http://www.netwellness.org/healthtopics/add/ Latest NetWellness content for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder en-us Copyright 2007 NetWellness.org Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:12:01 PST http://www.netwellness.org/images/logo/nwlogosmall.gif http://www.netwellness.org/healthtopics/add/ <b>Question</b>: If a women has ADD, what are the probabilities of her children having ADD if she becomes pregnant? <p><b>Answer</b>: ADD is a popular term for ADHD inattentive type. Girls and adults with ADHD are more likely than boys to have inattentive type (as compared to hyperactive-impulsive type or combined type). ADHD is highly but not completely heritable. First-degree relatives (sibs, parents, children) of people with AD . . .<p><b>Ask an Expert</b>: L. Arnold MD, MEd, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/75066.htm L. Arnold MD, MEd Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:09:00 EST http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/75066.htm <b>Question</b>: With the known differences between ADD and ADHD, why are they treated with the same medication. Some of the differences are extreme opposite. Not only in medical terms but also with day to day experiences. As a child I was diagnosed with ADD and my 2 brothers where ADHD. The differences in how we ac . . .<p><b>Answer</b>: You have highlighted a diagnostic problem that ADHD experts are struggling with, but you used obsolete terminology. ADD is not currently a separate diagnosis, but is now a subtype of ADHD. ADHD is diagnosed as predominantly inattentive (which you refer to as ADD), predominantly hyperactive-impulsive . . .<p><b>Ask an Expert</b>: L. Arnold MD, MEd, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/65166.htm L. Arnold MD, MEd Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:08:00 EST http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/65166.htm <b>Question</b>: My 6 year old&nbsp;urinates in his pants and blames other people. He also says his brother who is 3 is distracting him. He has been diagnosed with&nbsp;ADHD and is on medication. He was fine during school but now that school is out it is getting worse. What should&nbsp;I do next? <p><b>Answer</b>: If he has not had an evaluation by a child psychiatrist or behavioral pediatrician, he should. The ADHD diagnosis should be reviewed and physical causes of the pantswetting (such as urinary infection or diabetes) should be ruled out. Many disorders can mimic ADHD. The choice of ADHD medication shoul . . .<p><b>Ask an Expert</b>: L. Arnold MD, MEd, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/64027.htm L. Arnold MD, MEd Sun, 06 Jul 2008 21:07:00 EST http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/64027.htm <b>Question</b>: After a little online research, I have learned that the so-called paradoxical effect of stimulants does not exist. <p>What I don`t understand is why, if this effect does not exist, my child`s anxiety is relieved by the use of Adderall. He tells he feels calmer and less irritable when using this me . . .<p><b>Answer</b>: Many things can relieve anxiety, including reassurance, being taken care of, and placebo effect. The multimodal treatment study of children with ADHD (the MTA) found a significant benefit on anxiety as rated by parents but not as rated by the child. It may be that what parents perceive as child anxi . . .<p><b>Ask an Expert</b>: L. Arnold MD, MEd, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/63684.htm L. Arnold MD, MEd Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:06:00 EST http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/63684.htm <b>Question</b>: I am a 22 yr. old male, approx. 5` 11&quot;, and 155 lb. In the past I never had blood pressure problems and usually the readings were around 118/72 or so. I recently got prescribed Adderall to help with my concentration. I believe it is 30mg three times a day. I like the medication since it gives m . . .<p><b>Answer</b>: Blood pressure is affected by many things. Adderall on average increases BP by 2 to 5 mm of mercury, which is of only minimal importance in most people, but could be more in some susceptible individuals. If one had borderline BP to begin with, 2-5 mm might push it into the abnormal range. Or if you . . .<p><b>Ask an Expert</b>: L. Arnold MD, MEd, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/63583.htm L. Arnold MD, MEd Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:06:00 EST http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/63583.htm <b>Question</b>: I would like to be able to take a online test/questionaire that would allow me to guage whether or not I might have one of these. Do you have one or know of one that I could take? <p><b>Answer</b>: ADHD, including the inattentive type, which is sometimes called ADD, is diagnosed by history, not by a test or questionnaire. It requires a trained clinician because one of the criteria is that the symptoms can't be better explained by a different disorder. <p><b>Ask an Expert</b>: L. Arnold MD, MEd, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/61122.htm L. Arnold MD, MEd Sun, 13 Apr 2008 04:04:00 EST http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/61122.htm <b>Question</b>: I write about a 29 year old male who has demonstrates all of the characteritics of ADHD. When he was young (high school age) he was tested and the results said that he had mild AD but that his testing indicated that with minimal effort he could pass in school. Therefore, there was no recommendation . . .<p><b>Answer</b>: The information provided raises more questions than it answers. Why would ADHD symptoms be more troublesome with age? <p>It sounds as if this patient did not have enough trouble early on to get an evaluation until high school, at which time it was considered not impairing enough to need treatment. . . .<p><b>Ask an Expert</b>: L. Arnold MD, MEd, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/61044.htm L. Arnold MD, MEd Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:04:00 EST http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/61044.htm <b>Question</b>: As prescribed I took Adderall (IR) 20 mg 2x a day and the first 2 days were incredible as far as feeling connected, focused, and able to stay on task. My appetite was surpressed and my mouth got dry so I drank lots of water. The last 5 days I have felt nothing when taking the medicine. I am sleepy, . . .<p><b>Answer</b>: <p>There are several things that could be happening here. First, there could actually be something wrong with the capsules, and I might suspect that to be likely if the loss of effect occurred at a prescription refill. However, I assume what you are taking was all dispensed at the same time in the s . . .<p><b>Ask an Expert</b>: L. Arnold MD, MEd, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/60787.htm L. Arnold MD, MEd Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:04:00 EST http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/60787.htm <b>Question</b>: Please could you help me, my daughter has recently been diagnoised with ADHD and medication of ritalin has been mentioned. Could you tell me if ritalin is safe as I have read so many things to suggest that is can kill you if you have been on it a few years and do you become addicted as I do not want . . .<p><b>Answer</b>: To answer your last question first, there are many alternatives, but none as well proven as stimulant medicines like Ritalin. Stimulants are well enough proven that they have FDA approval for treating ADHD. (So does atomoxetine, Strattera, which is not a stimulant but is similar.) <p></p>Any medic . . .<p><b>Ask an Expert</b>: L. Arnold MD, MEd, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/60743.htm L. Arnold MD, MEd Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:03:00 EST http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/60743.htm <b>Question</b>: Is there a medication that can be used for ADD if a person has stereotypical behaviors or tics? A trial of Strattera was already done and it did not help. <p><b>Answer</b>: Evidence has been published that, compared to stimulants, which can cause or worsen tics in some cases, atomoxetine (Strattera) can actually help tics in some cases and seems not to worsen them, but there are individual cases where atomoxetine does not help. <p>A much better established treatment . . .<p><b>Ask an Expert</b>: L. Arnold MD, MEd, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/60182.htm L. Arnold MD, MEd Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:03:00 EST http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/60182.htm