A mix of vitamins and minerals could replace Ritalin as the best option to treat children with ADHD.

Medical trials have proved so successful parents are already forking out for the micro-nutrients.

Zandah Steele takes five of the large pills three times a day to manage his ADHD.

"It actually really calms me down when I feel stressed out," he says.

It's all natural -- packed with vitamins and minerals you can buy over the counter.

It's a contrast to the Ritalin prescribed and which didn't work.

"He would just cry all the time," says his mum, Lara Steele. "He wasn't eating, he wasn't sleeping, he wasn't a nice Zandah."

The 13-year-old was one of the first in the country to trial the new treatment.

"Once he was actually in to it, I had a different boy," Ms Steele says. "It was great."

The results of the University of Canterbury based trial are gaining worldwide attention.

More recruits for a second and much larger trial are needed.

But unlike Ritalin, Multinutrients aren't government-funded and parents are paying to keep their children on the treatment.

This new data could help change that and see it prescribed as an alternative treatment.

"It could actually be a game changer in terms of where we go forward in terms of treating children with ADHD," says psychology Professor Julia Rucklidge.

"I think it should be used around New Zealand which is a good thing because people like me should have a good life," Zandah says.

It's already proved a life changer for this young teenager and his family.

Newshub.