Does ADHD have to be medicated?

Treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can help relieve the symptoms and make the condition much less of a problem in day-to-day life. ADHD can be treated using medicine or therapy, but a combination of both is often best.

Does everyone with ADHD need medication?

Why Do People Need ADHD Medicine? Not everyone with ADHD needs medicine. But medicine can help most people with ADHD stay focused longer, listen better, and fidget less. People also benefit from therapy to learn and practice skills like staying organized, managing schoolwork, or dealing with stress.

Why you shouldn’t take ADHD medication?

Despite the widespread belief that medications for ADHD are relatively safe, the research says otherwise. The research demonstrates that your child will likely have a side effect from the medication. Side effects range from reduced eating and growth, irritability, rage, and personality changes to psychotic behaviors.

Is medication always the best treatment option for ADHD?

But as the percentages reveal, medication is not the only effective nor, Jensen emphasized, always the best treatment option for every child. When his own child was diagnosed with ADHD, Jensen told the audience, he and his wife opted not to use medication.

Do ADHD medications have long term effects?

On the other hand, both Pelham and Diller noted the absence of data that demonstrates medication’s long term efficacy with ADHD children. “Their poor prognoses are not altered at all by medication” Pelham pointed out. “The effects are only there for as long as they take medication, and 90 percent of ADHD children stop taking it in adolescence.”

How many children with ADHD receive medication?

In her study, LeFever found that 84 percent of children with ADHD received medication at some point in time, and 70 percent were receiving it at the time of the survey–which spanned the summer months during which a medication hiatus is often recommended. The only children who had never received drug treatment were uninsured, she found.

What is the first line of treatment for ADHD in children?

For children with ADHD younger than 6 years of age, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends parent training in behavior management as the first line of treatment, before medication is tried.