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Alternatives to prescription meds for ASD/ ADHD?

NAS80206

Hi 

My 14 year old has recently been diagnosed with ASD and possible ADHD. The GP wont prescribe meds for anxiety and depression, or to help them focus. I have read about Brainzyme, which is a food supplement, supposedly acting like ADHD medication. Has anyone had experience of this or other useful, non prescription meds please?

New on here today, and feeling out of my depth and overwhelmed tbh.

Thank you

  • in reply to Blue

    If you go down the private route you can end up paying for the ADHD medication, so if choosing to do this worth checking out first whether you would get an NHS prescription.

  • Your GP is not going to prescribe you anti anxiety or anti depressants because they will make you worse. Been their done that. 

    Supplementing your food can help but is nothing like effects of stimulant medications that treat ADHD. 

    You will not be able to access the ADHD medication you need until you have a formal assessment for a ADHD.

    If you have waited so long and it been a over a year i would suggest go and talk to your GP about going through the NHS right to choose scheme so you can see a private assessment clinic like 'Psychiatry-UK' waiting list is a lot shorter at about under a year compared to the NHS route which is backlogged in some areas to around six years.

  • in reply to Peter

    I agree with Peter it’s likely that your GP can’t prescribe meds rather than won’t. There are also things that GPs can’t make the initial prescription for only repeats under the direction of a specialist, like ADHD. It may be helpful looking at tactics to help with any areas that your child finds problematic and setting up strategies e.g. visual calendars, timers, reducing sensory overload with tinted glasses/ear plugs etc Had a quick look at Brainzyme like you said it is a multivitamin, not sure if it will work the same way as ADHD meds. Will probably give someone with B vitamin deficiency a boost though. 

  • NICE has guidelines (CG170) on what should and should not be prescribed for under 19s with autism.

    It says " 1.3.2 Do not use the following interventions for the management of core features of autism in children and young people: antipsychotics, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, exclusion diets (such as gluten- or casein-free diets)." So for the symptoms of autism the GP is right medication is inappropriate. However the guidance also says, "1.7.1 Offer psychosocial and pharmacological interventions for the management of coexisting mental health or medical problems in autistic children and young people in line with the: NICE guideline on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ... NICE guideline on depression in children and young people ..."

    The 2 relevant guidelines here are NG87 and NG134. I imagine your GP would be unwilling to medicate 'possible' adhd and will want further work done to confirm diagnosis. Guidelines regarding mild depression however are "1.5.3 Antidepressant medication should not be used for the initial treatment of children and young people with mild depression." and for more severe depression, "1.6.1 Children and young people presenting with moderate to severe depression should be reviewed by a CAMHS team."

    So basically if your child's depression is serious enough to warrant medication the only way to get it is with a referral to CAMHS which is also probably the best place to go to get the ADHD diagnosis confirmed.

    Brainzyme is a concoction of lots of direct things. Theres virtually no research on its effectiveness as a combination. A lot of its components are common vitamins and supplements. I couldn't recommend it.