by azor 22 Replies latest jw friends
I just found out yesterday that my son who is less than a year out of treatment for leukemia has ADHD caused by the chemo that saved his life.
Does anyone here have any experience with this? Primarily looking for books or resources that helped you or your loved ones.
I've never heard of it being caused by chemo, but regardless of how you get there, it can be managed. The book "Driven To Distraction" is kind of like the ADHD Bible, only without the myths and with actual science. Dr. Hallowell is a leading guru on the subject. With that said, it is a spectrum like everything else. Meds are only one tool, and I've never taken them. My goal as an adult that learned I likely have it at 32 years of age was to manage it with behavioral tools or in the way I managed life in general. I spent years on the ADD forums (addforums.com I think). There are great resources and people there to help. Look up podcasts on the subject as well. I am blanking on other resources but if I think of some I'll let you know. Adhd isn't always a deficit of attention, unless one has inattentive type, but rather often an abundance of attention and a lack of ability to prioritize what gets it. I could go on and may later but need to get back to work, lol.
Thank you dubstepped. Any information you have gathered is welcome and greatly appreciated.
The hospital psychologist told us it's fairly common as a side effect of childhood leukemia chemo treatment. Roughly 20% of ADHD is other than genetic. Think chemo brain/fog amplified. It was likely the steroid they had him on for 3-1/2 years. It's listed as one of the side effects of prednisone. His diagnosis came back as moderate ADHD.
Very interesting. Admittedly it has been a few years since I've really been active in that area. I'm glad that your son had his life saved. That's awesome. The moderate ADHD is what it is. We all have different abilities, emotional ranges, ways of thinking, etc. To me, unless it is severe, it isn't so much a disorder as just another way of being.
I will warn you that one of the reasons O left the forums is that I got tired of the victim mentality, the us vs. them of the disordered and the NT (neurotypical). It is an attitude that pops up in most areas of life where there's differences. They want the world to accommodate them rather than adapting to it, in some instances. It started getting to me after being active on there for years. Don't let that deter you, that place was a lifesaver for me, but I outgrew it.
I cannot speak from experience but I've heard that some strains of medical marijuana can assist with ADHD as well as relieve pain caused by cancer and lack of appetite caused by chemo. It would be a Sativa strain (Not Indica) and it could be bought as tincture. A tincture is a liquid form of the medication that comes in a little bottle that has an eye dropper. It can give a precise dose. No smoking required. Google it and you should come up with a wealth of information on the subject.
I too have ADD and am just beginning to experiment with medical marijuana to see what works best. If I find a good strain (there are hundreds) I'll pm you. Even without the ADD issues it would still be a good idea to take medical marijuana by any cancer or post cancer patient.
There are non-psychoactive strains of marijuana that have been bred just to ease pain but without the high. Charlotte's Web is one of those strains. That particular strain does not do anything for ADD though.
Check this out for starters: https://www.leafly.com/news/strains-products/best-cannabis-strains-for-focus-and-addadhd.
PS: I would stay away from "conventional" medications, like Adderall which are highly addictive.
Thank you VI.
I have Add.
When I am taking Nature Thyroid , I don't need Adderal.
That's old lady me.
Maybe look into his thryroid and pancreass function. Stress and Medicine can knock out a lot things.
I read Dr. Mercola's web site a lot.
Dubstepped's comment is very good
and Village Idiot.too ..[he's actually very smart..;-)]
I am looking into low THC MJ.
Read about Little Charlotte , a very tender story. She is who the strain , Charlotte's web is named after.
I'm happy your son managed well with his treatment. It can be hard .
The best to your son , and yourself too.
Thank you for the info. Eva
My avatar name tells the tale about me. I take 20 mg. of Ritalin every day. It has changed my life. Just ask my wife. I did not know I had ADD until I was 55 years old. I am now going on 63. Thom Hartman has several good books on this subject. Just google his name. What I have learned about this condition is people who have it are some of most creative people around and have a ability to multitask. Just some of the positive things about ADD. Good luck with your child. What a wonderful gift you have. Still Totally ADD
Sorry to hear. Don't know anything about ADHD caused by chemo.
