ADD Medication Treatment In Children
By Tess Thompson
A complete cure for ADD is not possible using prescription medication. But appropriate ADD treatment can ensure that the symptoms of the condition are controlled and subdued. This allows the individual to function normally and carry out the common daily tasks. These medications can help in increasing attention span, controlling impulsivity and reducing aggression and the like.
The specific medication that is used to treat ADD is called stimulants. This group includes Ritalin, a methylphenidate and Adderall. These medicines work fast but the effect also starts to wear off after a couple of hours. To ensure proper functioning, children normally take one dose before going to school and another one in the late afternoon to be able to get through homework and some amount of play.
Some children also require a third dose. These medicines can cause a roller coaster effect on the child’s moods and hyperactivity, since the effects wanes and then another dose is administered.
Of late research has helped in developing a new stimulant medication. This includes OROS methylphenidate HCL and dextroamphetamine sulface. There are drugs like Concerta, the effect of which lasts for longer. This form of child ADHD treatment helps in lesser intervention from adults since it has to be administered only once a day. They work on a slow release mechanism and ensure that a small portion of the drug is released into the system at regular intervals.
These drugs are controlled substances and can be obtained with a prescription that is less than seven days old. Therefore, a monthly visit to the doctor becomes a must, if nothing else, but to pick up the prescription.
Stimulants come wit their own set of side effects and have a few long-term effects. Some of the common complaints are low appetite, headaches, sleeplessness and stomachache. The ideal time of administering the medicine varies depending on the individual and should be adjusted based on a trial and error method. Some children benefit from a ‘drug holiday’, a day without any drugs. You could choose a weekend or a school holiday for this day since you can supervise your child directly.
The specific dosage that your child requires shall be arrived at by the physician. He is likely to start with a low dosage and frequency. You will be advised to start medication on a weekend to be able to monitor any likely side effects. Slowly, the ADD medication will be increased based on your feedback and regular check-ups and within a few weeks the right dosage for your child shall be established based on an improvement in the symptoms.
For children who do not react to medication at first, the physician may try to change the brand of the medicine. If there is no improvement even after that, then a different genre of medication called antidepressants is likely to be tried.
Though the proportion of children who can give up medication for ADD after a while is low, there is a possibility that your child may not need it all his life. Since these drugs do not remove the cause of the problem, they cannot help with the psychological damage that this condition can cause. To help your child cope with life situations and increase self-esteem, you should ensure supplementing ADD medical treatment with other alternate therapies.
It has been seen that supplementation with behavior therapy, emotional counseling and practical support works best. These therapies can ensure that an individual learns coping skills and can get through life without much difficulty. Another alternate form of treatment that you may wish to explore is herbal remedy for ADD. For cases that are mild or under control, these forms of medications can provide relief without any side effects.
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