Day 21: 31 Ways to Make ADHD Medication Less Scary Before Halloween

I’m scared that we’ll never find the right ADHD medication

Hi. I’m Dr. James Wiley with Focus MD. It’s easy to get discouraged, frustrated and even fearful that medicine trials are not leading in the right direction. We’re not seeing the positive effects that we’ve seen in other children that have tried the medications. This is the time when parents become fearful that the ADHD is going to win the battle and that no medicine is going to be able to help.

The truth is that medication almost always helps true ADHD and if medication is not helping we’re probably barking up the wrong tree and may even have the wrong diagnosis. When I hear parents say, “Dr. Wiley, we’ve tried everything,” I always take a closer look. Very often what’s happened is that they’ve tried a dose or two of one or two medicines in the same class, or they’ve tried almost every class and multiple medications, but only at low and medium dose with no titration upward.

These are frequent patterns and it’s a shame because going through a real medication titration that’s based on science and not just closing our eyes and dropping medicine over the wall haphazardly really does have the chance of coming very close to ideal medication from almost all children. Find someone who understands medication titration and the need for finding the precise right medicine. That’s the right drug, the right dose, and then the right delivery system so that the symptoms are controlled for the right duration for your child.

This information should not be relied upon as a substitute for personal medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Use the information provided on this site solely at your own risk. If you have any concerns about your health, please consult with a physician.

James Wiley is the founder of Focus-MD. Focus-MD is devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD and related problem patients. They provide objective testing, medical treatment as well as behavior modification strategies to help or patients transform from frustration to focus. To find a Focus-MD clinic, click here. 

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