Okay, so little Johnny or precious, but seemingly always energized little Sara, have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with the next step being to select the treatment option that will manage their symptoms safely and effectively without breaking the bank. The advice parents likely will receive typically varies greatly depending on what type of specialist is treating the condition.
For example if your child's primary care physician is a general practitioner he/she is likely to suggested one of a number of stimulant medications (Ritalin, Adderall, etc..), if your child's specialist is a psychiatrist or psychologist behavior modification therapy will likely be the favored course of action, and if they are a holistic practitioner your child will likely be provided a comprehensive natural threatment plan referred to as a full spectrum approach including herbal or homeopathic remedies.
So that brings us to our topic of homeopathic remedies for ADHD vs ADHD prescription drugs. We will leave out behavioral therapy or behavior modification since all parties agree it works and would be a good addition to either homeopathic ADHD remedies or ADHD prescription drugs.
At this point you can stop hyperventilating, take a couple of deep breaths, and get ready to begin your investigative journey to find answers.
Which treatment will deliver the best result?
This is tricky one as there is a case to be made for both ADHD prescription drugs and homeopathic remedies for ADHD.
Volumes of well documented research tell us that prescription drugs for attention deficit disorder will produce good results in the short-term about 75 percent of the time. The caveat is the longer they are used the less effective they tend to be (NIMH study).
Stimulant medications solely treat the symptoms and in no way heal the underlying cause. In other words they are nothing more than a symptom management tool that requires almost perfect daily dosage amounts to provide optimal results.
Homeopathic remedies for ADHD seem to be slightly less effective overall showing to be effective in approximately seven out of ten cases. Millions of natural herbal or homeopathic remedies for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder have been sold with parents of ADHD children generally giving this form of treatment very high marks.
One notable advantage for these types of medications is that they may provide long-term benefits. According to one British study examining the benefits of homeopathic remedies when taken by ADHD children the long-term benefits were in the 50 percent range.
What about safety?
Stimulant medications have a long list of possible side effects including stunted growth (though normally temporary), loss of appetite, nervousness, insomnia, changes in personality, skin rashes, headaches, facial tics, and one study published by the National Institute of Health even correlated their use with heart failure and blood pressure issues.
Can you imagine any parent saying "My little Johnny is a foot shorter than his classmates, can't sleep, gets really nervous, and might keel over any day but boy has his grades improved."?
Homeopathy which is the science of natural dilutions is one of the safest forms of medicine known to man. Currently there are no documented cases of side effects when used for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in either children or adults.
Affordability
You can expect to pay around $30 a month for most homeopathic remedies for ADHD. As far a prescription medications go if your insurance is picking up the tab on a co-pay the cost is likely to be about a wash. If your insurance covers the cost of the medications then stimulants will be the more affordable option. On the other hand, if you are without insurance or your insurance plan will not pick up the cost for alternative treatments then homeopathic remedies will likely be far less expensive.
Choosing the right natural remedy
This is a complicated issue with most well established natural health companies providing a well trained support team to talk to parents about exactly these types of concerns. I would advise you to take advantage of this type of free resource in order to make the most informed decision possible.
From my perspective as an independent researcher much will depend on the number of symptoms and whether or not a co-existing condition such as ODD, OCD, depression, or bi-polar disorder are present, and to what degree. Many of the newer homeopathic remedies for treating child ADHD have over 20 ingredients to cover a broader spectrum of symptoms.
On the other hand one of the best selling homeopathic remedies for ADHD children of all time contains only four ingredients. They are hyoscyamus, arsen iod, verta alb, and tuberculinum.
In conclusion, as you might guess being a natural health guy I lean toward natural remedies primarily due to safety and long-term unknowns. That said, parents should consult with their doctor, mental health professional, or natural health specialist to find the right treatment solution as ADHD symptoms can vary greatly from child to child.
Robert D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic consumer advocate for natural health and natural living with over 10 years experience in the field. To discover more about ADHD along with information about safe and effective all natural herbal and homeopathic ADHD remedies Click Here
