ADHD 2.0 : New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction—From Childhood Through Adulthood

by Edward M. Hallowell

Originally released in 1966 as an antiviral agent, Amantadine is another stimulant-like medication worth mentioning. It was also originally used to help with Parkinson’s symptoms like tremors, stiffness, and attention difficulties. Amantadine has an effect on the dopamine system; it acts weakly like a dopamine surrogate. It also stimulates another neurotransmitter that assists in increasing the actual concentration of dopamine. It has recently been used to treat attention difficulties in Alzheimer’s, in head trauma, and in ADHD with some positive effect. While not yet FDA-approved for ADHD, it is being investigated with an eye toward full approval. The positives of Amantadine include a smooth effect that can last for up to twenty-four hours, with few side effects. It is not addictive and not a controlled substance, which means it can be prescribed with refills.

newly understood disorder called rejection-sensitive dysphoria, or RSD. This is extreme emotional pain triggered by the perception, real or imagined, that a person has been rejected, ridiculed, or criticized by important people in their life.

Often, a person with RSD and ADHD is hypervigilant, trying at all costs to diminish these feelings.

Taking a stimulant or stimulant-like drug early in life helps prevent, not promote, addiction later on. Since 80 percent of addictions get started between the ages of thirteen and twenty-three, and since people with ADHD are far more prone to develop an addiction than the general population, and since taking stimulant medication reduces the risk of addiction later on, it makes a lot of sense to start a child on stimulant medication before age thirteen.

teens who have ADHD and are not treated are five to ten times more likely to become addicted to substances.

when people do go off stimulant medication, they can experience slight symptoms of withdrawal. This happens every evening, and the symptoms can be so mild as to be missed, or can lead to increasing tiredness, anxiety, aggression, or a variety of other presentations.

Some of the most frequent side effects associated with ADHD medications are irritability, dry mouth, disruption of sleep, headaches, and a decrease in appetite.

there is a happy byproduct of treating ADHD with prescription medication: Proper diagnosis and treatment can not only help your ADHD but also be protective against secondary problems like anxiety and/or depression.

You, dear reader, should thank her for sparing you 70,000 unnecessary words.