The Paradoxes of Prescriptions

Adderall is a pharmaceutical that is prescribed for the management of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children.  

Side effects of Adderall include nervousness, restlessness, excitability, dizziness, headache, fear, anxiety, and tremor. Blood pressure and heart rate may increase, and patients may experience palpitations of the heart. Adderall is habit forming and chronic use may lead to dependence.

Interestingly enough, I also found this warning to nursing mothers who may be ingesting Adderall:

"Mothers taking Adderall should refrain from nursing because amphetamines are excreted in human milk and can have undesirable effects on the child." 

 Again, Adderall is being prescribed everyday by Medical Doctors to children to manage ADHD despite these terrifying side effects.

Luckily, there is a better way to manage this disease.  There are quite a number of positive studies that investigate the use of nutritional supplements in the treatment of children with ADHD.  These have included a combination of dietary modifications (such as an elimination diet, where gluten and dairy are excluded from the diet) in conjunction with supplementation (usually a combination of vitamins, minerals and fatty acids).

If you are in the Calgary area and are interested in effective nutritional interventions in the treatment of children's metal health, the Canadian Society for Orthomolecular Medicine is presenting a course on Integrative Medicine for Children's Mental Health at Mount Royal University on September 27, 2014.  To register, visit www.csom.org and click on the icon on the left.


Yours in health,
Jasmine