Introduction to the Medications Used in the Treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder
There are several treatment options available to help improve the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Since there is no prescription medicine that can "cure" for ADHD, the various medical interventions seek to improve symptoms. The most commonly used medicines are stimulants, such as Ritalin, Dexedrine, Cylert, and ADDerall. Stimulants have been around for about 50 years. Overall, they work very well. Ritalin and Dexedrine are moderately beneficial, or very beneficial, for about 70% to 75% of those who try them.
Stimulants work by increasing both blood flow and the levels of Dopamine in the brain, especially the frontal lobes where the brain's Executive Functions take place. They also increase the inhibitory systems of the brain by enhancing Serotonin and Norepinepherine levels. They do not work by having some mystical "opposite effect" on children.
There is an unbelievable amount of research done on children and Ritalin, less with Dexedrine, ADDerall, and Cylert. We have heard that Ritalin is the most widely studied medication prescribed to children in the world, and we would not dispute that claim. It seems that every doctoral candidate writing his dissertation for psychology does something with Ritalin.
Stimulants, whether Ritalin or the amphetamines such as Dexedrine or ADDerall, all have benefits for children and adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Stimulants will increase the brain's ability to inhibit itself. This allows the brain to focus on the right thing at the right time, and to be less distracted, and less impulsive. Stimulants increase the "signal to noise ratio" in the brain.
They will also increase both gross motor co-ordination and fine motor control. For several years the sales brochure for Ritalin simply had pictures of children's handwriting before Ritalin, and with 10 mg of Ritalin in their system. The changes were dramatic, and physicians wrote a lot of prescriptions for Ritalin. Ritalin may be "over-prescribed" in America, it may not be. But if it is "over-prescribed" it is because it actually works! If it didn't work, sometimes dramatically, it wouldn't be "over-prescribed."
Of course, as with any prescription medication, there are potential side-effects that can be serious. So please consult with your physician and monitor the use of these medications very closely.
Are we great advocates for the use of stimulant medications? We have seen these medications help literally hundreds of our patients, and since we have always asked the physicians that we have worked with to be very conservative in prescribing the medications we have seen very few problems over the past fifteen or more years. However, even with that said, we would prefer that patients at least try the nutritional medicines like Attend and Extress, or EEG Biofeedback training first. However, there is a time and a place for the use of stimulant medications. And we want you to have accurate information about them.
You can get more information on the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, including specific medications, at the ADHD Information Library.
Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., is a family therapist who has been working with ADHD children and their families since 1986. He is the clinical director of the ADHD Information Library's family of seven web sites, including http://www.newideas.net, helping over 350,000 parents and teachers learn more about ADHD each year. Dr. Cowan also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of VAXA International of Tampa, FL., is President of the Board of Directors for KAXL 88.3 FM in central California, and is President of NewIdeas.net Incorporated.
 Google News Updated : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:50:00 GMT Axelrod Says Obama Will Counterpunch if McCain Raises Ayres - New York Times New York Times - By Patrick Healy NASHVILLE - Senator Barack Obama is prepared to hit back, including with Keating Five scandal if necessary, if Senator John McCain uses tonight’s presidential debate to attack him over his associations with controversial figures like ... Video: AP Campaign Minute Palin Adds Fannie Mae Execs to List of Objectionable Obama Associates Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:32:14 GMT Fitch says AMD factory move has no ratings impact - Forbes
Forbes - AP 10.07.08, 3:48 PM ET Fitch Ratings said Tuesday Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s ratings are not affected by the chip maker's plans to spin off factories into a new joint venture with investors in the Persian Gulf state of Abu Dhabi. What AMD's fab spinoff means for Intel, industry Who Benefits From AMD’s Financial Engineering? Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:58:11 GMT Get moving: Guidelines set healthy activity levels - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - WASHINGTON (AP) - Get moving: New exercise guidelines released Tuesday set a minimum sweat allotment for good health. For most adults, that's 2 1/2 hours a week. Government tells Americans to take stairs, go out and play Get 2 1/2 hours of exercise per week, US says Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:11:51 GMT Kenya deports anti-Obama author - Christian Science Monitor
Christian Science Monitor - Jerome Corsi, author of "Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality," tried to launch his new book, but violated immigration rules, Kenyan officials say. Barack Obama's African grandmother Sarah Onyango Obama roots for him Anti-Barack Obama author detained while promoting his book in Kenya Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:09:55 GMT Union-Backed Party Opposes Term Limits Plan - New York Times
New York Times - By Fernanda Santos The Working Families Party began on Tuesday the labor community’s first major offensive against Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s plan to change term limit laws through legislation that would extend to three, from two, the number of terms ... UPDATE 1-NYC lawmakers to weigh bill raising term limits Bill to end term limits introduced in City Council Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:15:23 GMT Study: Using fan on sleeping baby reduces risk of SIDS - San Jose Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News - By Linda Goldston Ayde Gonzales's mother was surprised when she insisted that her newborn son must sleep on his back, not on his side. Fan Use May Save Your Baby’s Life, Reduces SIDS Risk Fan in Room Seems to Cut Infants’ Risk of Crib Death Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:46:19 GMT Fed Announces Plan to Buy Short-Term Debt - New York Times
New York Times - By EDMUND L. ANDREWS and MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve announced a radical new plan on Tuesday to jump-start the engine of the financial system. Fed makes boldest move yet Federal Reserve to buy up short-term commercial debt Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:51:44 GMT Amazon RSS |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... Do your children have a McChildhood? Do they experience the... Read More Once upon a time, I thought I had it all.... Read More For many adults, reading a book or newspaper seems effortless.... Read More It's that time again! Parent-teacher conferences are coming. Are you... Read More Dear MomOn this day set aside to honour "Mother's" let... Read More Dear Sir, It was with some interest that I read... Read More Whether we realize it or not we teach our children... Read More Life is funny.My twenty-year-old daughter, Melanie, has a her new... Read More It's sometimes difficult to find ways to be involved with... Read More One of the challenges for parents with a gifted child... Read More Paula's last child had just gone off to college and... Read More There are a LOT of alternative treatments for sale out... Read More Sitterphobe "I never have a second to myself," this mother... Read More In this form of treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder... Read More Thank you to all of our professional educators who dedicate... Read More Picture this. Your child comes home with a special assignment... Read More You are sitting with the professionals who know about learning... Read More Most of the ADHD kids that are seen in a... Read More Recently, a parent came to me, conflicted over whether to... Read More In a consumer-driven society that broadcasts values you don't approve... Read More Did you know that cooking with your kids is a... Read More Frankly, as a single parent of young children, I struggled.... Read More Assuming there are no serious motor problems present, what can... Read More Creating and making special memories with your child is very... Read More Many people still think that the game of chess is... Read More
Adsense
websites
Resilient, Confident Kids - 10 Ways to Promote Resilience in Children
The Long Journey Home
Public Schools Can Cripple Your Childrens Ability To Read
Twelve Tips To Connect With Teachers At Conference Time
A Mothers Way
A Dialogue with an ADHD Non-Believer
What Do You Teach Your Children About Money?
Pipe Down!
Quality Time with Your Teen
Gifted Children - Getting the Balance Right
Empty Nest Syndrome
The Three Best Alternative Treatments for ADHD
Every Mom Worries
EEG Biofeedback as a Treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Teacher Tips: Your Room Set-Up and ADHD Students
A Quiz for Parents: What Are They REALLY Learning?
Aptitude, Achievement, Processing Deficit - What Does It All Mean?
What is Hyperactivity in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?
Medications: Addressing Parental Fears and Concerns
Top Ten Ways to Teach Values to Your Kids
Cooking With Your Kids Helps Develop Motor Skills for Preschoolers
My Teenaged Parents
Promoting Your Childs Motor Development
Mommies and Me Special Time
Develop Your Childs Genius: The King of Games - the Game of Kings
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
How to Make Kids More Likeable?
Nothing touches the heartstrings of a parent more than the... Read More
What Values Are We Giving Our Children?
On a bright Sunday morning, a couple of weeks ago,... Read More
Clean Slates and Fresh Starts
Hope, excitement and anxiety all wrapped up in fresh haircuts... Read More
Give Your Child the Gift of Self-Esteem
Much has been said about the "gifted child" but in... Read More
Banishing Bedtime Blues
"My son won't go to bed at night without a... Read More
How to Handle Child Tantrums?
Child tantrums are a way for children to express their... Read More
Kids: Channeling Mania Towards Productivity
More and more kids these days are diagnosed ADD, ADHD,... Read More
Five Ways To Build Super-Strong Relationships With Your Children
One of the questions I ask in parenting presentations is... Read More
From Birth to Teen, Spirituality in Children
Until about the age of six, children do not generally... Read More
Bring On The Music To Help Your Child Learn Faster And More Effectively
Do you remember how you first learned the alphabet? I... Read More
Anti Scooter Media Frenzy
An estimated five million scooters will be sold this year... Read More
Winning The Whining War
Jason Meridith's two-year old son whines when he wants more... Read More
Labor of Love
The small, lilac colored hexagonal box, with Winnie the Pooh... Read More
Elephants and Teenagers
Something eerily familiar happened in KwaZulu-Natal's Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park in Africa... Read More
More Water, Not Less, Will Help End Bedwetting
Children are notoriously bad at drinking enough liquids. They are... Read More
Trip, Trip, Trip... Here Is Your Night Visitor Again!
Night Visits From Your ChildIn the middle of the night... Read More
What Might Surprise You About Childhood Obesity
The formula is pretty straightforward: energy in/energy out. This is... Read More
Tips for Single Parents
Prioritize. Learn to say No. Steal some time for yourself.Don't... Read More
Create Your Dream Family
There has been much attention in the media of late... Read More
To Clean or Not To Clean
Before my daughter was born my house was... Read More
Breastfeed a Toddler - Why?
Is your baby approaching his or her first birthday and... Read More
EEG Biofeedback as a Treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
In this form of treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder... Read More
A Child Can Make a Difference
Sometimes dreams really can come true! May 8th - 11th,... Read More
Where to Look for Affordable Baby Clothes
Once the newness has worn off a little, you will... Read More
Role Models for Your Teen
By the time your children reach their teens, there is... Read More
Parenting |