Things To Know About Using Stimulants For ADD or ADHD

By: Jonathan Lim ,

One important fact about stimulant medications is that they do not cure ADD or ADHD. They merely help people with ADD or ADHD in such a way that they are able to be as productive as possible, whether at home, in school or in social surroundings. Hence, stimulant drugs can be said to be just a half-way measure in alleviating the problem. To be effective, treatment should be multi-pronged and involves both medication and behavioural therapy.

When recommended that their children take stimulant drugs, most parents immediately become concern about the possible side effects. There are quite a number of possible side effects. The common ones are:

* Appetite is suppressed, which may lead to eventual weight loss or stunted growth.
*Those on medication may feel uneasy and have problems sleeping.

These two side effects should be noted with much seriousness, but more often than not they can be remedied by altering the dosage level or changing the time of taking the medication. If remedies are necessary, the best people to approach are the ones who prescribed it as they should be familiar with the medications. If these problems continue to persist, present prescription may need to be discontinued.

There are also some other concerns that parents have when their ADD or ADHD children take stimulant drugs. Possibly their worst fear is that their children's intelligence and creative flair may be curtailed after taking stimulant medication. While these concerns are understandable, the truth is that current findings do not support such concerns. Some people claimed that medication improves their intelligence or creativity. Todate, there is also no evidence to support such claims.

One other concern which parents have is the resultant side effects upon taking medications for the very first time. Sometimes, these kids, or even adults, may undergo some behavioural upheaval such as feeling withdrawn or even over-focused. Often, these side effects are merely the body's way of responding to foreign elements (medication) for the first time. The usual scenario is that these problems are temporary in nature and may disappear after a couple of hours. If they do however persist, it is best to sought the advice of a medical practitioner.

Many parents of ADD or ADHD children often ask if their children need to be on stimulant medications for the rest of their lives. At present, no one can give a clear cut answer. The primary aim of medication is to lend support to the kids so that they can function just like any `normal' kids. The majority of ADD/ADHD children do show significant improvements in their early teens, and when this behavioural change gains ground, these group of children find that they can cope without further medication. But for the rest of them, including adults who have ADD or ADHD, they may require continuous medication to asist them to function more effectively.

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