Recent models of ADHD combine genetic, neurobiological and clinical evidence to suggest that at the center of the disorder is a problem with “executive function.”  This is a term covering many brain functions which, together, enable us to manage our every day life; to conceptualize, plan and then carry out our action plans.
In the brain the frontal lobes [...]
Yesterday I wrote about Timothy Wilens’s study of 98 adolescents who diverted (sold) or misused their medications. More information is available from that study:Â
Eleven percent of the young men with ADHD diverted or sold their medications, compared with none in the control group (young men taking medication for other conditions). 22% of the ADHD patients took [...]
Drug abuse with the CNS stimulants is a real problem. Is there anything that we can do, especially in treating adults with ADHD who are at risk, to minimize the chances of drug abuse?
One answer comes from studies of the action of the stimulants. In general, the faster the medication reaches the site of action in the [...]
A recent survey by a major provider of medication, Medco Health Solutions,Inc, strongly supports the fact that ADHD is a family affair. Medco reviewed the prescriptions of more than 107,000 children aged 5 to 19 and their parents, during the full year of 2005.
Parents of children on an ADHD medication are nearly 10 times more likely to take an ADHD [...]
I’ve been thinking — and writing (see my book, Understanding and Treating Adults with ADHD,2006) that, while central nervous stimulants are drugs of abuse, ADHD patients rarely abuse them. I’ve also thought that they were relatively safe medications. My impressions are based on my experience with ADHD patients, who tend to be responsible adults.
I may be wrong about [...]
One of my readers, Mr. Russell, commented yesterday that he regards his ADHD as at least as much a blessing as a curse. He touches on an important point. There are many people who feel that way, including some of my patients. The way their mind works, they admit, is different from that of other people. However, [...]
Having ADHD is a key risk factor for developing substance abuse. It means a lifetime likelihood of twice the incidence than among persons without ADHD.  Adolescents and adults with ADHD are much likelier than other persons to develop problems with substances such as nicotine, alcohol and marijuana. Â
Parents who have ADHDÂ have to be particularly alert for substance [...]
How many people have ADHD as adults? We’re still not sure, as we still don’t have good diagnostic criteria, and we have only recently been collecting data on affected adults.
ADHD is still the commonest psychiatric problem of children, with an estimated 8-10% affected. Current estimates are that over half of these affected children will still [...]
A recent sorrowful article by Russell Barkley, the distinguished ADHD expert, reminds us about the dangers of untreated ADHD and driving automobiles. Professor Barkley writes that his fraternal twin, Ron, who had the disorder, died behind the wheel of his car. His brother had been drinking, was not wearing a seatbelt, and had a history of [...]
No sooner had I told one of my patients that there was nothing new or exciting about medications for ADHD than I discovered I was wrong.  I read for the first time about “prodrugs.” These are pharmacologically inactive precursors to an active drug, which require metabolism to activate them.
One such medication is lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX). Â In this [...]
