Get Informed: Attention Deficit Disorder
Attention Deficit Disorder: Overview
Attention deficit disorder (ADD), also known as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is a condition characterized by persistent difficulty maintaining attention, impulsive behaviors and/or hyperactivity. ADD is commonly diagnosed in younger children, and can continue throughout adulthood.
- Last Text Update:
- 2009-Nov-05 4:39 PM
- Last Data Update:
- 2009-Oct-02 9:51 PM
1 in 43 Americans have Attention Deficit Disorder
iGuard is currently monitoring more than 40,049 patients with Attention Deficit Disorder from around the United States as shown on the heat map below. These figures suggest that roughly 6.93 million Americans have Attention Deficit Disorder with men and women both being affected in similar numbers.
< 21
21-39
40-59
60+
Age (Years)
Medications used for Attention Deficit Disorder
Drugs commonly taken by iGuard.org users for Attention Deficit Disorder are listed below, together with the percentage of patients that take each drug.
|
Commonly Used Medication Name* (Hover mouse over name to see medication class) |
% of Patients | Average Risk Rating | Has Generic Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ambien | 17% |
|
Yes |
| Cymbalta | 13% |
|
No |
| Omega 3 | 13% |
|
Yes |
| Effexor | 11% |
|
Yes |
| Prozac | 11% |
|
Yes |
| Wellbutrin | 10% |
|
Yes |
| Adderall | 9% |
|
Yes |
| Ritalin | 8% |
|
Yes |
Less than 5%: Catapres, Lamictal XR, Risperdal
*This list is NOT EXHAUSTIVE - Only drugs used by a sufficiently large number of iGuard.org users are listed.
**Medications are sometimes known by different brand/generic names, depending upon how they are packaged or used.
Global Patient Feedback for Attention Deficit Disorder ( Post a comment )
Question/Comment:
My son is 14 year old. He has had problems focusing and getting low grades since elementary school. I did not think anything of it. But since he was in middle school, the teacher and school pysch. set up a child study to see if that could help. They put him in the front near the teacher so they can keep an eye out on him. They tested him differently and in different rooms so he can stay focused. Nothing has changed. He is not a bad kid. He just doesn't focus on what is important like school. He finishes test last because he say he did not have enough time. You can't give him a laundry list of things to do without him forgetting something. He does not have high self esteem about himself. But give him a video game. He can focus on that all day. He literally can play game all day with no problem. He is in high school now and I have a therapy appt. next week. I hope it works out. He was having some chest pains over the summer from anxiety because he did not want to play football. From that we were directed to therapy. I just want his grades to go from c's, d's and f's, to a's. The only a he gets is in shop class.
42 year old Male
Posted: 2009-09-15 09:54:47
Question/Comment:
My 10 year old just started Vyvanse. He was on Adderall XR 20 mg. After 2 years of the Adderall, he started acting like he did before any meds. He has been on Vyvanse almost a month with no know side effects. The only trouble I had with Adderall (beside it seemed to stop working) was the LOSS OF APPETITE and WEIGHT LOSS. My 10 year old is only 62 pounds and is just about 5 feet tall. And in the last 6 months of taking Adderall, he loss 3 pounds. He is also,seeing a counselor now. Which seems to be helping. One thing that he does and the doctor don't think it is sufficient to AD/hD is, he bites his finger nails and fingers. They are now to the point they bleed. We had tryed the stuff you buy to stop thumb sucking, and nail stuff to help harden nails, and healing lotions. Nothing has worked. Is there anything that works? and is this a sufficient problem?
29 year old Female
Posted: 2009-04-01 12:29:30
Answer/Reply:
Have you had any luck with the Vyvanse? Have you had any other responses to your initial question regarding the nail biting? Let me know - I don't want to repeat what others have already said. On an unrelated note, however, don't be afraid to seek out a new Psych doctor...as your Dr. should have NEVER have continued your child on adderall due to the weight loss. That is severe! And that sort of weight loss can have very significant health effects for years and years. Please don't doubt your own parenting skills about this...it is OK to shop around for another Dr. Trust me - I've been through my own fair share of Psych Dr's until I found the one who knew more than I did! :-) By the way...my son did wonderfully on Strattera, a non-stimulant medication for ADHD...went from D's and F's to A's and B's in one year. This year, as a Senior in HS, he is taking Advanced, college level classes!!! The right medication and Doctor can make all the difference in the world. Don't give up, and don't despair!
38 year old Female
Posted: 2009-08-24 19:01:26
Question/Comment:
I do believe that meds are very important if you truely need them.But i think that you need to ask alot of questions and demand answers.I am the grandmother of a 3 year old boy who is on meds from a dr. that spent maybe 10 mins. with him and thought that was enough time to understand what was wrong with him.he has been in first step and worked with bridgepoint for over a year and they didnot see a reason to medicate.it seems like every dr. that sees him says something different. the only thing that has been the same is that he has pddand two drs say adhd but but want to wait until he is school age to give testing but they didnot wait to give him lamotrigine and risperidone.everything i find on these meds are for bipolar and sevre adhd.i fill that some times it is easier to write a prescription than really spend the time to make sure what is wrong to get the right meds
49 year old Female
Posted: 2008-11-23 13:59:39
Answer/Reply:
my daughter is 3 years old and it took the dr maybe 15 mins to say my child may have adhd. They did the tests and all because it was, in their opinion serve. I know my child and I know she had a problem. I went to many drs trying to get them to help me or at least see that there was a problem. I was told it is just the terrible twos and she will out grow it, that i need to be a strong parent, that i need parenting classes, that i am a failure as a mother. Well, i took the parenting classes, and the teacher was shocked when she meet my kid. My child was a handful for even her. When I finally said i give up, a nurse at the drs office came up to me and suggested that i take my daughter to a phychologist. I did and they were surprised that i hadn't come sooner. At the time my child was still 2 and was not going to be medicated at all because of her age but they worked on behavior modification and other issues like that with me and her. After she turned 3 and the preschool was getting ready to kick her out we tested her. She did have issues and the meds worked for her. SHe is a completely different child. I am sorry that your grandchild is having issues getting the right diagnose. If you don't think he is taking the right meds you could talk to the parents and see. Maybe they are working and you only see him after they wear off.
29 year old Female
Posted: 2009-02-10 16:46:02
Question/Comment:
can a ii year old take fsh oil.my grand son has trouble focusing in school. the doctor put him back on concerta,but when he's on it he has bad stomach pains,will not eat and it makes him so tired he just sits and has no energy. he's taking 27 mg.
56 year old Male
Posted: 2008-09-04 08:50:55
iGuard.org Answer/Reply:
Have they tried lowering his dosage of concerta? My son is 10 and he is on 36 mg. I do remember them telling me to very close observe his eating habits and weight. He never gained ANY weight, but yet he never lost any either. Its hard to find the proper dosage/medication to fit each child.
Posted: 2008-12-02 15:07:07
Answer/Reply:
I am not sure if he can take fish old at 2 years old but I do not that Concerta 27 mg is way to high for him to be on. My son has ADHD and the doctor started him on concerta and he did the same thing your grandson is doing. If your grandson has been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD ask his doctor to put him on Vyvance the lowest dosage they have. Concerta is not for a 2 year old because It can have adversly affect his immune system.
29 year old Female
Posted: 2009-03-17 13:19:07
Question/Comment:
I am 28 years old and have just been diagnosed with ADHD. I was diagnosed with a moderate case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in 2000. They could not get any medication right to have my days "normal". This year I was sent to a state doctor and notified that the reason why was because I also suffered from a severe case of ADHD as well. Please remember that if something doesn't feel right you can always get a second opinion. My (actual) 5 opinion finally put me with a doctor that did not just prescribe, but also listen to me. Now for 6 months I am learning to enjoy life and use my conditions as a part of life not a crutch. That saved my life!
29 year old Female
Posted: 2008-08-17 18:48:34
iGuard.org Answer/Reply:
I am a mother of a 22yrs daughter who was diagnosed in 1995. She is struggling to learn how to live with this disorder. I have tried to find a support group for her but have no luck.
Posted: 2008-10-02 00:20:54
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Patient Comments about
Attention Deficit Disorder