My 9 yr old son with ADHD

[Sandy6922]

Hello i have a 9 yr old son with adhd i've tried pretty much all the meds out there for adhd so i decided to take him off meds for good his vry small for his age and thin my 6 yr old is bigger than him so for so many reasons i decided to take him off i've read several forums about Omega 3-6-9 how true is this ? he is extremely smart and is just very energetic and cannot stay still and can be very irritating to people but i dont think his quite as bad as other stories i've read but i want him to be able to focus on his work and just help him a little what do you suggest?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Omega-3 Fatthy Acids, in the form of fish oilt supplements, certainly offer a benefit for the health of brain cells (neurons). However, having said that, Omega-3 is not an ADHD treatment. While Omega-3 will likely offer a benefit to your son, it will not eliminate symptoms of ADHD (assuming that your son was diagnosed accurately to begin with). If the ADHD diagnosis was accurate, and he has not received benefit from the stimulant medications, the non-stimulant Strattera might be a worthwhile option.

[wilson49332]

There has been promising studies with using Omega fatty acids as a way to reduce ADHD symptoms, however the FDA is still debating its official position on this. As with any sort of drug or nutritional supplement, I would start by speaking with your childs doctor about the recommended dosage. Adding this supplement has helped me (I am a social worker who is back in college for another degree- shocker!), but it did not help my brother (high schooler) who has much more severe ADHD. You know your child best, I would say to speak with your doctor, and just monitor your kids behavior over time. This may, however, have been a bad time to stop medications altogether because your child is just beginning a new grade- I would have waited myself, but again, you know your child best.

[Sandy6922]

So i guess then my main question will be, what other options is there... if medication wasn't one of them ? i mean my son has tried strattera as well and i still get complaints all the time if its not one thing it the other his 9 yrs old and weights the same as my 6 yrs old they wear the same clothes i mean im out of options and tired extremely stressed how can i help my son if the only solution i get is to medicate my kid