Untreated attention-deficit disorder (ADHD/ADD) can be devastating for adults as well as children. Up to 60% of children with ADHD continue to have symptoms into adulthood. It is estimated that 4% of the adult population has ADHD, mostly untreated.
As a physician specializing in both ADHD and addiction medicine, I have seen how adult patients with attention deficit issues are many times more likely to have substance abuse problems, such as addiction to prescription drugs and/or alcoholism. ADHD sufferers develop addiction problems earlier and have more difficulty overcoming their addictions than those without this condition. In addition, I have seen the financial and personal chaos that ADHD can create.
There are effective treatments for Adult ADHD including medications that are specifically FDA approved for use in adults. These include stimulants such as amphetamines and methylphenidate as well as non-stimulants, such as amoxetine.
In my practice, I find that over 90% of patients will improve with a stimulant. Some patients will respond better to one class of stimulants(ie, amphetamines) than another so there is a bit of trial and error involved in prescribing.
Some patients are nervous about taking stimulants, fearing insomnia or feeling jittery. Fortunately, these symptoms usually improve after a few days. If not, the dosage can be reduced or a different type of stimulant can be tried. A non-stimulant medication can also be used, although in general, stimulants are more effective for most people.
It is important for the doctor to obtain a good health history and make sure that it is safe to give stimulants since they can cause serious problems in patients with underlying heart problems.
Occasionally patients will ask if they can get addicted to stimulants. The answer is that stimulant use almost never results in addiction in ADHD patients as long as they are taken as prescribed. Because the underlying problem in ADHD involves a deficiency of neurotransmitters, including dopamine and norepinephrine, in the synaptic cleft between neurons in the brain, medications are the foundation of treating ADHD.
Although ADHD coaching and counseling usually helps, I rarely see any significant improvement without the use of medications. (In my experience, dietary changes that help ADHD are limited to excluding MSG and MSG-like additives.) When the most right type of medication and dosage is determined, the results are dramatic. Patients can pay attention easier, think more clearly and make better decisions.