Perhaps no area of ADHD creates as much confusion as medication. Self-education is critical here. But it’s far too easy to be intimidated—or, worse, to suffer from low expectations.
I’m here to elevate your expectations—and help you reach them by providing a basic education.
No, not everyone with ADHD “needs” medication. But for many, medication will be the single-most effective tool in their toolbox. That’s why I place strong emphasis on getting it right.
Can we trust the average prescriber to get it right? Probably not.
As an ADHD advocate and educator for 20 years, I’ve heard thousands of medication-gone-right/wrong stories.
Each new gone-right story thrills me. Each new gone-wrong story infuriates me. Sadly, the gone-wrongs seem only to be increasing in number.
Almost all consumer books on ADHD reduce advice on medication to “Talk with your doctor.” No, I’m sorry, but that is not enough. Not for most people.
Self-education and self-advocacy is the only way to ensure that you get the best results from medication.
No, no one expects you to be a psychopharmacologist. But becoming familiar with the basics will take you a long way toward your goal: Higher functioning and a happier life.
My first book, Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.?, remains the only consumer book to detail an methodical approach to optimizing ADHD medication. (I wrote it with the guidance of top ADHD clinicians and researchers.)
I encourage you to read the three chapters devoted to medication. Then, keep adding to that information by checking out the posts in this category. (With ADHD Success Training, I’ll be offering step-by-step guidance for working with your prescribing professional to achieve the best outcome.)
If you are a therapist, please know that you can help individuals and couples with ADHD medication treatment—while still respecting your licensing guidelines.
Please refer to Adult ADHD-Focused Couple Therapy: Clinical Interventions, by Gina Pera and Arthur L. Robin, PhD (2016, Taylor & Francis).
This is the first clinical guide to couple therapy based on the proven evidence of what works—for Adult ADHD and for couple therapy. We included a step-by-step intervention toward helping couples to set and monitor treatment goals.
As you know, prescribing physicians typically can spend only a few minutes with clients. As a result, they know very little about their patients, especially if they aren’t using rating scales and getting feedback from a loved one. (And, from what I hear, most are not.)
As therapists, however, you have more time to:
Therapists cannot specifically offer medication guidance. But they are well within their “wheelhouse” in performing this function.
If you choose to include medication in your or your child’s treatment plans, being pro-active is not a luxury. I believe it is a necessity.
The posts in this “Medications” category approach this topic from various angle. You can scroll through them below.
. For years, ADHD experts have recognized the link between untreated ADHD and obesity. As for weight-control experts and gastric-bypass surgeons? Most missed the memo. Is it territorial jealousy? Willful ignorance? “ADHD Denial”? Let’s be …
Early in my advocacy, I noticed a connection between ADHD and nicotine: The adults in my discussion group who had smoked cigarettes as teens and young adults seem to carry the least “baggage” from undiagnosed …
Yes, for many ADHD couples, a weekend without ADHD meds can be a very big deal. This first-person story speaks to two common reader questions: “It ADHD a real thing?” “Do the medications for …
Update 6/10/19: This post still explains details around what constitutes a generic. But with the introduction of at least four more Concerta generics, I have written a new post: Authorized Generic Concerta Update: Yet Another …
Consumer Alert: Three New Concerta Generics as Janssen/Actavis Deal Ends Read More »
By Taylor J., guest writer It’s a pernicious myth, this idea that stimulant medications are dangerous. In fact, it has been repeated so often, it’s largely accepted as fact. Yet, just as with Uncle …
Can foods—particularly those containing citric acid—affect how well you absorb stimulants, such as Ritalin, Adderall, and Vyvanse? The question came up again at my face-to-face Silicon Valley Adult ADHD discussion group. So, let’s delve now …
Can Acidic Foods Affect Stimulant Medications for ADHD? Read More »
What difference does it make later in life, to be diagnosed with ADHD and take medication? Why take medication for ADHD, anyway? What’s the point? Meg and I met just a few years ago. …
Home delivery for prescription stimulant medications? Yes, stimulants. If you haven’t tried it, maybe it’s time to investigate. “But Gina, you can’t get stimulant medication delivered to your home. That’s a controlled substance! There are …
Home Delivery of Prescribed Stimulant Medications Read More »
How can medication help ADHD relationships? It can help in reducing all the ADHD symptoms that challenge that individual in every aspect of life, including domestic life and in relationships. For many, it’s a true …
Frank South went for a second opinion on his Adult ADHD diagnosis. That is, he went on the PBS medical show “Second Opinion” to talk about Adult ADHD. Do you need a second opinion …
