Why do ADHD kids need medication?

[anuama4]

To understand better my son's ADHD, I am asking this basic question? Is it because it will help the kid focus ? Does it help him come off the hook with instructors or teachers? Does it help kids to do their chores? Does make kids not move much? What is that thing doctors look for before starting medication?

[Onthemove1971]

Yes, depending on the type of medication, it helps take away the negative symptoms of ADHD. A stimulant medication will help slow them down and stop them from doing before they think.

A non-stimulant- helps with focus and mood ( especially decrease anger ND out bursts).

It often takes a while to get the correct dose ( this is depending on how extreme the ADHD is- mostr extreme is helped by higher dose), timing ( medication on stays in their system until it wears off) and type of medication ( stimulant vs non stimulant).

Hope this helps..

[lbayley]

The two things that prompted me to seek medication for my daughter at 10 yrs old (I originally planned to wait until she was a teenager) were 1. She was beginning to suffer socially as her peers began to develop personal space awareness and self regulation that she was not able to maintain and 2. Math suddenly became more layered (around 3rd grade) and she went from breezing through it to just stuck. Medicine (she uses a stimulant medication) did not make her overly calm or seem in any way “drugged” but she could regulate her emotions better, was able to learn to be more aware of others, and could suddenly do math again. It is not magic, but for her it is like wearing glasses is for a near-sighted person—it’s a tool that really helps.

[ASLCODATerp]

I have three children with ADHD, all on meds of different types and dosages. What I understand about the ADHD brain is that there is a delay in development because a child cannot build the connections and pathways to desired behaviors and learning patterns like those who do not have adhd. The brain cannot develop organization skills well enough on its own and so development stalls or lags behind. The medication can help neurons in the brain fire at a more organized rate and help the child’s brain build the pathways they need to more easily navigate their life-especially school and social situations.

Sometimes people with adhd can develop to a point where they no longer need medication help in their adult years. Others will still need it. We found that medication “brought our children back to us”, in that the adhd was interfering with who they were at their core and we saw the natural personality of our kids again after beginning medication. That being said, it does take a while sometimes to get the right medication and dosage. And there are some people who do not tolerate medication well.

There are also many things one can do to help ease symptoms like diet and lifestyle changes, easing-up on expectations-especially at home, and meditation. Kids do well if they can (Ross Green). Best wishes to you and your family in this journey! You are doing well! Hang in there!

[Peerandparent]

The current theory around why stimulants help with ADHD, or at least my understanding:

Those of us with ADHD have poor executive function. I feel strongly that it should be called executive function disorder rather than attention deficit disorder.

One of the issues is related to the regulation of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is one of the feel good hormones, and is also a get up and go hormone.

If you think of the brain as being in a bucket of dopamine keeping it afloat, you can also imagine that everyone's bucket is a little bit leaky. We fill it back up by socializing, watching TV, playing games, exercising and other fun or rewarding stuff.

Now imagine that people with ADHD have a very leaky bucket. Some activities like tv and video games refill it, but sometimes can only keep up with the leaks, rather than truly refill the bucket. And even things that refill the bucket don't 'last' like they do for neurotypical people, because even a full bucket can drain quickly. This is why we can get glued to certain activities and have zero endurance for others. Once the bucket is dry, it's nearly impossible to motivate ourselves to do anything.

Adrenaline can refill the bucket (which is why yelling at an ADHD kid can get them moving) but it's a method that comes with both an immediate cost and a long term one.

Stimulant medication works by either opening up the dopamine taps or plugging some of the leaks. This is why it can be therapeutic for people with ADHD, while it can be harmful for neurotypical people who end up with an overfull bucket.

[LF2023 in reply to Peerandparent]

This is a really really good response!

[KidsNkitties]

hello, I have 2 kids that take medication. They both take it to help with focus however it also helps regulate my daughter’s emotions and impulsive behaviors. They both do better taking the short acting medication vs the extended release. The extended release tends to disrupt sleep and inhibits appetite greatly. They both take a second dose at school with the nurse before lunchtime.