I am sorry if this has been brought up before but I couldnt find anything on it.

What are the current thoughts on giving at risk children suppliments...?

Does anyone give their kids creatine?

Surely we need to try to protect their brain cells if they are HD+ as we know the toxic effect is actually happening for the whole of a persons life.

thanks

Lorraine x

I would love to hear some input on this too. I try to give my kids multi-vitamins with fish oil but they HATE em...

Lorraine, I agree! This is something I've also thought about, but don't think I've seen any info about it either. It is hard to know about weighing the risks of the supplements verses the benefits. I don't give any to my young son (altho I try to push blueberries). I've also tried to get different fish oil supplements, but my son is very picky and hasn't liked any. In a way it'd be nice to know if he was +hd because then I might really try harder to push some of the supplements. But if he's negative, then I might be giving him something that isn't so good for him. So it's really hard to know.
A related question is do we need to try to avoid some of the medications/anesthetics that are contraindicated if the individual is at risk?
I'm not sure if any of this has been thought about too much, so good question...not sure if there are any answers.

does he has the gene?

It makes only sense for people who have it. Else is just money spent. Recent research found that maybe HD begins 10 years before first motor function problems.

No one that I know does. There are no studies what it does for kids or to them or what a proper dose would be. Half of any at-risk kids will not have the gene, and we don't want to harm healthy children in hopes of helping, especially if they never needed help. Nothing wrong with blueberries but not sure messing with creatine or CoQ is a good idea at all with children. They aren't little adults and may react completely differently than adults do.

I wouldn't give a child supplements unless I knew he or she was positive with a high CAG count and then I might. I think the best thing you can do is encourage your child to keep fit, eat a healthy diet, and enjoy learning new skills and information -- same as if your child wasn't at risk.

Eve what Meds/anesthetics are contraindicated in HD+ peoples?

Well, that is also a good question Lorraine. I know of isoflurane (not sure if it's spelled right...it's an anesthetic) and reglan when used long term. Also there was a case study in a child who they didn't know had a large CAG and was given ritalin. This child had a rapid decline into full blown HD symptoms and never recovered even when the med was stopped. That's only one case, but I don't think I'd take that risk. There could be more, but that's all I know. Maybe we should start a new thread asking if anyone else has anything to contribute because there could be others.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/01/2010 07:14AM by eve.

I agree with not going overboard if kids are at risk. The best advise out there is to encourage healthy lifestyle and eating as you would with any child. I do tend toward fresh fruits and juices with antioxidants. I use the Blueberry Acai blend for their juice choice. They pick their own multi- vitamin, which right now are sour chewables (yuk). I'm fortunate that they love salmon, so we have that often.