Finding Out About ADHD Medications
Attention deficit and hyperactive disorder (ADHD) are very common in the United States. ADHD is a neurobehavioral disorder that affects literally millions of school age children and for many this disorder will follow them right through into adulthood. It is almost always associated with behavioral problems and is accompanied with the inability to pay attention, extreme hyperactivity, and sometimes both.
It also causes relationship problems and problems in school. Children diagnosed with this disorder are much more likely to become involved with substance abuse and criminal activity. Often it is difficult to diagnose because there are other disorders that tend to mimic attention deficit disorder, therefore it is always a good idea to consult someone who specializes and make sure that it is not an underlying physical disorder such as thyroid disease, infection, or constipation as these can cause a person to become inattentive and hyperactive as well.
Once correctly diagnosed, the normal procedure is to begin treatment with behavioral therapy and medication. There are only a limited number of drugs that have been approved by the FDA; one class is stimulants which improves focus and concentration.
The two stimulant drugs that are used at this time are Dexedrine and Ritalin. These two drugs are very effective and work in just under 100% of all who use them. They are especially effective when used in combination with behavioral therapy. When one of the above mentioned drugs does not seem to be responding well enough normally physicians will attempt the other.
A newer development and treatment has been a patch that is worn on the hip area. It contains methylphenidate and is much longer lasting once it enters the body. This patch is especially for children ages 6-12 and is called Daytrana.
The benefits of this patch are that the child only has to be dosed once a day and does not have to consume any medication while at school. Even more recent is the introduction of the non stimulant drug Straterra. Straterra works great when more than one unsuccessful attempt has been made with stimulant drugs and this drug is commonly used for both children and adults.
When stimulants do not seem to be responding in a positive manner and depression is also diagnosed the physician may then switch to an anti depressant as a second line therapy drug.
Often Tricyclic antidepressants seem to work well as they hinder the nerves from sucking up all of the dopamine and nor epinephrine which is already low in those with this disorder. In some cases a combination of two Tricyclic drugs, imipramine and desipramine might be used. There are some other drugs that can be used for treatment but are approved by the FDA for that specific reason. These include bupropion, clonidine, and guanfacine.
It is important to remember that these drugs react differently in adults than they do in children. In children there is also a higher risk of addiction with the drugs that are used to treat ADHD.
As always consult a licensed physician before taking any drugs.
