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Rebecca Lopez seems like a happy, active kid. But even she knows her energy level can get out of hand.

Two years ago, Rebecca's teachers told her mom they suspected ADD.

"I thought maybe she would grow out of it,” Christina Lopez said. “It was a stage, anything but that."

Medication that was supposed to help did just the opposite.

"She was so medicated for so long she went from one extreme to another,” Christina said.

Child psychiatrist Martin Irwin said at least a quarter of the kids he sees are overmedicated.

"We see kids on four to five medicines with four or five different diagnoses or labels," Irwin said.

Irwin’s mission is to get kids off unnecessary drugs. ADD medications can have side effects like tremors, headaches, insomnia, high blood pressure, heart palpitations and more. Eight-year-old Nigel Wilson's meds were causing panic attacks and weight loss.

 Irwin believes his "get kids off medications" clinic at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans may be the first program of its kind in the US. It's dedicated to tapering off or discontinuing drugs for kids on three or more psychiatric medications. The program accepts Medicaid and most insurance plans.

"He was on a medicine that's closely related to Ritalin at 40 mg,” Irwin said. “Now, he's on Ritalin at two and a half milligrams, twice a day."

After one month, big changes.

"I don't get out of my seat anymore," Nigel said.

Irwin said many kids can reduce the amount and number of meds they take. Natural remedies like a healthy diet, exercise and therapy sessions can help keep them calm. Irwin cut Rebecca's ADD meds by more than 70 percent.

Now, she's happy and energetic.

Read more on Dr. Irwin's work