Why Use Medications to Manage ADHD?

Thank you for addressing the matter of psychotherapy interventions and side effects. As you note, anything that alters brain functioning can have upsides and downsides, and this includes coping strategies that individuals implement subconsciously and on their own. I eventually realized that I have long leveraged my anxiety to moderate my inattention. It has worked, but at a cost. Being terrified that I will lock my keys in my car keeps it from happening, but at the cost of further strengthening my overactive fear response. The thing that people often miss regarding psychological modification is that neuroplasticity via behavioral retraining likely works best if problematic neural patterns are a result of learned behaviors in the first place. If an individual has weak executive functioning by design, cognitive interventions are presumably less effective. The “old fart” analogy I sometimes use is trying to get an older auto to start by correct use of the gas pedal. Technique mattered back then, but even so, if there was water in the tank you were unlikely to get the engine to catch, even with impeccable skill. What was needed was to add dry gas to the tank. So I cannot emphasize this enough: it can be deeply frustrating for those of us with executive dysfunction to try and modify our behavior through cognitive adjustments alone. Sometimes, implementing good technique is difficult or impossible without the ADHD equivalent of dry gas. And the worst thing another person can do when we are struggling is to imply that our difficulties are no different than anyone else’s, and that our problems therefore constitute moral failure. THAT is a cognitive and behavioral modification of the very worst kind.

I've been on Elvanse for about a year now, and I've found it incredibly helpful - basically I always wake up with a brain fog and within an hour of taking it my head clears like the fog has lifted. My attention is better, my memory had improved, and I am much more motivated to do things. The main problems I have had are supply, as if I run out, I have now lost my ability to compensate for not having it. So where I used to manage to think fairly well because of extreme anxiety helping me to remember things or motivate me to do things, I now have a complete brain fog and lack of motivation all day if I don't have it. I have also had some side effects when taking it - insomnia improved after a few weeks, dry mouth improved by taking electrolytes, but I've had awful constipation which I can't seem to fix despite several lifestyle and diet changes. I really don't want to have to reduce my dosage as it works so well for me, but I might have to if I don't want to spend the rest of my life taking laxatives!

7 years taking medication for my 11 yo boy, its really help him to progress as fast as his pace. In this year, he show incredible functional in cognitive, behaviour, communication and social skill 🥰. The key is take the medication as prescribed, discipline behaviour, and family affection. ❤❤ And what dr russell says in this video is totally informative. Can't wait for next video 😍

Thanks for so much doc ❤ After years of studying and talking to different professonals, you were the only one with the detailed information that o need

Thank you for your video! Speaking from my own lived experience having tried these stimulant medications recently to treat ADHD symptoms! I experienced alot more focus and presence due to the calming effect on my nervous system & brain and the quietning of the non stop thinking and suppression of exterior and interior distractions,so yes I became more FOCUSED. But it came at a huge cost/ side effects. The side effects were horrible feeling of anxiety and panic attacks when drug was wearing off after 10hrs. Why would we give children these drugs to help them "FOCUS" and be more productive so we as adults and education systems can CONTROL them.!!! I'm a 53 Yr old woman that has practiced mindfulness for the last 10 years and luckily I was able to come back to my breath and calm down my nervous system ! How can a child know how to do this?? I believe that my ADHD is a trauma responce and my brain has adapted this way for survival during childhood! When I took this medication it worked to helped me feel more focused and present but it does nothing for repressed and unprocessed childhood trauma and actually makes it worse because your brain has adapted this way to keep you safe for survival! ADHD cannot be treated separately from unprocessed childhood toxic stress & trauma! The medical model just deals with the symptoms and does not look at the root cause! Suppressing children's emotions and trying to control them with medication is unethical and setting them up for a life of suffering! Yes ADHD symptoms do exist and cause suffering but medication is only going to make things worse in the long term! Parenting is about being an unconditional loving presence for children so they can accept and love themselves as they are! Parenting is not about controlling children's behaviour and drugging them to suppress their emotions! Behaviouralism is the main reason why most adults walking around today have lost connection with their emotions and why we live in such an angry and violent world today! Giving children or adults medication is giving the message that their is something WRONG with you and you need to take this medication so you can fit in to NORMAL suppressed society!!

I've done CBT, DBT, talk therapy, organization planning, stimulant medication, etc etc etc And nothing NOTHING Has worked anywhere near as effectively as the Strattera I started just over a month ago

Thank you very much for your videos, Dr Barkley (and, of course, all of your many years of research conducted since way before I was born!). You feel like my mentor and guide in helping me understand my new identity of having ADHD (and accepting the death of my old identity as neurotypical). It's also reassuring and relieving to watch online content about ADHD that is factual and based on science, rather than misinformation.

I feel very lucky that of all the things I was diagnosed with it's ADHD that stuck/caused them. As u say it's very treatable and medication makes a day and night difference in ways I cannot yet put into words and doesn't compare to treatments for other conditions I had/was told I had.

Tried a bunch of medication. Low dose, higher dose, short acting, long acting. Did it "work"? Sure. While the effects lasted. Everything wears off eventually, and then brings your neurochemistry lower than befofe. Just living life like a zombie, one dose to another. Hated it. Most effective treatments for myself? Eating right, SLEEP (huge), working out consistently. More impactful regime than anything.

I wish I could take medication fpr my ADHD. I had to stop because a medical illness got way worse and left me with horrible side effects. I feel robbed of a real chance to manage my life better, especially because my neurologists told me, therapy (pscychotherapy) would be pointless without medication. I don't know if it is true but I guess I can see his point. Changing ADHD caused behaviour without medication is incredibly hard, if not impossible.

I’ve been on European Ritalin since January. I was diagnosed at 44, and had no idea that I had ADHD or even what ADHD really was for most of my life. It’s working great, but it dries out my mouth so I take a week off, here and there, when I get tired of dealing with that. I’m noticing that me au natural isn’t as bad as it was before medication. I can still get things done. It does require extra mental effort, so I do start to feel much more tired after a while. Then I know that my medication break is over 😊

Thanks for great video. Also thanks for the transparency!

Incredibly informative as always, thank you

Actually, my psychiatrist has said the very same thing about brain connection repair after several years of stimulant use! Cool.

My takeaways: "Behavioral therapies don't generalize across environments, medications do" "Behavioral therapy depends on when, where, and by whom they're implemented (e.g. a teacher implementing, caregiver, ...)" "Medications work when caregivers aren't present" "Stimulants in some cases may improve brain growth in areas affected by ADHD" "It's cheaper across the same span of time [caveit being that medication may be used for years and therapy may be used for only weeks or months]" (sorry if I misparaphrased anything)

As always, very informative, useful, and interesting...thank you!

So far Adderall and Wellbutrin combo has helped so much

Psychedelics definitely have potential to deal with mental health symptoms like anxiety and depression, I would like to try them again but it's just so hard to source out here

I got prescribed adderal and it took a year from my life to being a zombie in high school. Ruined relationships ect. Scared to try another.

I'm dying to try a stimulant medication but I don't feel like risking a stroke or heart attack. That's...kind of a big deal.