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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Blog

Related terms: ADHD, Attention Deficit Disorder, Childhood hyperkinesis, ADD

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Clues to 'Slacker' Behavior Found in Brain, Study Says

Posted 2 May 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, May 2 – Chemistry in three areas of the brain may influence your motivation levels, a new, small study says. Along with providing new information about how the brain works, this study could prove important in finding ways to treat depression, schizophrenia, attention-deficit disorder and other types of mental illness linked with decreased motivation, Vanderbilt University researchers said. The researchers monitored brain activity in 25 volunteers, aged 18 to 29, as they performed a task designed to assess their willingness to work for a cash reward. The results showed that "go-getters" who were willing to work hard for a reward had higher release of the neurotransmitter dopamine in areas of the brain known to play an important role in reward and motivation – the striatum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. But "slackers" – those who were less willing to work hard for a ... Read more

Teen Impulsiveness Has Different Sources in ADHD, Substance Use

Posted 29 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

SUNDAY, April 29 – Teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and teens who start using cigarettes, drugs or alcohol tend to share at least one personality trait: impulsiveness, experts say. But a new brain-imaging study of nearly 1,900 14-year-olds finds that the brain networks associated with impulsivity in teens with ADHD are different compared to those who use drugs or alcohol. What that finding suggests is that multiple underlying mechanisms drive impulsivity – in other words, the impulsivity that leads kids to blow off their homework and the impulsiveness that drives kids to take a drag off a joint aren't the same, neurologically speaking. "The behavior of the two groups might look the same, but it's driven by different brain networks," said lead study author Robert Whelan, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Vermont. Moreover, the findings, ... Read more

ADHD Diagnosis Rates Rose Sharply in Past Decade

Posted 23 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, March 23 – In the past decade, the number of children receiving a diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has risen by 66 percent, new research indicates. In 2000, just 6.2 million physician office visits resulted in a diagnosis of ADHD. By 2010, that number had jumped to 10.4 million office visits. "This study is really like a 10,000 foot aerial view of this issue," said study author Dr. Craig Garfield, an assistant professor of pediatrics and medical social sciences at Northwestern University in Chicago. "We looked at the trends in visits to doctors for ADHD over the last decade, and we were interested in overlaying some of the FDA's public health advisories and the introduction of new medications to see the effect on those trends." The findings are published in the March/April issue of Academic Pediatrics. ADHD is now a common condition in children and ... Read more

Kids of Meth-Using Moms at Risk of Behavioral Woes

Posted 19 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, March 19 – Children exposed to methamphetamine while in the womb face a higher risk of developing behavior problems, a new study suggests. These problems can include depression, anxiousness and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the researchers report. "This is the only study on methamphetamine that looked at children at birth and followed them into childhood," said study author Linda LaGasse, a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at Brown University School of Medicine. Mothers' prenatal use of methamphetamine, "over and above other bad things that cause trouble with children, has an effect on behavior," LaGasse said. The stimulant drug is thought to be even more potent than cocaine because it lasts longer in the body, she explained. "Methamphetamine goes right into the placenta and affects the brain," she said. The report appears online March 19 and in the ... Read more

Youngest Kids in Class More Apt to Get ADHD Diagnosis: Study

Posted 5 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, March 5 – A new Canadian study provides more evidence that too many young kids may be diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, simply because they're younger than their peers in the same classrooms. Researchers found that nearly 7 percent of boys aged 6 to 12 were diagnosed with ADHD overall, but the percentage ranged from 5.7 percent for those who were the oldest in their grade levels to 7.4 percent for the youngest. There was a similar gap for girls, although they're much less likely to be diagnosed. The findings, which are similar to those from U.S. studies, don't prove definitively that any kids are being wrongly diagnosed with ADHD or being diagnosed purely because they're younger than their peers. Still, "it's good for parents to know about this," said study author Richard Morrow, a health research analyst at the University of British Columbia. ... Read more

Related support groups: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Meds for Autism Not Well Understood: Study

Posted 23 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Feb. 23 – Children with autism may benefit from medications to treat children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other related disorders, but clearer guidelines are needed, a new study shows. Researchers analyzed data from more than 1,000 U.S. teens enrolled in special education programs, to assess the use of psychiatric medications in those with autism, ADHD and both conditions. Patients with both autism and ADHD had the highest rates of medicine use (about 58 percent), followed by those with ADHD only (around 49 percent) and those with autism only (about 34 percent), according to study author Paul Shattuck, an assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis, and colleagues. Black teenagers with autism only or with autism and ADHD were less likely to receive medications than whites. "Observations from the present study reinforce the complexity ... Read more

Related support groups: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism

Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) Capsules, (CII) Now Approved in the US for Maintenance Treatment in Adults with ADHD

Posted 8 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com

PHILADELPHIA, February 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate), an approved treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in patients ages 6 and above, is the first medication both proven to work and approved for maintenance treatment in adults with ADHD. Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the prescription medication Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) Capsules, (CII) as a maintenance treatment for adults with ADHD. The approval is based on results from a randomized withdrawal study designed to evaluate the efficacy of Vyvanse in adults (aged 18 to 55 years) who were receiving treatment with Vyvanse for a minimum of 6 months prior to enrolling in the study. Significantly more patients treated with Vyvanse maintained ADHD symptom control compared with ... Read more

Anesthesia in Early Childhood May Be Linked to ADHD

Posted 2 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Feb. 2 – Children who have more than one surgery with general anesthesia by their second birthday might be at higher risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new study suggests. Mayo Clinic researchers looked through medical records of 341 children diagnosed with ADHD before age 19, to find who had undergone a surgical procedure with anesthesia before they were 2. Nearly 18 percent of children exposed twice or more eventually developed ADHD. Children with only one exposure had an ADHD rate of nearly 11 percent, while never-exposed children had a rate of slightly more than 7 percent. The researchers also looked at anesthesia given to mothers during childbirth. "With Cesarean section with a general anesthetic, only a single anesthetic, we didn't find any effect," said study author Dr. Juraj Sprung, a professor of anesthesiology at the Mayo Clinic. The study ... Read more

'Co-Occurring' Disorders May Explain Change in Autism Diagnosis

Posted 23 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Jan. 23 – Many children with autism also have other developmental or psychiatric conditions, including learning disabilities, speech delays, attention or seizure disorders and anxiety. According to new research, some of those co-occurring conditions may explain why autism diagnoses often change as children get older. In a survey by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, more than one-third of parents with children between 6 and 17 years old reported that their child's diagnosis of autism had changed over time. "We don't know what changed the diagnosis. However, we want to deliver the message that it's important to look at the other coexisting conditions, evaluate them before you make a diagnosis, and also recognize these conditions vary by development age," said study author Li-Ching Lee, an associate scientist in the epidemiology and ... Read more

Pediatricians Split on Heart Tests Before Kids' ADHD Meds

Posted 16 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Jan. 16 – Some pediatricians continue to do electrocardiograms (EKGs) on children before starting them on medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, new research suggests, even though many experts say the latest evidence shows it isn't really necessary. Several years ago, reports of sudden death, heart attack and stroke among children and adults taking stimulants to treat ADHD caused alarm among parents and health care providers about the safety of the medications. The reports prompted Canadian health authorities to briefly pull Adderall from the market in 2005, while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration now requires that ADHD drugs carry a "black box" label warning about potential heart risks. Further research suggested that the risk may only be to children who had underlying heart defects, such as some congenital abnormalities and arrhythmias. On Adderall, for ... Read more

Diet Might Have Some Effect on ADHD

Posted 9 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Jan. 9 – There's limited evidence that any particular diet or supplement helps kids with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but at least some research suggests that omega-3 fatty acids may help while fatty "Western-style" diets do these children no favors. Researchers from Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago reviewed previous studies on diets and supplements that have been tried in children with ADHD. Among the diets tested: restricting sugar, which some parents believe worsens hyperactivity; avoiding food containing additives and preservatives, known as the "Feingold diet"; an "elimination diet" that avoids foods most often implicated in food allergies; and supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish oil capsules. Little research supports the idea that sugar or artificial sweeteners affect children's behavior, according to the review. Nor is there ... Read more

ADHD Drug Shortage Pushes Parents to Seek Substitutes

Posted 6 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Jan. 6 – If the current shortage of some drugs used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has left you searching for something else for your child to take, experts suggest you choose a substitute carefully because the effects of these medications can vary widely. For example, "generics can sometimes be less bioavailable [how much of the drug is absorbed into the bloodstream], and that can make it harder to get an exact dose match between medications," explained Dr. Eric Hollander, director of the Autism and Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Program at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. "If the dose is too high, sometimes kids can get more withdrawn or weepy. If it's too low, they can't get adequate control of their symptoms during the day, and they can get a rebound later in the day. The new medicine may wear off faster. It's also not easy to switch from ... Read more

Mom's Poverty, Diabetes Might Raise ADHD Risk in Kids

Posted 2 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Jan. 2 – New research suggests that the combination of poverty and having diabetes during pregnancy significantly raises the risk of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in a woman's offspring. Children born to such moms are as much as 14 times more likely to have ADHD by the age of 6, the study found. ADHD is a behavioral disorder characterized by difficulty focusing, impulsive behaviors and hyperactivity. A report on the finding appears in the January issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. The new study included 212 children. Of these, 115 had "low socioeconomic status" (lower-income) moms, moms with gestational diabetes (arising in pregnancy), or both. Ninety-seven children had neither. Researchers evaluated these children for the signs and symptoms of ADHD when they were aged 3 or 4, and again at age 6. Moms who had either gestational ... Read more

ADHD Drugs Don't Raise Risk of Heart Problems: Study

Posted 12 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Dec. 12 – Young and middle-aged adults taking drugs for attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) do not seem to face an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, a new study finds. There have been fears that these drugs can cause increases in heart rate and blood pressure, but this large, observational study found no evidence that these effects posed a risk, the researchers said. "The results of our study do not support an increased risk of myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death or stroke associated with use of ADHD medications in young and middle-aged adults," said lead researcher Laurel Habel, from the division of research at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, in Oakland. "However, as with any study such as ours, there are limitations to the data and we cannot completely rule out a modestly elevated risk." That's because the study relied on data gleaned from ... Read more

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