Which adhd medication is best for children

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I want to get healthier. Close Health Alerts from Harvard Medical School Get helpful tips and guidance for everything from fighting inflammation to finding the best diets for weight loss Close Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School. Antihypertensive medications are sometimes also used to manage ADHD.

These medications are usually prescribed to treat high blood pressure in adults but have been found, in some cases, to decrease ADHD symptoms, too — specifically hyperactivity.

All classes of ADHD medication have possible side effects. These are often temporary and can be helped by reducing the dose or changing the timing of the dose. Stimulants can cause loss of appetite, difficulty falling asleep, weight loss, and irritability or increased anxiety. Strattera can cause nausea, vomiting, and daytime sleepiness. Tenex, Intuniv, and Kapvay may cause sleepiness or dizziness.

For some kids, though, stimulants may cause a slight delay in the rate of growth. With all of these drugs, side effects tend to occur only when the medication is active in the body. Very rare or serious side effects of ADHD medications may include heart problems in children with pre-existing heart defects. The FDA recommends that parents work with doctors to ensure their child has a thorough medical exam and health history review before taking ADHD medications.

Most side effects of ADHD medications are not serious. You may also want to learn about the possibility of ADHD medication misuse, sharing, or abuse. Understanding the potential risks can help you keep your child safe. Experts usually recommend a combination of medication and behavior therapy. This form of therapy teaches parents and teachers strategies like using rewards and consequences to help kids learn to replace negative behaviors with positive ones.

If you decide to have your child take ADHD medication, be prepared for some trial and error. It can take time to find the right medication or the right dosage. Be sure to watch your child. Pay attention to what your child says about how he or she feels when taking the medication. Read about how to approach the question of whether or not ADHD medication is right for your child.

You can also connect with other parents in our online community to hear about their experience. Atomoxetine Strattera is in a class of drugs called norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors.

Norepinephrine is a natural substance in the brain that is needed to control behavior. We have over 60 guides and articles available to help you in Spanish too! Subscribe and get a curated selection weekly. Get this as a PDF.

Enter email to download and get news and resources in your inbox. Share this on social. Family Resource Center Guides. Guide Complete Guide to ADHD Medications Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD find it unusually difficult to concentrate on tasks, to pay attention, to sit still and to control impulsive behavior.

Stimulant medication has been shown to be the most effective treatment for reducing these symptoms. This guide explains how ADHD medications work, how different kinds of medication might affect your child and what side affects he might experience. What's In This Guide? These compounds include: Concerta is one of the longest-acting methylphenidate medications on the market, lasting 8 to 12 hours.

It has to be swallowed whole in order for it to work the way it was designed. This can be a problem for some kids. These medications are very similar in that they both last about hours. Aptensio XR and Focalin XR are also capsules filled with medication that can be opened and mixed with food. Daytrana is a methylphenidate patch.

However, the patch can often take hours to start working. These compounds include: Adderall XR is the longer-lasting form of Adderall and was designed to be effective for hours. Vyvanse is amphetamine plus an extra compound called lysine, which attaches itself to the amphetamine, creating an extra step that the body has to go through to make it active.

Vyvanse can last very long — up to 14 hours — but may take a little longer in the morning to start working. Dexedrine Spansule is the long-acting form of Dexedrine and typically lasts about hours.

Dynavel XR is a long-acting liquid form of amphetamine. It can have an effect that lasts as long as hours. It has a similar duration of response as Adderall XR.