LISA MADGE was thinking about A.D.D and keyed into cyberspace:
LM>Does anyone have any suggestions for a alternative to Ritalin????
LM>While this drug has had remarkable success with my 9 year old
LM>daughter,its  not something I want her to stay on permanently.There
LM>is so much conflicting  infomation on this subject all the Doctors
LM>that I have spoken to REFUSE to  hear anything bad about Ritalin and
LM>say that it is all hype,but when you  mention some of the (RARE) side
LM>effects such as Leukopenia they do not denie  it but insist that the
LM>benefits outway the risks.Don't get me wrong I'm not  against
LM>medicine as I myself have Glaucoma and rely on medication for this,I
LM>was just wondering if anyone out there has a problem similar to mine 
tha
LM>t has  found another way of dealing with it without the use of
LM>"drugs". Eagerly awaiting for your reply......
I got this from the CHADD website.
TREATING A CHILD WITH ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER
Issue: Treating ADD requires a multi-modal approach. For many children 
with ADD, medication, primarily psychostimulants, is an important part 
of treatment. Behavior management is also crucial. Without specialized 
interventions, most children with ADD find it very difficult to meet 
academic and behavioral expectations. 
Background: Treating ADD requires medical, psychological and educational 
intervention, and behavior management techniques. It requires the 
coordinated efforts of a team of health care professionals, educators 
and parents. Parents often play the critical role of coordinating the 
array of services and programs. 
A multi-modal treatment approach includes: 
> parent training in behavior management (see "Parenting a Child With 
Attention Deficit Disorder");
> appropriate educational program (see "Attention Deficit Disorder in 
the Classroom"); 
> individual and family counseling when needed;
> medication when required 
     
Medication: Psychostimulants are the most widely used medication for the 
management of ADD related symptoms. 70-80% of children with ADD respond 
positively to psychostimulants. These medications decrease impulsivity 
and hyperactivity, increase attention and, in some children, decrease 
aggression.  
Psychostimulants used in the treatment of ADD include Ritalin 
(methylphenidate) -- the most widely prescribed medication -- Dexedrine 
(dextroamphetamine), and Cylert (pemoline). The specific dose of 
medicine must be determined for each child. To ensure proper dosage, 
regular monitoring at different levels of medication is required. 
Periodic trials off medication are conducted to determine continued 
need. 
The most common side effects of psychostimulants are reduction in 
appetite, loss of weight, and problems in falling asleep. These side 
effects are usually managed effectively by changing the dose of the 
medication. 
Contrary to popular perception, psychostimulants can also be effective 
with adolescents and adults with ADD.  Antidepressants, used less 
frequently for ADD, have been shown to be effective with some children. 
They are used when contraindications to psychostimulants exist, or when 
psychostimulants have been ineffective or have resulted in unacceptable 
side effects.  
Changing behavior: Parent training, behavior management techniques, 
specially designed educational interventions -- all are designed to help 
the child with ADD adapt to his or her disability and succeed in the 
school and home and with peers. Once the child, parents and teachers 
understand that the child has a neurobiologically based disability, 
frustration with poor performance lessens. The focus becomes adaptation 
and the goal becomes increasing performance. 
Behavior management is an important intervention with children who have 
ADD. The most important technique is positive reinforcement, in which 
the child is provided a rewarding response after a particular desired 
behavior is demonstrated. See the parent training discussion under 
"Parenting a Child with Attention Deficit Disorder" for implementation 
of behavior management. 
Parents, teachers and therapists work to create an environment that 
maximizes the child's probability of success.
Classroom success may require a range of interventions. Most children 
can be taught in the regular classroom with either minor adjustments to 
the classroom setting, the addition of support personnel, and/or "pull-
out" programs that provide special services outside of the classroom. 
The most severely affected may require self-contained classrooms. (See 
"Attention Deficit Disorder in the Classroom" for further discussion.) 
                ===>The Voice of Reason<===
                     mark.probert@juno.com
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 * CMPQwk #1.4 * UNREGISTERED EVALUATION COPY
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