The Most Valuable Advice You Can Receive About Treatment For ADD

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Treatment For ADHD

The most common treatments for adding are medication and psychosocial therapy (psychotherapy). These medications include stimulants like amphetamine and methylphenidate, and non-stimulants such as atomoxetine, viloxazine, guanfacine, clonidine and gu.

Patients with active issues with addiction should not take stimulant medications. However, those who are in stable remission may consider them. Combination therapy using antidepressants especially SSRIs, is a different option.

Stimulants

Stimulants increase the levels of dopamine and norepinephrine that are released between brain synapses. This improves focus and reduces the intensity of impulses and hyperactivity. The majority of doctors prescribe medications from the stimulant class to treat ADHD. They might prescribe methylphenidate (Concerta or Ritalin) or amphetamines. Both are similar drugs. The type of medicine prescribed depends on the biochemistry of each patient and how they respond to it. It can take up to seven days for the full effects of a drug to become evident. Improvements in concentration, improved memory, improved sleep, and less impulsivity are all signs that the medication is working.

Some of the side effects can include decreased appetite, difficulty 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 them. They are controlled substances that are prone to abuse. Only psychiatrists or paediatricians, or in some cases general practitioners, are able to prescribe stimulants. You can get them in the form of pills, tablets, patches that go on the skin or in liquids.

Children and adolescents who take stimulants are often affected by weight loss and appetite problems. If the dosage is too high, they can also develop tics. In this case the doctor will lower the dose to here stop the drug from worsening symptoms.

Stimulant medicines are used for approximately 70-80% of children and adults with ADHD. The majority of children and young people find that their symptoms improve when they receive treatment. This is particularly the case for children with parents, teachers or carers that can report improvements.

The early use of stimulants can reduce the risk of substance use disorders later in the course of. Wilens and colleagues79,80, Katusic and colleagues81,82 and Biederman et al83 found that treatment with stimulants reduces the risk for substance use disorders during adolescence, however that this protective effect wanes as we enter early adulthood.