@nathansmith7143
My son takes medication for adhd that causes some side effects (gets tired and he has Reynauds which causes his blood vessels to spasm and his skin gets reddish/purple mottled). He is tall for his age (15 and over 6’ tall and still growing) and due to his heart defect (bicuspid aortic valve), he needs to be careful to slowly stand up from seated position. If he stands up fast, he gets lightheaded and dizzy. His heart doctor has told him to drink more water with electrolytes in it (50% of body weight in ounces at a minimum) which helps regulate blood pressure/volume. The doctor also suggested he reduce screen time and video games as it can worsen his anxiety and heart palpitations/pounding hard and fast.

My son needs to sleep well and takes magnesium (has also used the Calm magnesium drink). He also takes melatonin, if needed. He takes a multivitamin since his diet is limited.

I have a counselor meet with him biweekly to work on breathing techniques to help calm him down. He has some panic attack episodes at home and at school. He starts to panic when he feels his heart pounding and is afraid he is going to have a heart attack/die. This stress and anxiety has caused him to struggle more with obsessive compulsive tendencies about his heart. The more he thinks about his heart and it starts to pound harder and faster, his anxiety spikes which makes his heart beat faster and then he panics. The breathing techniques are intended to help him refocus himself on something else and the breathing helps calm down his nervous system.

When he starts to get visual changes in his eyes, he can tell when a migraine headache is starting. He gets a cool wash cloth to put on his forehead and lies down in his room with lights off and shades close to keep it dark. Sometimes the pain is so bad it makes him vomit (this just happened yesterday morning). He notices that he has triggers when he doesn’t sleep well or his sleep schedule changes or if he is dehydrated. Sometimes what he eats affects him.

When he sleeps, he uses a sound machine, hepa air filter and fan for white noise and to keep room cool. He knows he is on his video games and phone too much which may be contributing to some of his symptoms. He also knows that exercise helps him relax, stay more calm, and sleep better but needs to do better prioritizing it. He also struggles with being tired all the time which makes it harder to exercise. When he does, he feels better and the positive effect it has on his mood and anxiety.