ADHD medicines improve attention by helping normal brain chemicals work better. The medicines target two brain chemicals, dopamine and norepinephrine. These chemicals affect a person's attention and concentration.
Stimulants are believed to work by increasing dopamine levels in the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with motivation, pleasure, attention, and movement. For many people with ADHD, stimulant medications boost concentration and focus while reducing hyperactive and impulsive behaviors.
So yes, dopaminergic agents approved for ADHD can actually make patients "happier" if they are able to stay on-task and focus on their core, value-based, meaningful goals, and attain those goals.
But all ADHD medications work by increasing the levels of important chemicals (neurotransmitters) in your brain. These neurotransmitters include dopamine and norepinephrine. Increasing the amount of these neurotransmitters helps improve the symptoms of ADHD, including: Increasing attention span.
We know from years of research that ADHD medications work — in fact, studies show they work up to 80 percent of the time. Unfortunately, many children and adults taking ADHD medications for the first time find their prescriptions don't work the way they expected at first.
Answer: Using caffeine, either in a drink or in an over-the-counter preparation, is not recommended by medical experts as a treatment for ADHD. Although some studies have shown that caffeine may improve concentration in adults with ADHD, it is not as effective as medication.
Stimulant medications are forms of either amphetamine or methylphenidate. These stimulants are commonly prescribed for ADHD and typically start to work in 30 minutes to two hours.
As you know, one trademark of ADHD is low levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine — a chemical released by nerve cells into the brain. Due to this lack of dopamine, people with ADHD are "chemically wired" to seek more, says John Ratey, M.D., professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
As long as the dosage is correct, the medication should not affect your personality or sense of humor. What it will do is curb your hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. An excessively high dose could temporarily “flatten” your personality, causing you to seem unusually quiet or withdrawn.
Certain attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications can help treat a person's co-occurring anxiety, while others may worsen it. ADHD and anxiety disorders are different conditions with distinct symptoms and presentations. The two conditions may exist together.
No increased risk from medication
A study done at UCLA in 2013 found that for kids with ADHD, taking stimulant medication as children neither increases nor decreases their risk of becoming addicted later. The study analyzed 15 long-term studies following thousands of children from a mean age of 8 to 20.
Though not explicitly approved to do so, stimulant medications for ADHD often improve moodiness in patients without a mood disorder.
Stimulant medication does not have to be tapered. You can just stop. Nonstimulants should be tapered gradually to avoid rebound side effects. Each week during the discontinuation trial, all observers should share their follow-up ratings with the prescriber.
All medications have potential side effects, and stimulants like Vyvanse, Concerta, and Adderall may cause some difficulty sleeping, decreased appetite, and headache, among other side effects.
Some adults with ADHD find that caffeine doesn't wake them up or make them sleepy.
Findings from a new study published by the Journal of Neural Transmission suggest that the use of Ritalin without a prescription can alter brain chemistry. These changes can affect risk-taking behavior, sleep disruption, and elicit other side effects.
These may include hyperfocus, resilience, creativity, conversational skills, spontaneity, and abundant energy. Many people view these benefits as “superpowers” because those with ADHD can hone them to their advantage. People with ADHD have a unique perspective that others may find interesting and valuable.
Medication produces direct changes in the executive function of the brain and may therefore help children with ADHD more reliably use newly acquired social skills. Researchers have also added components to social skills training that help children with ADHD reliably apply what they have learned in various settings.
Although it is commonly conceptualized as a neurodevelopmental condition, it also includes features that resemble basic personality traits, such as Neuroticism and Impulsivity [4, 5].
ADHD was the first disorder found to be the result of a deficiency of a specific neurotransmitter — in this case, norepinephrine — and the first disorder found to respond to medications to correct this underlying deficiency. Like all neurotransmitters, norepinephrine is synthesized within the brain.
ADHD brains have low levels of a neurotransmitter called norepinephrine. Norepinephrine is linked arm-in-arm with dopamine. Dopamine is the thing that helps control the brain's reward and pleasure center. The ADHD brain has impaired activity in four functional regions of the brain.
As a result, ADHD brains search for stimulation that can increase dopamine more quickly and intensely. Ultimately, the pursuit of pleasurable rewards may become a potent form of self-medication. In fact, dependent brains exhibit similar dysregulation of the dopamine reward system.
A person's body adjusts to the medication over the course of the first few months and side effects can lessen or disappear after that time. However, if medication is taken during the week and stopped on the weekends, possible side effects are less likely to go away, says Dr. Wiznitzer.
ADHD medication can be taken for months, years, or even a lifetime. Research shows that long-term use of ADHD meds is safe.