ADHD in Children – Symptoms, Types, and Treatment

What is ADHD in Children And Its Symptoms?

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder short name as ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder found in children that can be characterized by difficulty paying attention, excessive activity, and impulsivity (acting before you think). This disease affects the brain and behavior of children.

ADHD is usually identified when children are in grade school but can be diagnosed at any time from preschool to adulthood. Recent studies indicate that the parents report almost 10 percent of children between the ages of four to seventeen as being diagnosed with this ADHD. So in a classroom of thirty children, two to three children may have ADHD.

Types and Treatment of ADHD

The medication of ADHD is often an essential part of treatment for a child. However, it may be a difficult decision to make for your child. For the best choice, you and the doctor of your child should work together to decide that if the medication is a better option.

If so, consult with the doctor whether your child needs medication during school time only, or on evening and weekends also. You and the doctor should also conclude what type of medication might be best for your child. The two main types of medicines of this disease are stimulants and no stimulants.

Central Nervous System Stimulants

Central nervous system stimulants are the more commonly suggested family of ADHD medication. These medicines work by raising the amounts of the brain chemicals known as dopamine and norepinephrine. The effect increases your child’s concentration and helps them focus better on their work.

Common CNS stimulants that are used to treat ADHD include:

• amphetamine-based stimulants (Dexedrine, Adderall, Dextrostat)
• dexmethylphenidate (Focalin)
• dextromethamphetamine (Desoxyn)
• methylphenidate (Daytrana, Concerta, Ritalin, Metadate)

Non-stimulant Medications

The doctor of your child may consider non-stimulant drugs when stimulants have not worked or have caused adverse effects that your child finds hard to handle.

Most non-stimulant drugs function by increasing norepinephrine levels in your child’s brain. Norepinephrine is thought to work with attention and memory. These non-stimulant treatments contain:

• antidepressants like nortriptyline (Pamelor)
• atomoxetine (Strattera)

Other non-stimulant drugs can also help with ADHD. It is not fully known how these medications treat with ADHD, but there is some proof that they help some chemicals that work better in the part of the brain that involved with attention and memory. These other non-stimulants include:

• clonidine (Kapvay)
• guanfacine (Intuniv)

There are too many medications available in the market to treat with ADHD. One of them is Adderall. Adderall is used to treat ADHD as well as Narcolepsy. You can buy Adderall online using online pharmacies that are available easily.

To help all families make important decisions about this treatment, the National Institute of Mental Health began a large treatment study in 1992, known as Multi-modal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA). Data from this fourteen-month study showed that stimulant medications are most effective in treating the problems of ADHD, as long as it is served in dosage adjusted for every child to give the best result – either alone or in together with behavioral therapy.

This condition is especially true when the medication dosage is regularly monitored and adjusted for every child. The study of multi-model treatment, along with many other large-scale treatment studies that have assessed the safety and effectiveness of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder treatment, provides evidence that stimulant treatment reduces impulsivity and hyperactivity, increases the ability and improves attention, and to get along with others.

For this reason, stimulant medications remain the treatment of the first choice for medicating individuals with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. While drugs alone is a proven treatment for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the MTA study found that combining behavioral therapy with the drug was useful in helping families, teachers, and children learn ways to admin and modify the behaviors that cause problems at home and school.

In addition, some children receiving the combination of medication and behavioral therapy were able to take lower doses of medicine. If you are going to take this medication, check online pharmacies. There are many pharmacies where you can order Adderall online.

Side-effects of Stimulants and Non-stimulants

The more common side-effects of both kinds of medication (stimulants and non-stimulants) are similar, although they manage to be stronger for stimulants. The side-effects are listed below-

• headache
• stomach upset
• trouble sleeping
• irritability
• nervousness
• weight loss
• dry mouth

The more severe side effects of both drugs are rarer. For stimulants, the severe adverse effects in children can include:

• increased blood pressure
• hallucinations
• suicidal thoughts or actions
• allergic reaction

For non-stimulants, the serious adverse effects in children can include:

• suicidal thoughts or actions
• seizures

There are several therapy options available that may help children suffering from ADHD. Consult with your doctor about whether one or more from these options would be the right choice for your child. The therapeutic ADHD treatment are-

Psychotherapy

• Psychotherapy may be useful in getting your child to open up about their feelings of competition with ADHD. ADHD may cause your child to have problems with peers and authority figures. Psychotherapy may help your children better handle these relationships.
• In psychotherapy, a child can also be able to show their behavior stance and learn how to make better choices in the future. And family treatment can be a great way to help figure out how best to work through harmful behaviors.

Behavior Therapy

• The main aim of behavior therapy is to teach a child how to monitor their behaviors and then change those behaviors properly. You and your child, and perhaps the teacher of your child, will work together. You will develop strategies for how your child behaves in reaction to certain situations. These strategies often contain some direct feedback to support the child to learn suitable behaviors. For instance, a token price system could be devised to help positive behaviors.

The other therapy programs that are used to treat ADHD are Social skills training Support groups. The above are the treatment programs for ADHD in children.

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