Word: adhd
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Since then, the universe of medications to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has broadened significantly, ranging from vintage antidepressants known as tricyclics to various drugs for high blood pressure. Both groups seek to restore the balance of brain chemicals that appears to have gone awry in those with ADHD. Doctors generally start with stimulants like Ritalin; if these fail, as happens in about one-fifth of all patients, they move on to other drugs. Here's how each category works...
While it seems counterintuitive to give a stimulant to a hyperactive child, those with ADHD actually need to rev up activity in the part of their brain responsible for functions like organization and concentration. Methylphenidates (Ritalin, Concerta, Metadate) and amphetamines (Adderall) will do that by bathing the brain's nerve cells in certain chemicals--dopamine, norepinephrine or serotonin--that promote nerve activity...
...ADHD patients who don't respond to stimulants, doctors prescribe an older class of antidepressants known as tricyclic amines such as Wellbutrin...
These keep levels of serotonin and norepinephrine high but are only about 60% effective in reducing ADHD symptoms. Tricyclics have also been associated with more troubling side effects, including fatal heart attacks in those with a history of heart-rhythm disturbances...
Alpha-adrenergic agents, originally used to treat high blood pressure, have been effective in reducing ADHD symptoms in some children. They work primarily by keeping up levels of norepinephrine and are particularly effective in treating ADHD youngsters who also show signs of impulse or anxiety disorders...