A question about adhd and medication...?

Question

when people have adha they are prescribed adderall or ritalin. these medications will act as a speed for those who do not suffer from adhd but they seem to balance a person who has attention deficit hyper active disorder. my question then is what happens to a person with ahdh when they take something like xanax or ativan?? what about ssri's such as zoloft or lexapro? just curious.....

Answer 1

Actually, the benefit that people with adhd experience from Ritalin or Adderall comes from the ability of those medicines to help increase concentration and focus.  People who don't have those conditions (esp. college students) often take them for the very same reason (i.e. to help them study).  Whether or not that's a good idea, well, that's up to them and their doctor, I suppose (though I don't agree).

The reaction of a person with ADHD to say a Xanax or an Ativan would probably be just the same as any other person (sedation).  As far as Zoloft or Lexapro, well, unless their ADHD was causing them depression they probably wouldn't need these meds.  I would have to look at the literature to see if any studies have been done.  My guess (and this is just a guess) is that it probably wouldn't be very beneficial for them, but I'm not 100% sure.

Answer 2

When an individual diagnosed with ADHD is given a benzodiazepine medication (Valium, Xanax, etc), they will still have the same effect (downer) of someone who does not have ADHD. If they take an SSRI (anti-depressant) they will also have the same effects of someone without ADHD, but it also depends upon which SSRI is prescribed, because the medication works on different chemicals in the brain. One person given- say Effexor (with ADHD), may have a different effect from another person with ADHD-- therefore the physician may need to do a little play work and see what works best for that individual.

Answer 3

I'm sorry, Could you repeat the question.  I have adhd, and wasn't listening.