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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by minimal on March 22, 2006, at 16:25:26
I am seeking natural alternatives to ADD meds. I am currently on a low dose of Adderall (5-10mg daily), as I have been for roughly 18 months. I am very worried about the long-term health effects of prolonged use of this med (recently, someone I'd known for a long time, an apparently very healthy person, died suddenly in their 20s from a heart failure after 15 years on and off of Ritalin).
Currently, I have also been taking fish oil (1000 mg of combined epa/dha) and magnesium. This combo seems to be helping, covering about 50% of the symptoms.
I purchased this product called "mental edge". It contains Glutamine, Taurine, Tyrosine, among other "supplements." I have not taken it yet because it says not to take with SSRI's, and I am on a low dose SSRI as well, in the stages of withdrawing. Has anyone tried this product or one like it? Looking for any possible suggestions one might have.
Thanks
minimal
Posted by mike99 on March 25, 2006, at 18:32:37
In reply to ADD med alternatives?, posted by minimal on March 22, 2006, at 16:25:26
Hey minimal.
I have not tried "mental edge". The only non-prescription ADHD "meds" I've found effective personally are magnesium and fish oil--which you mention cover about 50% of your symptoms.
Not bad...I'd say they cover about 30% of mine. One suggestion...1000mg is a very low dose omega 3's. I noticed nothing until several months at 6000 mg. Perhaps you may consider bumping up the dose a bit.
As far as prescription meds go...you may want to consider provigil (modafanil). Responses seem to be very mixed but it is quite different from stimulants and purported to be safer (for lack of a better term).
Posted by minimal on March 25, 2006, at 20:44:41
In reply to Re: ADD med alternatives? » minimal, posted by mike99 on March 25, 2006, at 18:32:37
Thank you VERY much for the suggestions. I am reading up on Provigil and it seems like a fine alternative to the stims for daytime sleepiness and ADD symptoms. I will run it by my pdoc upon next visit.
Posted by mike99 on March 26, 2006, at 8:43:10
In reply to Re: ADD med alternatives?, posted by minimal on March 25, 2006, at 20:44:41
You're welcome. Good luck if you try the provigil. I may do the same.
Posted by yesac on April 9, 2006, at 13:11:09
In reply to Re: ADD med alternatives? » minimal, posted by mike99 on March 25, 2006, at 18:32:37
> I have not tried "mental edge". The only non-prescription ADHD "meds" I've found effective personally are magnesium and fish oil--which you mention cover about 50% of your symptoms.
Hi. I was reading this thread and I'm curious about the magnesium and fish oil for ADD. I've taken Ritalin and Adderall without any luck, and so now I'm looking for alternative options.How much magnesium do you take?
I'm probably going to start taking fish oil soon for other reasons, but I'm glad to hear it might help with ADD too. I'd be interested to hear more about your experiences with these alternative options.
Posted by mike99 on April 9, 2006, at 14:43:44
In reply to Re: ADD med alternatives?, posted by yesac on April 9, 2006, at 13:11:09
>
> How much magnesium do you take?My multivitamin contains 125 mg...and then I usually take 125-250 mg of an additional supplement.
> I'm probably going to start taking fish oil soon for other reasons, but I'm glad to hear it might help with ADD too.I think it does help me some in that regard. Not phenomenally but an appreciable improvement.
>>I'd be interested to hear more about your experiences with these alternative options.
I've tried DMAE, phosphatidylserine and l-tyrosine. None of them helped and the l-tyrosine actually caused me some chest pain.
I take a total of 1 gram EPA per day in terms of fish oil--which is about six 1000mg pills. I also take it with a teaspoon of wheat germ oil to prevent oxidation in the body. It took several weeks-months to notice a gradual improvement.
With magnesium I noticed a much more rapid improvement...within one or two doses. If I stop it for a period and then restart it I notice a marked calming effect and significantly decreased distractability. After a while the effect seems to "poop-out" a bit...but maybe I've just become accustomed to an improved baseline.
Taking too much at once though...especially if you're not used to it can really decrease blood pressure and heart rate so it's important to be cautious.
Overall the combo of fish oil and mag helps best. Though it leaves much to be desired it is a significant improvement over my baseline ADHD symptoms.
You can find lots of others' experiences on this at remedyfind.com
Good luck and regards,
Mike
Posted by KayeBaby on May 4, 2006, at 12:54:33
In reply to Re: ADD med alternatives? » yesac, posted by mike99 on April 9, 2006, at 14:43:44
Vinpotine worked well for me.
Clearer thinking. More alert.
Kaye
Posted by LOOPS on May 23, 2006, at 19:15:27
In reply to Re: ADD med alternatives? » yesac, posted by mike99 on April 9, 2006, at 14:43:44
Hi -
I've got my second bottle of 'mental edge' in the cupboard - I take it ad-hoc - not all the time. you might want to think about pairing it with maybe some 5htp or tryptophan to balance out the serotonin/norep/dopamine. I find it very very useful for concentration - but if I use it too much I get pushed too much towards lack of serotonin.
If you try magnesium, I would start off with ONLY magnesium without calcium for a few months, then add in some calcium but cautiously - the cal/mag balance seems to be very different for people and can really affect how you feel emotionally. I konw you didn't bring up calcium anyway - but I can tell you from months of experimenting it is best to keep an open mind as to whether to supplement just one or both. They are antagonistic and you can induce imbalances by just taking the one all the time - you might not, but it is possible. Myself - I love magnesium, but I have to balance it with calcium or I end up with heart arrhythmia. But I know one or two people who are the opposite and must eliminate all calcium from diet and supplements to feel good.
Good luck - there are many options to try. Taurine comes to mind also.
Loops
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