ADHD medicine & its effect on the Brain

All medicines are considered drugs. And they often have side effects, some more serious than others, some long term, some short term and transient, some permanent. The point of all the pharmasueticals (sp?) used to treat ADHD is to change the brain chemistry. So the short answer is yes.

I imagine you were looking for something more specific than that answer though. It would probably help you to get a better idea of what specific drugs do and what their side effects are. A good site that I have used (and there are undoubtably more) is mentalhealth.com.

ADHD medicines are considered as drugs, however children taking this medicine for a long period of time will be affected by this drug. This medicine causes the child to be in an “zombie” state and suppress the child’s appetite.
I feel like a child taking this medicine for an extended period of time will automatically respond to the “zombie” state and have their appetite suppressed because this medicine will linger in their system for an extended period of time.
Being a regular education teacher I have experienced the above mentioned effects on students taking ADHD medicine. The longer that a child is off this medicine, the less affect it will have on their brain.

Don’t know about all the kids you have seen but my two kids are anything but “zombies” !!!! As well as my oldest eats less when he is off his meds, eats like a horse when on them. I haven’t researched the long term effects, my oldest has been on Ritalin for 5yrs, just finished 6th grade with a 3.0 gpa and this from a child who couldn’t read in the 2nd grade. I would be happy if he didn’t have to take meds however until that time comes(if it does) he will continue to take them. Just my experience.

I agree. My child was more of a zombie before he was diagnosied ADHD-Inattentive. Now with medication, he actively partipates in class and doesn’t “zone” out as much. Maybe some kids becomes “zombies” but that is really a far-reaching generalization for a condition that is unique to each child and must be managed on a case-by-case basis.

Ditto for us! If a kid seems like a zombie on meds, chances are it is because the dose is too high. When we were working to find the right dosage for my child, we observed that he seemed a little “flat” at the higher dose and became very quiet. When we reduced the dose, he returned to his normal, sunny self, with one important change: he was now able to pay attention in class and to stick with hard tasks. The difference on and off medication is quite amazing. He went from a kid who couldn’t care less about school and was oblivious to report cards to a child who said to me the other day “Mom, I think I’m going to get straight As. (A progress report had showed 5 As and 1 B+.) I worked to bring my social studies grade up so that should mean I get all As.” He was so proud of himself. My son is exceptionally gifted and he has serious LDs that go along with his inattentive ADHD. There is no question that he will always have to work harder than other people to show what he can do, but before taking medication, he could never muster up the self-control or whatever it is that allows us to persevere on things that are hard or boring but necessary. It has made a real difference for him. It is important to emphasize, however, that our good experience doesn’t say a whole lot about how another child might respond to medication or whether medication is even needed by that child. Like “me too” says, ADHD is a condition that has to be managed on a child-by-child basis. Not everyone needs (or can safely take) medication. Different medications work in different ways on different people. Don’t be misled by media hype or horror stories. Instead, consult with a medical professional you trust, educate yourself (being sure to understand the difference between outcome-blind research vs. opinion), consider your child’s particular needs and profile in the light of reliable research and trustworthy medical advice and come to your own conclusions. Certainly, don’t blindly accept the proposition that all children will eventually act like zombies if they take medication.

Andrea

Dittos to Andrea

There isn’t any evidence that taking ADHD medication (ritalin, adderall, etc.) over an extended time causes permenant changes in brain chemistry or structure. Dopamine levels increase while taking the medication, but quickly return to pre-medication levels after the medication wears off— in other words, even after taking the medication for years, the individual will become ADHD again as soon as the medication is discontinued.

there have not been any studies done on the long term effects of Ritalin or other stimulant drugs on the brain.
Ritalin has been compared to Cocaine in the way it affects brain chemistry.