“Did you forget to take your pill?” How many times has this been said to someone who seems hyperactive or who is known to have ADHD. ADHD and medication are often mentioned in the same breath. Ritalin, Medikinet, Concerta and now also Strattera are well-known medications used for ADHD. It is generally known that Ritalin is short-acting and therefore needs to be taken several times a day and that Concerta is a longer-acting drug that only needs to be taken once a day. Medikinet and Strattera are less known. It is often said that “you have ADHD if you become calmer by taking Ritalin and that you do not have ADHD if you do not respond to Ritalin”, but how these medications actually function is often less known. A good reason to draw attention to this.

ADHD and Neurotransmitters

ADHD involves an imbalance between neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are chemicals in the brain that ensure that information perceived by the senses is sent via the nervous system to the brain to be interpreted there. Two neurotransmitters play an important role in ADHD: dopamine and norepinephrine. The imbalance between these two substances causes attention deficit and hyperactivity. This imbalance also has consequences for the processing of information and communication. Information obtained through our senses is sent by our nerves in the form of stimuli, small electrical currents, to the brain to be interpreted there. Due to the imbalance in the important substances that ensure this, stimuli arrive slowly or not at all. Information is therefore not interpreted or interpreted differently. This has consequences for communication.The action of dopamine and norepinephrine is as follows:

• Dopamine affects heart rate and blood pressure, memory, attention and problem solving. It is also called the happiness hormone. It is necessary to produce adrenaline and norepinephrine (norepinephrine).
• Norepinephrine affects attention, impulsiveness and the so-called fight and flight system, which is important in crisis situations where quick decisions have to be made.

The effect of medication on AHDH

There is no medication that can cure ADHD. There is medication that can reduce the consequences of ADHD, so that the life of someone with ADHD can be more controlled and structured. The apparent contradiction in this medication is that it contains an irritating substance, which stimulates the dopamine or norepinephrine that works too slowly or inhibits its reuptake. Seemingly contradictory because the question is often asked: should you give someone who is hyperactive a stimulant? The answer to that is actually simple. It is precisely too low activity of dopamine on norepinephrine that causes attention deficit and hyperactivity. If you stimulate these slow neurotransmitters, the aforementioned imbalance will be resolved and balance will be created, so that stimuli arrive in the right way and are interpreted correctly by the brain. Some of the most well-known medications used for ADHD work this way: Ritalin, Concerta and Medikinet. The active substance in these medications is methylphenidate. Ritalin, Medikinet and Methylphenidate have a sustained release i.e. that they are short-acting agents. Concerta, Medikinet CR and Equasim XL have an extended release and are therefore long-acting agents. Another well-known drug is Strattera. The active substance in this medicine is atomoxetine. This drug works in a different way. It is a so-called non-stimulant. This means that it does not act on the neurotransmitters, but it increases the amount of neurotransmitters. By producing more of these chemicals, balance is also created in the processing of stimuli. Another type of medication is dexamphetamine. This drug promotes the release of dopamine and norepinephrine, while methylphenidate inhibits the reuptake of these hormones. The Dexamphetamine dose is usually divided into 2-3 doses per day. All substances fall under the Opium Act. This may have consequences if you want to leave the country.

Medication and psychoeducation

Experts in the field of ADD still do not know exactly how ADHD arises. However, they agree that medication should always be given in combination with psychoeducation. Through psychoeducation, someone with ADHD learns what this disorder entails, how his/her stimulus processing functions and how he/she differs from other people without ADHD. The most important thing, however, is that people learn how to deal with ADHD in combination with medication. With the help of medication and learning structures, someone with ADHD can lead a normal life. This is important as a foundation for developing healthy self-confidence. Developing this healthy self-confidence is necessary because someone with ADD has often had negative experiences as a result of his/her behavioral manifestations. The environment of someone with ADHD still does not always cope well with this. That is why everyone should know what ADHD is and how to deal with someone who has AHDH, so that people with ADHD also feel accepted.

Conclusion

ADHD cannot be cured with medication, but by stimulating, or “supplementing” the neurotransmitters or inhibiting their reuptake, the life of someone with ADHD in combination with psychoeducation can be more structured. This also gives someone with ADHD the opportunity to build a successful future.