You can now check ADHD online.  Although Concerta has some advantages over other ADHD medications, the long list of side effects of taking Concerta cause concern for many parents. Even the manufacturer recommends against giving this drug to children under six. Beyond this, there are other side effects that you should be aware of if you giving or are planning to give your child this drug. In this article, you'll learn more about these side effects, plus options for alternative ADHD treatments.

Concerta Side Effects

• Stomach pain and vomiting
• Increased blood pressure
• Sleepiness and insomnia
• Headaches
• Allergic reactions
• Sinusitis, increased upper respiratory tract infections and coughing
• facial tics
• sadness, nervousness, hostility
• psychosis

As you can see, there is quite a worrisome list of side effects of taking Concerta. What you have to ask yourself when looking at a list like this is: Are the benefits of taking this drug worth the potential harm?

Like a growing number of parents in this country, your answer to this question may be a resounding no. If you don't want to put your child at risk for Concerta side effects, then there are other drugs, but every medication has its list of side effects. To complicate matters further, if you really understand the actions of these drugs, you know that they do not heal the problem that causes ADHD or attention deficit: all they do is suppress the symptoms.

Fortunately, there are alternative solutions to drugs and having to deal with issues like the side effects of taking Concerta. In fact, many parents are discovering that natural remedies work just like drugs to suppress the symptoms of ADHD, but without harmful side effects. In fact natural remedies are more effective than drugs because they provide the brain with nutrients it needs to heal itself over time.

If you're stuck on the natural remedies vs. drugs issue, ask yourself this question:

Would I prefer to give my child a natural supplement that feeds his brain and heals it without harm or a synthetic substance that has a long list of potential side effects like the Concerta side effects listed above?

Another thing that you should know: the long term effects of taking Concerta are not yet known.

One caution: there are many natural supplements for ADHD out there and some companies have better quality controls in place than others. Before giving your child a natural remedy, do your research. You want to make sure that the remedy contains quality ingredients that are manufactured under the supervision of a pharmacist and that the supplement is FDA-approved.