Getting treatment for ADHD when you are an adult may make a radical difference in your life. Being able to concentrate and to focus better, being more productive in your work and more responsive in your personal relationships,  may do wonders for your morale.  If you are one of the lucky ones, you have found treatment that [...]
In recent years primary care doctors have made impressive gains in their ability to treat mental disorders. I have watched with admiration as, within their disciplines, the clinicians made strides forward in diagnosing and in treating disorders of mood and anxiety. How are they doing with regard to ADHD?
The best current answer is, not very well.   At least, [...]
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When it comes to taking medication, patients and clinicians alike prefer simpler regimes. It’s hard enough to remember to take one medication once a day. However, there are times when it makes sense to combine medications in the treatment of ADHD.
1. Stimulant augmentation
When patients taking a stimulant medication get relief for some hours but develop symptoms before their work [...]
Yesterday I was writing about the potential usefulness of the antidepressant, Effexor-XR, as a treatment for ADHD.  That got me thinking about how often patients who have ADHD also have depression. The statistics are clear: the chances that a person with ADHD also has depression are 2-3 times those of a person who doesn’t have [...]
Clinial researchers continue pressing forward to find new medication options for treating ADHD. I read with interest a report about the possible usefulness of venlafaxine (Effexor-XR) for children with the disorder.* Â
Researchers conducted a two-week study of outpatients, a total of 38 youngsters from 5 to 17 years old. This was an open-label study, which means [...]
Members of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) have long been leaders in identifying and treating  youngsters with ADHD. Now they have put out a new set of Guidelines about the subject.* Among their observations are points that are they regard as optional or that they do not endorse.  What can we learn from these new  guidelines for kids  [...]
Elevated blood pressure.  Over time, it can contribute to heart attack and to stroke.  A silent problem, it does not announce itself to the patient until he or she is well along the path to serious health problems. It’s an issue for adults with ADHD because they, like any one else,  can have high blood pressure. This is [...]
Managing finances can be a problem for anyone who has ADHD. That can pose particular challenges to the older person with the disorder.* Even if the senior ADHD patient is now getting treatment, it is likely that that was not available to him or her when younger.  In such cases finances can be particularly problematic.Â
Here [...]
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