Let Me Shove a Pill Down Your Throat

[Andara Bledin]

I have a friend whose kid was diagnosed ADD/ADHD and whose doctor then prescribed a bunch of drugs.

Said friend dumped that doctor and discovered through diet restrictions that her kid was not ADD/ADHD but was actually allergic to wheat. A lot of hyperactivity in kids is more a function of diet and parental expectations than actual conditions that require medication.

^-.-^

[jackfaire]

I have a friend whose kid was diagnosed ADD/ADHD and whose doctor then prescribed a bunch of drugs.

Yeah not really the case with me. I have gone long periods of time at time without wheat, altered my diet etc. I show all physiological signs of ADD.

[Andara Bledin]

Have you specifically gone in to have yourself tested for allergies? I'd want an actual test result to determine lack of allergy, myself.

^-.-^

[jackfaire]

Have you specifically gone in to have yourself tested for allergies? I'd want an actual test result to determine lack of allergy, myself.

^-.-^

Nah but I am of the duck theory.

[Andara Bledin]

Well, then, it's a good thing for ducks everywhere that nothing else has ever figured out how to quack.

^-.-^

[jackfaire]

Well, then, it's a good thing for ducks everywhere that nothing else has ever figured out how to quack.

^-.-^

That and I have never seen any documentation of Wheat Allergy symptoms that shared any characteristics of either symptoms I have had or of symptoms that ADD has.

[Andara Bledin]

Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

These days, with the number of people becoming allergic to every other thing, I really think a full allergy test should be standard before prescribing any drug that would have an effect on brain chemistry.

^-.-^

[the_std]

Unfortunately, there is no reliable test for gluten allergies. Even the test for Celiac is not terribly conclusive unless you have a very severe case. Most of the time, the test is "cut any gluten-related product out of your life, completely and totally, for six months, and if you feel better afterwards, then you're allergic".

This test is difficult unless you have a doctor or pharmacist helping you out, because there is gluten in a lot of things you don't expect, and consuming something with even trace amounts of gluten in it will restart your six-month test from the very beginning. Things people don't think about, such as soya sauce (brewed from wheat), Rice Krispies (they contain malted barley) and some crab mixes or fake crab (thickened with wheat), and they can kick-start the whole allergic process in your body all over again.

So, jackfaire, you may not be allergic to wheat, but if you're at all unsure, try this test and it should give you a more accurate diagnosis.

(Also, just so you know that I'm not babbling ignorantly, this is exactly the process I went through in being diagnosed with a wheat allergy, and it has helped me immensely.)