ADD/ADHD Medication Questions and Answers
ByAs a Psychiatrist, one of the areas that I get asked the most questions about is medication treatment of ADD and ADHD.
A number of months ago, ADD Coach Bonnie Mincu interviewed me about ADD and ADHD Medications.
You can listen to the 62 minute recording of that interview here.
If you’d like to learn more about medications for ADD and ADHD, please visit: Medication Mastery.
I hope you enjoy this audio!
Best,
Dr. Kenny
Technorati Tags: ADD, ADHD, Medication, Adderall, Concerta, Strattera, Vyvanse
I feel a lot more comfortable giving my daughter the biphentin knowing that it is helpful and not abuseable. I just wish I knew the long term affects on her body this medication may have. I also wish I knew if she will be on this medication all her life?
I found this interview very helpful and wish to thank you Dr. Kenny
I could not find the recording for: ADD/ADHD Medication Questions and Answers.
You mention on this page:
You can listen to the 62 minute recording of that interview here
But I don t see any link for listening to the 62 minute recording. Help pls.
Thanx
Hi Rachid,
There are audio buttons in the middle on the page – in yellow. It is ‘flash audio’. You need to have flash installed in your PC to be able to hear it:
http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash
Also – if you are on a network which doesn’ t allow this type of content, then you may not be able to hear it (i.e. the network in the hospital I work in blocks flash audio).
I hope this helps!
Dr. Kenny
I see what the problem is now:
.
If you have Internet explorer 7 (IE7), you wonn t be able to see nothing but blank empty space. When I displayed this page in Firefox, then I can see the yellow buttons. May be this should be corrected so people having IE7 don t miss the audio. I strugled with it for 2 days at least when the problem is simple (and funny actually
I have home internet access, no firewall, no corporate policies
Thanks Keny for your time, help and availability.
Hi Rachid,
I’m glad that you got it working.
Just as an FYI – most people are able to see it in IE 7.
I’m not sure why it wasn’t showing in your browser.
In any case – I hope you enjoy the audio!
Best,
Dr. Kenny
ADD/ADHD Medication Questions and Answers | ADD ADHD Blog.com…
As a Psychiatrist, one of the areas that I get asked the most questions about is medication treatment of ADD and ADHD.A number of months ago, ADD Coach Bonnie Mincu interviewed me about ADD and ADHD Medications….
ADD/ADHD Medication Questions and Answers | ADD ADHD Blog.com…
As a Psychiatrist, one of the areas that I get asked the most questions about is medication treatment of ADD and ADHD.A number of months ago, ADD Coach Bonnie Mincu interviewed me about ADD and ADHD Medications….
ADD/ADHD Medication Questions and Answers…
As a Psychiatrist, one of the areas that I get asked the most questions about is medication treatment of ADD and ADHD.A number of months ago, ADD Coach Bonnie Mincu interviewed me about ADD and ADHD Medications….
some times I do good without my concerta do I need a lower dose because I take 72mg in concerta
My son has just been diagnosed with ADHD and been perscribed Risperdol. Has anyone had any experience with this?
Since starting to take Vyvanse I have been getting little sores on my tongue which appear to look like white spots. Each one last a few days and disappears. The other thing I have experienced is wanting to chew as I would label a tic. At work the other day someone ask me for a piece of gum because of this new habit. Are these reported side effects or some type of interaction with another drug?
Curt – I don’t know of mouth sores as a side effect.
Chewing – could be a tic – and these can be worsened by all stimulant medicines. I hope that helps.
I have a son that is ADHD and he has been on mediation since he was 4 almost 5. the first medication was adderall and then we changed him to mededate CD I have loved this medication he sleeps, eats , and grows. But we have maxed out on the dosage of 40 mg , I am trying to research new medications but i dont know if i should place him on adderall again or this new medication Focalin are you able to help me with this. Also i am trying to find a life coach for him but i am unable to find anything in regards to this online is there a different name i should be looking under.
Michele – regarding metadate – I imagine that the dose can be increased up to 60 mg. I work in Canada (and we don’t have it in Canada) but since it is a Methylphenidate medicine, the max should be 60 mg (depending on his age and potential other factors – ask your doctor).
Regarding an ADHD coach for him – again this depends on age. There are many ADD/ADHD coaches who work with adults – and not that many who work with kids/teens. You may have to search for ‘adhd coach for teens’, or adhd coach for kids.
good luck!
I am a 36 year old male in Quebec with ADHD (Inattentive Subtype) and have been on Ritalin (regular and LA), Dexedrine, Straterra (made me very sleepy), Concerta, and Wellbutrin. The problem is that although the stimulants improve my attention, I experience severe side effects from the stimulants when on regular effective doses. The side effects include: muscle tension, facial tics, worsening of my TMJ, daytime jaw jutting/rotation, nighttime bruxism, jitteriness, high blood pressure and high heart rate when doing mild exercise.
As such, I have been forced to use lower doses of the stimulants than would normally be effective for improving attention. (I am currently on Concerta 36mg with Wellbutrin 300XL and I still get side effects.)
Dr. Hallowell had written in his book that Corgard helps to reduce side effects, however it may be dangerous for people with diabetes. While I don’t have diabetes, there is a very strong genetic predisposition for diabetes in my family, and my glucose levels are slightly elevated. Since his book is 20 years old, I’m wondering whether there are any updated protocols to reduce side effects? Would Corgard be helpful for me? I saw that he mentioned Clonidine but didn’t refer to it as having the same action as Corgard. Would Clonidine have the same effect as Corgard? In any case, I understand that Intuniv and any long-acting versions of clonidine are not sold in Canada.
I’d appreciate hearing your feedback on this, as my doctors are stumped. What is the latest protocol, and what are the recommended doses?
Miguel,
A couple of thoughts.
1) At this time, it is not common practice to use a beta blocker (like corgard) to minimize side effects. That said, a beta blocker would help with the heart rate side of things. You could ask your doctor for this if it was needed.
2) Clonidine may help a little – but it is quite sedating, and we only have short acting in Canada. Intuniv is long acting guanfacine and it is less sedating, but also helps inattention and won’t increase heart rate. While there’s no way to know exactly when it’ll get to Canada, it will likely be the end of 2012 (more or less).
Apart from that, there are no magic answers. Some people have had success with Tricyclics (like Imipramine, Desipramine) but they often have much worse side effects.
Good luck!
Dr. Kenny