Treatment For ADHD
The main treatments for adding are medication and psychosocial therapy (psychotherapy). Medications can include stimulants like amphetamine and methylphenidate, and non-stimulants like atomoxetine and viloxazine, guanfacine, and clonidine.
Patients who have active issues with substance abuse are not advised to take stimulant medication. However, those who are in stable remission can look into them. Combination therapy using antidepressants especially SSRIs, is another option.
Stimulants
Stimulants boost dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain's synapses. This improves focus and reduces hyperactivity and impulses. Most doctors prescribe stimulant medications to treat ADHD. They may prescribe methylphenidate (Concerta, Ritalin) or amphetamines, which are very similar to each other. The type of medication prescribed will depend on the individual's biochemistry and how well they react to the drug. It can take up to seven days for the full effects of a medication to become evident. The medication will be effective for you if you notice improvement in memory, concentration sleep, impulsivity, and sleep.
Some of the side effects can include a decreased appetite, difficulty sleeping and an increase in blood pressure and heart rate. treating adult adhd with medical conditions like high blood pressure or heart disease, shouldn't take these medications. They are highly prone for abuse and are tightly controlled drugs. Only psychiatrists, paediatricians, neurologists, and in some circumstances general practitioners can prescribe them. They are available in the form of pills, tablets patches that can be applied to the skin or in liquids.
Children and adolescents who take stimulants are often afflicted by weight loss and appetite problems. They can also develop symptoms of tics if the dosage is too high. In this case the doctor will lower the dosage to prevent the drug from worsening symptoms.
About 70% to 80% children and adults with ADHD are treated with stimulant drugs. The majority of children and young people notice that their symptoms improve with treatment. This is especially true for those who have parents, teachers or other caregivers that can report improvements.
Early use of stimulants could reduce the risk of developing addiction disorders later in life. Wilens and colleagues79,80, Katusic and colleagues81,82 and Biederman and colleagues83 discovered that treatment with stimulants reduces the risk of developing substance use disorders in adolescence, but that this protective effect wanes as we enter early adulthood.