Medications For ADHD
Medicines can aid people suffering from ADHD to focus, feel less impulsive and develop new skills. They can also enhance social interactions and school performance.
Due to shortages of medication, millions of people are not able to get their medication. Many are storing up or rationing items. A taskforce is working to help ease the situation.
Stimulants
Treatments for ADHD are usually classed as stimulants. This means they boost the levels of certain chemicals in the brain. This helps your brain to concentrate and stop you acting on impulses.
The stimulants are the most popular type of ADHD medication prescribed in the UK. They are a group of drugs which include the methylphenidate family (such as Ritalin) and the amphetamine salts family (like Adderall). Both work in a different way, however, they both decrease the amount of dopamine released by the brain during an impulse.
In source for this article and the UK in the UK and Europe, the methylphenidate family is the most commonly used. It includes methylphenidate, dexamfetamine, and Lisdexamfetamine. add adhd medications are available as short acting or long-acting medicines or as an amalgamation of both called 'immediate ' release and modified release. Short-acting tablets usually last between two to three hours, whereas modified release medications can last up to 12 hours.
In the year 2000, the government issued a warning to patients warning of shortages of these ADHD drugs. The shortages were caused by manufacturing issues and increasing demand in the world. Certain products were out of stock for a while, but now supplies are back in stock.
As the supply of these ADHD medications increased, more adults were able get them. This meant that for the first time ever more adults than children are getting these medications in England. There are also an increasing number of women who have been diagnosed with ADHD as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and they are now being treated with these medicines as are their male counterparts.
More than 200,000 adults are being treated with a stimulant ADHD medication in the UK. However, this is just a tiny fraction of the estimated 2.6 million people in the UK who suffer from the condition. For a lot of people, the decision of whether or not to take meds is a personal one. Some people decide to go the medication route, whereas others choose therapy and may never need or want to take medication.
There are also non-stimulant ADHD medications that have a different effect on the body. This type of medication raises the levels of noradrenaline in the brain. Noradrenaline acts as a messenger chemical that transmits information between nerve cells. This can help improve concentration and reduce the frequency of impulses. However, it takes several weeks for it to affect the brain. This is why non-stimulant ADHD medication is often required to be monitored by psychiatrists more closely. It is also more expensive than stimulants. It is nevertheless important for adults to be aware of the options available to them and to talk about this with their GP or ADHD service. They can also provide more information on the options available to them and their families. This is crucial considering that the availability of these drugs is being affected by recent shortages in the UK.