If you have wondered about the side effects of prescribed stimulant medications, you are not alone. Such drugs are often prescribed to individuals with ADHD.

ADHD is considered to be a hyperactivity disorder. You may have noticed very impulsive behavior with the child or adult who is experiencing symptoms.

Often the problem is first noticed by parents and teachers during the preschool or elementary years. The average age for symptoms to be displayed is right around 7 years old.

For many suffering from this disorder, symptoms may disappear at around the time of adolescence. That being said, it can still persist into adulthood. Estimates are that about eight percent of children suffer form this problem. Surprisingly estimates tell us that about 3 to 4% of adults may be suffering from ADHD as well.

Prescribed Stimulants Affect the Brain

Frequently, a doctor will attempt to treat this disorder by prescribing a stimulant medication. Stimulants, like the popular Ritalin, affect the brain by increasing dopamine levels. Dopamine is a chemical associated with attention. When a doctor prescribes such a medication, he will be looking for just the right dosage. Typically, he will start with a lower dose and slowly increase it until the desired effect is obtained.

When a stimulant drug is not prescribed in this manner, it is possible that the brain can be flooded by dopamine, creating a feeling of euphoria (heightened well-being). When this happens, their is real potential for addiction. In fact, some stimulant prescribed drugs are chemically very similar to street methamphetamine.

One of the big questions in child psychology revolves around whether the use of stimulant type prescription medications for ADHD increases the risk for substance abuse in adulthood. Most studies suggest that proper use of a prescription does NOT increase the likelihood of substance abuse addiction later in life. However, it is believed that more research is needed to find a definitive conclusion – especially in regard to adolescents.

I spoke to a former user of Ritalin and he volunteered, without being prompted in any way, that former users of this medication would sometimes become addicted to crystal meth. It was not clear, however, if he was speaking from personal knowledge of individuals or simply repeating a theory he had heard.

When you consider whether prescription stimulant ADHD medications are right for your child, it is important to think about the potential problems that a prescription stimulant medication can bring.

Some of the side effects that have been reported with Ritalin and other stimulant medications include sudden death from heart attack. This is believed to only happen to those with preexisting heart defects. A doctor should insure that a child’s heart is not compromised before prescribing such a medication.

On the other hand, stroke and heart attack have been noted as possible side effects of this class of prescription drugs. In addition, increased blood pressure and heart rate have also been observed as a possible side effects.

There is the possible side effect of new or worsening behavioral problems with stimulant medications. There is also the possibility of increasing hostility on the drug. These, of course, are the opposite of what
the physician hopes to achieve with a stimulant drugs prescribed for ADHD.

At times, prescription medications are completely necessary and appropriate for treatment of ADHD symptoms. However, you may be wondering if there are alternatives to prescribed ADHD stimulant medications and other possible alternative treatments that may be a better choice for your particular child or even an adult that you know.

Scott Starksy writes about ADHD and natural alternatives at http://www.ADHD-Discovery.com

*This article is for information purposes only and does not intend to provide diagnosis, advice or treatment for any health condition whatsoever. If you have or think you might have a health issue, you should visit your doctor for advice, diagnosis and treatment. The USFDA has not evaluated statements about products in this article.

You have probably, at one point or another, stopped to ponder the number of ADHD prescription drugs and their side effects. Of course, the most well known are Adderall and Ritalin. However, there are others too.

The list of side effects that come with any drug, including ADHD drugs can be rather long. Here is a tip: the next time you pick up ANY drug at your local pharmacy, ask the pharmacist to print out a list of side effects for you. You might be VERY surprised! Some of the side effects can even be quite serious.

ADHD drugs usually fall into one of three categories:

1. Long acting stimulant

2. Short or Intermediate acting stimulant

3. Not a Stimulant.

The long acting drugs will include drugs similar to Ritalin LA, Metadate CD, Focalin XR, Daytrana, Concerta, Adderal XR, and Vyvanse. These drugs can affect your child for up twelve hours! As such, they are only taken once-per-day. In the case of Ritalin LA or Adderal XR, they come in a capsule form that you can open and sprinkle onto food. Daytrana is a patch that the child can wear just like a ‘quit smoking’ transdermal.

The short and intermediate drug prescriptions for ADHD include Ritalin, Adderall, Dexedrine and Dextrostat, as well as Methylin ER.
These drugs are sort of out-of-style as they need to be taken more than once per day. On the other hand, they are not available in generic forms which can be less costly.

Non stimulant ADHD drugs, the most well known being Strattera, are not prescribed as often as the stimulant drugs are. However, in the case of a child who suffers anxiety in conjunction with his ADHD issues, the doctor might prescribe Strattera. Drugs like this may also be an option for children who do not do well with the stimulant drugs.

The side effects for the stimulant drugs can often include headaches, stomach aches, sleeplessness (insomnia), eating disorders, withdrawing socially, vomiting and, with that, nausea. This is not the end of the list, just some highlights! As a parent, you might see the outward signs of the side effects such as your child being dull or even a bit less-responsive or the appearance of being in a trance!

The non-stimulants, like Strattera can have similar side effects too. Allergic reactions can also be a concern. As a parent, you certainly want the best for your child and that is why you both may benefit from considering an all natural alternative remedy.

One of the most alarming suspicions of researchers is the appearance of a greater risk of depression in adulthood for children who were prescribed ADHD prescription drugs. When you consider the side effects along with this long term potential danger, you might conclude that the risk is too great. The good news is that there are alternative remedies available that do not appear to have these side effects.

To recap, ADHD prescription drugs have a number of possible side effects. You, as a parent, definitely want your child to have a happy, successful and fulfilling life but you also want to deal with the symptoms of ADHD at the same time. Homeopathic remedies could offer a viable alternative. If ADHD can be treated safely with a more natural remedy, you might conclude that to be a better alternative than prescription drugs.

However, there are times when prescription drugs are necessary, you will have to balance rationality with your own personal research!

Scott Starsky has learned about ADHD natural remedy alternatives and thinks that you should too!

*This article is for information purposes only and does not intend to render advice, diagnosis or treatment for any health condition whatsoever. If you have or think you might have a health issue of any type, visit your doctor for advice diagnosis and treatment. The USFDA has not evaluated statements about any products in this article or on this site.

If you have realized this to be true, you are not alone: Current research indicates that available treatment choices for ADHD may not be the best. Medicating our children with various combinations of drugs may cause some unwanted side-effects and may not get to the root cause of the real issue with the children. Stimulants are the most frequent choice for many psychiatrists. However, they may only treat symptoms and do not target the real problems that need to be solved. Unfortunately, the longer term effects of these psycho-stimulants have not been determined and the subject is burdened with questions that remain unanswered and parents continue to wonder if they are doing the right thing for their child.

Here are a few reasons why you may want to consider an alternative path before providing your children with prescription only medications and perhaps consider more natural treatments for ADHD:

1. You may or may not know about the side effects caused by utilizing medically prescribed drugs for ADHD treatment include nervousness and anxiety, headaches, dizzy spells, abdominal pains, sleeplessness, a feeling of sickness and actual vomiting, manifestation of eating disorders, and even mental states that resemble true mental illnesses. Yet on the other side of the fence, homeopathic remedies might alleviate symptoms and not cause so many unwanted side effects, thereby preserving your child’s health.

2. Prescribed medications might be effective in reducing or eliminating the actual symptoms of ADHD. However, they might also suppress the natural development of your son’s personality. The prescription may be changing the way your child’s developing brain processes in such a way that natural curiosity and impulses, including creativity, may be stifled! Many famous people were able to get by without medication and found ways to cope with their own ADHD. You have probably heard of one or two such as Abraham Lincoln! It is likely that you cannot wait for your child to get better on his own, that is understandable. Perhaps a more natural approach will solve the behavioral problems without seriously altering your child’s brain chemistry.

3. Studies seem to indicate that those who took ADHD drugs as children may be prone to drug addictions later. Some ADHD meds are chemically very similar to methamphetamine! A more natural herbal remedy is not so likely to cause an addictive personality to emerge.

4. ADHD medication can be costly. Billions of dollars are spent annually for these drugs. This indeed feeds the profit margins of large pharmaceutical companies but may not be very helpful to your pocket book. ADHD natural remedies may be very useful without causing you to skimp on other areas of your budget as much as you might on prescription meds.

5. Another potential long-term side effect of prescription ADHD treatment is a vulnerability to depression and other psychological issues when children become adults. A more natural ADHD remedy is not very likely to have this effect on a person. We all want the best for our children. Therefore, caution, when it comes to the use of prescription medication to treat ADHD is warranted. Depression is not something that children should have to grow up to experience.

Next: Consider doing a little ADHD research of your own. In that investigation include more natural treatments so that you can see the pros and cons for yourself. If you can find your way to using a more natural approach, you may be able to avoid the far reaching side effects that many children have endured and continue to suffer with as adults. It is more humane and natural to use a natural approach to reduce symptoms such as hyper activity, strange behavior and concentration deficits because they are much less likely to put your child’s long term health in jeopardy.

Author: Scott Starsky writes about layman adhd research and how adhd natural remedies could be a better option for you and your child.

ADHD Information…

*this article is for information purposes only and does not intend to offer advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have or think you might have a health issue or problem of any kind, visit your doctor for advice, diagnosis and treatment. The USFDA has not evaluated statements about products in this article or on this website.