10 Misconceptions Your Boss Has About Treatment For ADD

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Treatment For ADHD

The most effective treatments for adding are medication and psychosocial therapy (psychotherapy). Medications can include stimulants like amphetamine and methylphenidate, as well as nonstimulants like atomoxetine, clonidine, guanfacine and viloxazine.

Patients with active substance abuse issues shouldn't take stimulant drugs. However, those in stable remission may look into them. Combination therapy with antidepressants (particularly SSRIs) is also an option.

Stimulants

Stimulants increase norepinephrine and dopamine levels in the brain's synapses. This helps improve concentration and reduces hyperactivity and impulsivity. Most doctors prescribe stimulant drugs to treat ADHD. They may recommend methylphenidate (Concerta, Ritalin) or amphetamines, which are very similar medications. The type of medicine prescribed depends on the biochemistry of each patient and how they respond to it. It could take between five and seven days before the full effects of the medication become visible. Improvements in concentration, improved memory, better sleep, and less impulse control are all indications that the medication is working.

Some of the adverse effects include a decrease in appetite, trouble sleeping, and an increase in blood pressure and heart rate. Certain people with a medical condition such as high blood pressure or heart disease, should not use these medications. These are highly controlled drugs with a potential for abuse. Only psychiatrists, paediatricians or neurologists, and in certain situations general practitioners can prescribe them. They are available in the form of pills or tablets, a patch that goes on the skin, or liquids.

Children and adolescents who take stimulants are often afflicted with appetite issues and weight loss. If the dosage is excessive, they could also develop the tics. If this happens, the doctor may reduce the dosage to avoid the drug from causing a worsening of symptoms.

About 70-80 percent of adults and children with ADHD are treated with stimulant drugs. Most children and young people get more info experience improvement in their symptoms through treatment. This is especially relevant for children who have parents, teachers, or caregivers that can report improvements.

The early use of stimulants can reduce the risk of developing drug use disorders later in life. Wilens Katusic, Wilens, and colleagues81,82 and Biederman and colleagues83 discovered that treatment with stimulants reduces the risk of acquiring substance addiction disorders during adolescence. However this protective effect fades in the early years of adulthood.