HOME

BOOKMARK

NEWSLETTER

Join our newsletter to receive news of offers and discounts

Search

AS FEATURED IN...


Lucy Siegle On Eithical Living: Sunday March 5, 2006 The Observer

Weight Watchers®.co.uk. Now with an online plan.

Navigation


Parening Books

Search Now:
Amazon Logo


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.


MORE RESOURCES:

CTV.ca

Over 1000 melamine babies still in China hospitals
Reuters - 8 hours ago
Door-to-door screening of more than 307000 Beijing families with children under the age of three found that over 75000 babies had been fed contaminated milk ...
Battered Chinese Dairy Industry To Undergo Major Overhaul AHN
Over 1000 melamine-affected children still in Chinese hospitals RIA Novosti
Gov't shows milky way to troubled dairy firms China Daily
Xinhua - RedOrbit
all 303 news articles


Javno.hr

Rapid care 'cuts baby's HIV risk'
BBC News, UK - 20 hours ago
Rapid drug treatment of babies with HIV dramatically cuts their risk of death and debilitating disease, international research shows. ...
Early HIV Treatment Best for Babies U.S. News & World Report
Early HIV Treatment Cuts Babies’ Death Risk eFluxMedia
Treat HIV-positive babies from the start Science News
Reuters India - Plus News
all 47 news articles


SmartAboutHealth

In vitro babies have more birth defects
Seattle Post Intelligencer - Nov 18, 2008
A new study released this week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that babies conceived through in vitro fertilization are two to ...
Increased birth defect risk from assisted reproduction National Business Review
Birth defects linked with assisted reproduction Chicago Tribune
Assisted reproduction and the risk of birth defects Los Angeles Times
SmartAboutHealth - dBTechno
all 111 news articles


Weight Loss Surgery Helps Obese Women Have Healthier Babies
New York Times, United States - Nov 19, 2008
By RONI CARYN RABIN Women who become pregnant after weight-loss surgery have easier pregnancies and healthier babies than do obese women who become pregnant ...


Former Banker Makes Millions Inventing Baby Dolls
MarketWatch - 7 hours ago
Dan left the comfort and security of his position as vice president of Royal Banks of Missouri to pursue a seemingly absurd passion -- creating baby dolls. ...


• Playing the baby game: Parents facing a dizzying menu of ...
The Oregonian - OregonLive.com, OR - 6 hours ago
Whether it's baby swimming or baby gymnastics, baby music or baby sign language, new parents face a bewildering menu of choices for jump-starting their ...


eFluxMedia

Bariatric Surgery Before Pregnancy Benefits Moms, Babies
U.S. News & World Report, DC - Nov 18, 2008
TUESDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Women who get pregnant after having weight-loss surgery have a lower risk of maternal and newborn complications than ...
Weight-loss surgery bodes well for pregnancy Los Angeles Times
Risk Of Maternal And Newborn Complications May Be Lower After ... Science Daily (press release)
Go for pre-pregnancy weight loss surgery Times of India
Current World News - eFluxMedia
all 58 news articles


Child advocate: Abandoned babies not uncommon
WCNC (subscription), NC - 18 hours ago
“We do get our fair share of the babies,” said Johnson, whose agency works with DSS in placing children with foster families but is not involved with the ...


Edward Holifield: Biomass plant may kill more black babies
Tallahassee Democrat, FL - 14 hours ago
... there is statistical evidence from an August 2003 article in the Quarterly Journal of Economics that relates air pollution to the death of black babies. ...


More babies found with MRSA at Charlottetown hospital
CBC.ca, Canada - 2 hours ago
Tests conducted this week at Charlottetown's Queen Elizabeth Hospital have found more babies infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. ...

babies - Google News