Understand ADD/ADHD And Stimulant Meds
CS Tan
Stimulant drugs do not cure ADHD. These medications only help people with ADD or ADHD to have better control of their behaviours so that they can be productive academically, when they are at home, or when in social gatherings. Therefore, stimulant medication can be viewed just as a `tool' to alleviate problems related to ADD or ADHD. To be truly effective, stimulant medication should be taken together with behavioural skills training.
Most parents are very anxious about giving their children stimulant medication, especially the 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 after remedial measures have been implemented and the side effects persists, then the prescribed medication may not be suitable for the kid/s concerned.
There are also some other concerns that parents have when their ADD or ADHD children take stimulant drugs. One of them is that their children may become less intelligent or creative. However, as far as research is concerned, there is no evidence that medication can affect intelligence or creative juices. 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. At times, these kids feel very down and emotionally unstable after taking the medication for the very first time. More often than not, these side effects usually happen upon the first intake of medication or when the dosage is inappropriate. Generally these problems are short-lived and often subsides after several hours. If they do however persist, it is best to sought the advice of a medical practitioner.
Foremost on most parents minds is whether their ADD or ADHD children need to take medication forever. However, no one has a definite answer to this often asked question. As mentioned earlier, medication helps kids to cope with their surroundings. A lot of ADD/ADHD children do get better after medication as evident in their behaviours, and often they are able to 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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