ADHD medication is the first line of defense when it comes to mitigating hyperactivity and is beneficial in many regards. Medication can be extremely effective when it comes to children who can’t sit still in class. Disruptions and disturbances can be nullified by the administration of stimulant-based medications to treat hyperactivity, but it comes with a price.
I was put on Ritalin as a child and the response was a story that is often told by parents who have been in a similar situation. Although I can’t remember it from my perspective, I was told that I became a zombie (to a certain degree) and that I lost the spark and the essence that made me who I was as a human being. At the same time, I was finally
able to coexist with my sister at home and my peers at school. This is the juxtaposition that parents face when it comes to continuing or discontinuing stimulant-based medication for their children. It truly is a catch-22. A kid with hyperactivity faces an absurdly difficult situation when they go to school. They are put in an environment where they are required to sit still and learn, yet their biochemistry is forcing them to do the opposite. Behavioral complaints by their teachers are inevitable, disruptions in class are a guarantee and in most instances the child is going to be blamed and internalize that negativity. This situation only fosters greater disturbances in the future. I was lucky enough to have a mother who was aware of ADHD and was engaged in studying it. She actually gave my teachers books on hyperactivity and put our family on the Feingold Diet in the 90’s. I find it surprising that even in the infancy of the explosion of hyperactivity, the solutions remain the same to this day. Diet is massively important, avoiding food dyes and artificial ingredients is essential and medication is necessary in many situations.
WIth that being said, ADHD medication is almost exclusively manufactured with food dyes. I suppose it’s understandable why food dyes would be used in medication as a means to differentiate between doses and different medications, but there should be no place for this application in regards to ADHD. The number one trigger for hyperactivity and ADHD is food dye. As I’ve studied this and looked back at my life and the medications I’ve taken, I realized every single one of them contained food dyes. The Ritaln I was prescribed as a kid was yellow. The Adderall was orange or blue with casings that were also dyed. Strattera, Concerta, Vyvanse and Dexedrine all contain food dyes.