very smart because I could not pay attention. Later in life I lost a couple of jobs because I can’t stay focused and went on a med for about a year. I took a med that worked for me with little or no side effects. I believe it was called Stratera. I had to stop because I didn’t have insurance and the meds were $100 per mo. as well as about $300. in blood work every 6 mo. due to the fact that it is a controlled substance… ADD and ADHD are very different. I did not have they Hyper part just the inability to stay focused. But it can really mess with your self esteem. I would wait until school and see how she does and if necessary take her to a specialist. Don’t home medicate.

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There is a supplement called calm child . I’d also work on getting rid of any sugar or food coloring/processed food in her diet . My sons trigger is red dye 40 .

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If you’re going the route of medication, I would inquire about Focalin first before adderall. The side effects on adderall can be a bit alarming. We put my stepson on Focalin when he was 8. A very low dose and it was a night and day difference!

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Do I used to work (as a receptionist) at a rehab facility for kids that did things like occupational therapy, speech therapy and physical therapy where 90% of the kids were on the spectrum. I used to hear the occupational therapist tell parents all the time to give the coffee/soda method a try for a week before deciding to try out a medication. She would tell them to make a 1/4 of a cup, sweeten it a little bit and make the rest milk, or she would say give them half a can of coke. She said it was also a good way for parents to do a mini at home test if they felt their kid night suffer from it. If the kid had it, the caffeine acted like the Adderall and calmed them down. if they didn’t have it, the kid just got the case of the bouncies for half the day .

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My pediatrician told me to give my kid some coffee
before school.

Take classes on how to cope with their learning skills! I’m doing that right now !!

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I honestly think caffeine is the worst thing u can do. My son has adhd and mild bipolar and whenever he can’t control himself and decides he’s gonna get into the caffeine pop it only makes his problems worse and then he’s bouncing off the walls even more than he was before. My son is also medicated and where there are times that I think that helps him there are also times that I think it doesn’t help him but then again my son is also the type of kid who will make himself throw his pill up and then try to hide the pill so its not in his system because he doesn’t like taking the medication and thinks he can control it on his own when he can’t and hasn’t been able to. Take her to her pediatrician and let them evaluate her if she is put on medication its not the end of the world and there is nothing wrong with that or shame in it.

I’d try some acupressure mild on left side of base of spine about 1 inch.

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take her out to run -swim -play

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My 4 nephews are all ADHD, ages 5 to 12. They are all on meds. But oldest struggles most with appetite and other issues like impulse control etc. 2nd oldest at 10 eats like a man, he is likely closer to ADD, not as hyper really. The 3rd is more like oldest but at 7 they are still finding right dose and youngest is almost 6 and was not diagnosed til Kindergarten, his other older brothers were in pre K except 2nd oldest, He had developmental delays) anyway when oldest was 6 or 7 they came to OH from where they live in DE and forgot his meds. He was wild and totally out of control. They tried caffeine and it helped a lil but not heaps. My hubby and his bro (their dad) my mother in law, grandpa in law, several other family members have it. So after seeing it in adults & our nephews, I say try meds as she gets in school if that is suggestion of the teacher, psychiatrist, or peditrician etc 4 is when they began to diagnose in some states but here In OH unless it is severe they rarely medicate til Kindergarten or 1st grade. She may grow out of some of the hyper activity too. You also don’t have to keep her on meds permanently. My 2nd oldest nephew is likely going to be weaned hopefully depending on how he does in middle school next yr. He is on lowest dose for his age & weight. Oldest was like ur kiddo, used to cry & say I want to be good but he just was unable to control himself. Your best bet would be to have her evaluated by professinals and keep monitoring her as she gets into elementary school

I’d ask her dr first. They can give you the best options and let you know if it’s odd and adhd. Mine has both caffeine makes it worse. Adderall didnt effect her but guaficine calmed her and worked the best.

They sell caffeinated water that might help instead of soda out or any other method of caffeine. You could also try finding an occupational therapist. If you have insurance all your doctor and they can penalty give you a list and refer you. Occupational therapy will help teach her methods to help her focus and self correct.

I would try excessive & diet at this age
Those mind altering drugs will change her personality. Get her professionally diagnosed before you do ANYTHING!! Go beyond the pediatrician to a Psychiatrist before you give her even natural meds. St. John’s Wart can be dangerous to young children!!!

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In most cases the right diet will help I have it really bad but mine is gentic which means that part of my brain will not grow anymore

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Microdosing capsules really helped me with my anixety and depression alot I have been coping well recently when I started my microdosing I normally get the capsules from microdosing_home on Instagram she’s a mycologist she guided me through the journey you should definitely try it out talking out of experience look her up it’s going to be worth your while.

My daughter who is 7 also has ADHD and went through what your daughter is going through and its rough. We still have days she says she tries so hard to be good, but still messes up so we take things day by day but I’ve found this organic gummy that makes a world of difference. I’ve been using these organic gummmies for almost 3 years (since she was 4). Other parents have written reviews similar to my daughters behavior and it also helped their kids so I thought I’d try it and glad I did since I didn’t want her on any medication at such a young age and still don’t. I get the gummy hearts, the address is below as well as the main website.

I also notice that when she has sugar (candy, cake, ice cream ect) it tends to make the ADHD worse and days are rougher so that could also be a trigger as well and I only found that out through trial and error. If you have any questions or need additional help send me a message! I’m happy to help!

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