Treatment For ADHD
The main treatments for add are medication and psychosocial therapy (psychotherapy). The drugs include stimulants like methylphenidate, amphetamine and Atomoxetine. They can also be nonstimulants, like clonidine and Guanfacine.
Patients who have active issues with substance abuse should not take stimulant medications. However, those in stable remission can look into them. Combination treatment with antidepressants (particularly SSRIs) is also an option.
Stimulants
Stimulants increase dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain's synapses. This improves focus and reduces the intensity of impulses and hyperactivity. Most doctors prescribe stimulant drugs to treat ADHD. They might prescribe methylphenidate (Concerta, Ritalin) or amphetamines, which are similar medicines. The type of medicine prescribed will depend on a person's individual biochemistry and how well they react to the medicine. It could take up to seven days for the full effects of a medication to be apparent. Improvements in concentration, improved memory, better sleep, and less impulse control are all indications that the medication is working.
These medications can have adverse effects, including decreased appetite and trouble sleeping, and they can raise blood pressure and heart rate. adhd treatments adults with a medical condition like high blood pressure or heart disease, shouldn't take them. Stimulants are tightly controlled drugs with a potential for misuse. Only psychiatrists or pediatricians or in certain cases general practitioners, may prescribe stimulants. adhd adults treatment can find them in the form or tablets, pills, patches that go on the skin or in liquids.
Children and adolescents who consume stimulants are often afflicted with appetite issues and weight loss. When the dose is too high, they may also develop the tics. In this case the doctor will decrease the dosage to prevent the drug from worsening symptoms.
Stimulant medicines are used for about 70% to 80% of children and adults with ADHD. The majority of children and young people notice that their symptoms improve with treatment. This is particularly the case for children with parents, teachers or other caregivers that can report improvements.
Early use of stimulants may lower the risk of developing drug use disorders later in life. Wilens and colleagues79,80 Katusic as well as colleagues81,82 and Biederman and colleagues83 have found that treatment with stimulants reduces the risk of developing substance use disorders in adolescents, but the protective effect diminishes in the early years of adulthood.