ADD - Treatment Through Medication

In this third of a series of articles on ADD we're goingvarious areas of the brain to be more active, actually
to focus on treatments for ADD besides simplethe reverse of a sedative. By being more active,
nutrition.The most common form of treatment forconcentration and attention are improved. This
ADD is through medication.The underlying theory onmedication helps circuits stay on when they're
ADD is that it is caused by a chemical imbalance in thesupposed to be on.The most common medication for
brain. Through certain medications we can correct thatADD is Ritalin, which is a psychostimulant. The drug
imbalance and help a person with ADD to live a normalappears to work very well in treating ADD. However, it
and productive life.PET scans of patients with ADDhas gotten a lot of bad press even though it is
who are taking medication for their condition show thatrelatively safe and very effective. Should Ritalin not
there is significant improvement in manywork other drugs may be used like antidepressants
cases.Medication that is given to treat ADD is toand beta blockers. These have both been shown to
stimulate the production of two neurotransmittersbe very effective for certain patients.Other drugs that
known as dopamine and norephinephrine. Thesehave been used to treat ADD are Dexedrine,
neurotransmitters are needed to carry a nerve impulseDesoxyn, Adderall, and Cylert, which are all stimulant
along a neuropathway. When one of thesedrugs like Ritalin. The most common antidepressants
transmitters is under supplied the message is stoppedare Desiprimine, Anafranil, Elavil, Tofranil, Wellbutrin,
short of it's intended destination. When this happens,Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil. Then there are neuroleptics
whatever function that circuit is assigned to doesn'twhich were developed to treat serious mental
work properly.Your brain circuits are like a computerdisorders like psychosis and schizophrenia. In patients
circuit. They are either on or off. When a circuit is on itwith severe ADD symptoms these have been very
makes something happen, like helping a childeffective treatments. The most common of these
concentrate on a math problem or read a passagedrugs is Haldol and Mellaril. However the AMA cautions
from a novel. When other circuits are on they preventthat these drugs should only be used in the most
something from happening. For instance, some circuitssevere cases of ADD. Then you have mood
prevent a child from becoming over emotional aboutstabilizers which are lithium based drugs that are very
an event or situation. If this circuit is supposed to be oneffective in certain cases in calming a child down.The
but isn't because the transmitter didn't work then thenumber of drugs to treat ADD is numerous and
child ends up getting upset where a child without ADDgrowing everyday. With proper diagnosis and testing it
would have remained calm.Medicines that treat ADDis relatively easy to find the right drug for treating the
are not sedatives or tranquilizers. They don't slowdisorder in each case.In the next article we'll discuss
down the nervous system. What they do is stimulateother treatments for ADD.