Medications For Attention Deficit - How Effective Are Drugs?

Drug companies are always coming out with new medications for Attention Deficit Disorder which is why it pays to keep pace with the research and learn about the medicines that have been recently approved. In this article, you'll learn about the new medications available to treat both children and adults. At the end of the article, we'll also take a look at some alternatives.

One of the newer drugs to treat children is Daytrana which is made by Shire and known as the ADHD Patch. This drug works just like Ritalin, which has been shown to be more effective than any other drugs for suppressing symptoms. Since Daytrana is a stimulant, this means it has all the same side-effects as Ritalin: loss of appetite, insomnia, stomach problems, heart and blood pressure issues and even psychosis.

Although the patch makes it easier to take the drug, it also has its disadvantages. The patch may not work as effectively on some kids as on others because skin absorption varies with individuals. Additionally, some children complain of itchiness so intense that they want to tear off the patch. Another complaint is skin irritation.

Before we get into the adult deficit disorder medications for adults, I'd like to point out a recurring theme. Even though the drugs that come out are "new," they have the same side effects as the drugs that have been available for years.

When an adult has been diagnosed with Adult Attention Deficit Disorder (AADD), typically he or she is treated with antidepressants. If antidepressants don't work, there are always stimulants. Although the pharmaceutical companies are always coming up with drugs (like Focalin, Effexor, and Dexedrine Spansules, no matter what their formulations, they are still either antidepressants or stimulants and have the accompanying side effects.

The point is that all synthetic drugs have side effects and implications for long term use. To tease out the truth, just watch the t.v. commercials that are put out by the pharmaceutical companies: first, they hype up the drug, but then by law, they are required to list the side effects.

Pharmaceutical companies have convinced us that drugs are the only way to suppress ADHD symptoms, but this just is not true. A growing number of adults and children have stopped taking medications for attention deficit disorder and are using natural remedies in their place.

When you consider that natural remedies are just as effective at suppressing the symptoms, but also nourish and heal the brain without the worry of side effects, you start to realize that this may be exactly what the body has needed all along: to heal what it was deficient in. And after all, our bodies are made up of organic materials, so it makes sense that the most effective remedies would be natural, rather than synthetic.

Whether you decide to stop taking adult attention disorder medications or get your child off ADHD drugs, be sure to discuss this with your physician. Also, make important lifestyle changes, like following a healthy diet and getting regular exercise. Before choosing a natural remedy to use in place of medications for attention deficit, be sure to do your research.

Laura Ramirez is a passionate researcher of natural remedies for ADHD and other health issues. Read more about her research by going to http://www.treating-adhd-naturally.com

Ms. Ramirez is also the author of the award-winning parenting book, Keepers of the Children: Native American Wisdom and Parenting and is a parenting educator and keynote speaker.