why do they prescribe stimulants for ADD/ADHD kids and adults?

Question

I know they work b/c I was on them as a child and I'm also on them now. But it seems odd to me that they'd work because aren't the kids that take it already hyper or having difficulty staying focused, and then the med's are stimulants, so wouldn't they make you more of those things? I know it doesn't work that way, but it just seems odd to me.

Answer 1

I'm guessing you are not looking for a lecture on brain anatomy and physiology. The shorter answer is that much remains to be discovered, but the prefrontal cortex is often smaller than normal in most people with ADHD (and many other brain disorders). It is also often less active. The prefrontal cortex is that part of the brain that, acts like a traffic cop, among many other functions it is responsible for attention, planning, and impulse control or thinking before you leap. The neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrin and dopamine are all implicated. Stimulants both speed up the prefrontal cortex and help these neurotransmitters work better.

Here are some links to more info:
CHADD Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder www.chadd.org/
National Resource Center on ADHD - A Program of CHADD http://www.help4adhd.org/
Attention Deficit Disorder Association (for adults) http://www.add.org/
CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/
WebMD ADD ADHD Guide http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide

Answer 2

The amphetamine works with the dopamine in the brain to stimulate the part of the brain that controls focus. That's why it has such an adverse effect on those who do not suffer from ADD or ADHD. People without this illness already have that section of the brain stimulated enough, so the meds just overwork the mind and the body. But damn, do they feel good....
Alright, take care now.

Answer 3

It is odd isn't it.

Gabor Maté, M.D. offers this explanation and analogy:

* Even though ADHD individuals are generally hyperactive, their brain waves are slower at a time when they would be expected to be faster (when reading or other tasks are attempted).
* The brain's prefrontal cortex is supposed to sort out and organize sensations and impulses coming from the body and the environment, and to inhibit those that are not useful in a given situation. When this task is successful, there is order, as with a policeman directing traffic at a busy intersection.
* In an ADHD person, the prefrontal cortex is underactive, like a policeman asleep on the job, thus not prioritizing and selecting or inhibiting input. The result is a flood of data bits that keep the mind and body unfocused and in turmoil. Traffic is gridlocked.
* Stimulant medications wake the policeman and allow the prefrontal cortex to perform traffic direction more efficiently.

Answer 4

For people with no family history of addiction, ADD/ADHD medication has no long term consequences. I will say this once more to make sure you understand... NO FAMILY HISTORY OF ADDICTION. For people WITH a family history of addiction and a genetic/personality/family structure that encourages addiction, you need to avoid these meds like the plague. ALL addicts have ADD/ADHD. That is what spurs them to try and self medicate through the abuse of illegal/legal substances. A family history of addiction + stimulant ADD/ADHD medication = the triggering of the pathways in the brain to spur on the addiction process. If you have NO history of addiction, you can stay on these medications after the age of 18 BUT you would be better off trying some of the more target medications to help adults since the brain differences between adults and adolescents is great. If you have a family history of addiction, you need to start treating your addiction... if it has manifested itself in actual addiction in you or not because that is the outcome if you do not start working to control your predisposition towards self medicating through substances or extremes of action. People that sky dive and do all those "Extreme Sports" have add/adhd and addiction. They use their extreme sports to get the endorphin kick that they WOULD have found in coke or alcohol if they didn't find extreme sports first. As for the chick above me... If she couldn't sleep on the ADD meds, if she had those shaky feelings, if all of that she described happened, then she was either misdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD and she was taking medication that wasn't necessary and most likely CAUSED her later 'signs' of having the disorder or she was on the wrong medication and should have told her parents and doctor about her feelings to try one of the thousand other ADD/ADHD medications that may have stopped those negative side effects. The best long term solution to ADD/ADHD is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Psychiatric Medication, be it for ADD/ADHD, PTSD, OCD, Anxiety, WHATEVER, is only a band-aid on the problem for most people... Medication should only be used to help you cope with the situation until you can work out the CAUSE of the problem and solve it in a meaningful, long term solution. Use the medication as long as you need it, but never stop trying to NOT NEED IT! Traditional Therapy, C.B.T., whatever it takes... Just don't come to rely upon the medication to "Fix" all your problems.

Answer 5

It has the reverse effect on those who suffer with ADHD, but if someone like me who does not suffering with ADHD it would stimulate my brain. ADHD too much of one neurotransmitter not enough of another, the meds even out the playing field.

Answer 6

yes but look what happens when you do not have it or when you fall asleep and hear nothing that is a danger in it's self be careful of any drug.