Late Onset ADHD? Usually Not

Primary care clinicians who work with adolescents and adults are seeing increasing numbers of patients presenting for an ADHD evaluation in which the symptoms didn’t develop until later in childhood or even in adulthood.  These “late onset” cases have traditionally been viewed as being atypical, although there has not been a great deal of systematic […]

Tags: , , ,

Your ADHD Treatment Plan

When someone presents for evaluation and treatment of ADHD, what does your treatment plan look like?  Sure medications are often considered, and hopefully also some parent behavioral coaching too.  Anything else?   A new meta-analysis, recently published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, provides some strong evidence about the […]

Tags: , , , ,

Long Term Stimulant Treatment Associated with 1 inch Reduction in Height

When considering stimulant treatment for ADHD, one concern that is often voiced by parents is about height loss associated with long-term use.  Answering this question has been difficult, in part because the available literature has been inconsistent.  Some long term studies have shown no differences while other show reductions in over an inch. To help […]

Tags: , , ,

Study Links Chemical BPA to ADHD Diagnosis

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a petrochemical used in the manufacturing of a number of commonly used products including such as reusable water bottles, sports equipment, dental sealants, food cans linings, and adhesives.  There has been a lot of recent attention about BPA due to mounting concerns about possible links between BPA and a number of […]

Stimulant Treatment Linked to Cardiovascular Events in ADHD

The debate over whether or not stimulant medications like methylphenidate raise the risk of cardiovascular diseases and events has been going back and forth for years.  Many clinicians will remember the famous comment of Dr. Steven Nissan in a New England Journal of Medicine editorial in 2006 when he hoped that a physician’s hand would […]

Higher Guanfacine Doses Found Effective for Adolescent ADHD

While stimulants generally remain first-line medication for ADHD, alternatives are often needed due to side effects or ineffectiveness.   Of the non-stimulant medications, guanfacine and its more recent extended release preparation (trade name Intuniv) is one possible alternative.  Current FDA guidelines specify 4mg per day as the maximum dose, although much of this recommendation is based on […]

Tags: , , ,

Very High Rates of Psychotic Symptoms Linked to Stimulant Medications

(Note: portions of this review were recently published in an article in Clinical Psychiatry News) While it is known that stimulant medications used to treat ADHD might occasionally to lead to psychotic symptoms, this side effect is considered to be rare and usually associated with either medication abuse or very high dosages.  A report just released today […]

Tags: , , , , ,

Anxiety Risk with Stimulants Overstated

There is a widely held concern that psychostimulants when used to treat ADHD can induce or exacerbate anxiety.  This belief has led many clinicians to hesitate about using stimulants in patients who already suffer from high level of anxiety, prompting some prescribers to try, as first-line agents, nonstimulant medications that supposedly have less risk but […]

Autism Diagnosis Made Later For Children with ADHD

Autism and ADHD can share many common features, and both disorders are being diagnosed more frequently compared to previous decades.  Making matters more complicated is the accumulating evidence that the two disorders may share some underlying genetics and neurobiology.  While autism is optimally diagnosed when children are around two years of age, many are not […]

Tags: , , ,

Exercise Linked to Reduced ADHD Behaviors

To many, ADHD treatment means using medications.  Yet while medications can play an important role, a number of other types of interventions have also been shown to be effective.  One area that has received some investigation is the role of physical activity and exercise in alleviating symptoms.  Parents and clinicians alike have naturally been drawn […]