ADHD Medication : Does It Work and Is It Safe?

Answers the two most important questions about the use of medication to treat ADHD. Does medication work? And is it safe? In ADHD Medication, Dr. Walt Karniski uses his 40 years of experience as a developmental pediatrician to address important concerns that parents have about the use of medication for the treatment of ADHD. Because there is no medical diagnostic test to definitively “make a diagnosis” of ADHD, it is easy for critics to dismiss ADHD as a disorder fabricated by doctors, teachers, and pharmaceutical companies. Some parents blame themselves, and react with guilt, believing that they should have raised their child differently. So when you are presented with the diagnosis of a medical disorder in your child, is it any wonder that you might react with confusion, guilt, or denial? It doesn’t have to be that way. Parents are surprised to learn that there are almost 50 different medications used to treat ADHD, representing only two primary medications. This book addresses such issues as how to determine if medication is needed, how to decide which medication is the right fit for your child, whether children can outgrow ADHD, how to eliminate medication side effects, and how you can discuss the need for medication with your child. Most importantly though, this book answers the questions: Does ADHD medication work, and is it safe? This book is a powerful resource for parents and practitioners alike seeking to understand the treatment of ADHD in children. Cover -1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Chapter 1: What Is ADHD and How Has It Evolved? 10 Standing in Line 10 Who Am I? 13 ADHD Seems Like a Recently “Invented” Diagnosis. Where Did It Come From? 14 So How Is ADHD Diagnosed? 16 Diagnostic Criteria: Blessing or Curse? 19 Day of Judgment 21 Chapter 2: What Is ADHD and How Does It Feel? 26 Celebration 55 Chapter 3: From Silk to Ritalin: A History of the Medical Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder 58 From Tears to Calm: The First Use of Medication to Treat ADHD 59 Pharmaceutical Companies Get Interested11 61 From Obetrol to Adderall 62 Ritalin Owes Its Existence to Tennis 64 Ritalin Goes Mainstream 65 Chapter 4: Is ADHD Really Real? 70 But Wait! Isn’t ADHD Overdiagnosed? 70 Overdiagnosis Explanation #1: ADHD Lacks an Objective Diagnostic Test 72 Overdiagnosis Explanation #2: ADHD Is a Collection of Normal Behaviors That Occur in Everyone, Occasionally 73 So ADHD Behaviors Are Neurologically Based. But Couldn’t ADHD Be a Normal Personality That Evolved over Time? 76 What Causes ADHD? 80 What Is Happening in the Brain of a Child with ADHD? 81 How Does ADHD Medication Work? 86 Chapter 5: Could ADHD Medication Help My Child? 90 How Effective Are ADHD Medications? 90 How Could ADHD Medication Help My Child? 93 Can ADHD Medications Help My Child’s Core ADHD Behaviors? 95 What Does Research Tell Us about the Effectiveness of ADHD Medications? 98 Can ADHD Medications Help When My Child Grows Up? 102 Can ADHD Medications Have Long-Term EFFECTS on the Structure of My Child’s Brain? 106 Are There Any Non-Medication Treatments That Can Effectively Treat ADHD? 108 Can ADHD Medications Help My Child? 109 Chapter 6: Why Are There So Many Different Medications for the Treatment of ADHD? 112 One Prescription, Five Meds 112 Why Are There So Many Different ADHD Medications? 115 Why Are There So Many ADHD Medications? 118 Why Are There So Many ADHD Medications? 119 Can Generic ADHD Medications Be Substituted for Brand-Name Medications? 124 What Is the Difference between a Generic Medication and a Brand-Name Medication? 126 Chapter 7: Which Medication Is Right for My Child? 134 Four Medication Characteristics That Differentiate All ADHD Medications 134 Medication Duration Time 135 Delivery Mechanisms 137 Medication Mirror-Image Molecules 138 Medication Cost and GoodRx 141 When Medication Is Indicated, Which Medication Should Be Started First? 143 What Should I Say to My Child before Starting Medication? 144 Chapter 8: Stimulant Medication Side Effects 148 Three Types of Side Effects 148 Appetite and Growth 149 Sleep 155 EMOTIONAL LABILITY (Time Related) 166 Mood Suppression (“Zombie Effect”) 176 EMOTIONAL LABILITY (MEDICATION RELATED) 179 Headaches and Stomachaches 180 Tics 181 Cardiac 184 Chapter 9: Comorbidity: ADHD Does Not Dance Alone 186 ADHD with Oppositional Defiant Behaviors 189 ADHD with Dysphoric Mood 191 ADHD with Anxiety 193 ADHD with Compulsive Behaviors 195 Medication Treatment for ADHD with Comorbid Behaviors 198 Chapter 10: Twenty Brand-Name Methylphenidate Medications to Treat ADHD 202 Chapter 11: Sixteen Brand-Name Amphetamine Medications to Treat ADHD 236 Chapter 12: Ten Non-Stimulant Medications to Treat ADHD 260 Afterword 276 Medication List 278 Notes 292 Chapter 1 292 Chapter 2 292 Chapter 3 293 Chapter 4 294 Chapter 5 296 Chapter 6 304 Chapter 7 305 Chapter 8 306 Chapter 9 311 Chapter 10 312 Chapter 11 314 Chapter 12 314 Index 318 About the Author 330 The treatment of ADHD with medication has been marked by fierce debate. This book helps you decide if medication is right for your child and which of almost 50 medications should be used. Most importantly though, this book answers the questions: Does ADHD medication work, and is it safe? "This book evaluates the benefits and concerns of using medications to treat children with ADHD, while offering a guide to the different medications themselves."-- Provided by publisher