My opinions about the medications:
There are many medications available for ADHD – the stimulants, the antidepressants, and others.
Like everyone else, I have my opinions about the medicines, which I will repeat here:
- Everyone with ADHD deserves a trial of medication. For some people, they don’t work. That raises the question of whether the person actually has ADHD. For some people, they cause intolerable side effects. For some people (like me), they help some. For some people, they are a life-changing miracle. It’s worth trying.
- These medications are safe for most people, although caution is needed if there is hypertension or cardiac disease.
- These medications can be abused. This appears to occur mostly in college. They do not help with school performance for non-AHDers, although they give the impression that they do. People with ADHD rarely abuse them. The effect on people with ADHD is different from on vanillas.
- Starting the medications is a trial and error process. You must determine which medication is best for you, at what dose, and with what timing. Each of us is unique.
Benefits
The purpose of medication is to help us focus. Other benefits can be to increase motivation and decrease inertia.
The medications
Stimulants : methylphenidate -Ritalin, Concerta, Focalin, Daytrana ; amphetamines -Adderal, dexedrine, Cylert
Antidepressants: Staterra (atomaxetine), Wellbutrin (bupropion),Effexor (venlafaxine), Pamelor (desipramine)
Others: Guanfacine, omega 3 fatty acid (fish oil) can be of some help.
There are other longer acting forms now available.
The link below covers this in more detail, as well as more about ADHD. It is a gem.
doug
Pretty much everything about the meds from Dr. Schwartz
Other ADHD Medication Links:
Totally Irrelevant Comment: Trying to publish a list with numbers is a booger. But that’s nothing compared to trying to get the pictures right. Patience is not one of my ADHD gifts.
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- Without the meds.
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- I never colored in the lines
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- My ADHD medication supplement.
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- ADHD makes us irritable
@addstrategies #adhd #add @dougmkpdp
ADDadultstrategies 
Pingback: Truths About ADHD Medications — ADHD Tip O the Day 970 | ADDadultstrategies
I got too say I’m 39 years old and I take 60 mg daily of Vyvanse which has and is helping me more than I thought possible . Better relationships, lower anxiety, I can finish a project I start the same day. I don’t forget appointments, it too me and I know FDA turned Vyvanse or ( Shire) down on it being approved as antidepressant add on. But I have taken about every antidepressant made and I am on Zoloft now , and yes I feel that it has helped it work better!!!! What the hell does FDA know anyways…
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james – when people start getting better in even one area it can spill over into lots of others. the meds work miracles for some people. if you dont mind, i may use your comment in another post.
thank you for commenting
doug
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Thanks for this posting, Doug. I will use this info when seeing a psychiatrist in late October for ADHD medication. It appears you feel that using a methylphenidate-based medication is the way to go, as you never prescribed amphetamines. Do you think that the info in Dr. Schwartz’s article is fairly current despite it being published in 2002? Jeff
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jeff – i think it still up to date, there may be a few newer formulations but nothing really new. the amphetamines are fine, but i didnt want to get involved with them. ritalin works for most of us.
thanks for keeping up
doug
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