Fear of Stimulant Meds for ADHD

Why is prescribing stimulants for ADHD so controversial? Some of my patients still have a hard time getting medication and getting medicated at the right dose.

As William Dodson says, “The first-line medications for ADHD are some of the most effective, best studied, most scrutinized, longest known, and safest drugs in all of medicine.”

Untreated ADHD, according to Dr. Russell Barkley “ is not just highly impairing, it can be deadly. In fact, having ADHD lowers a person’s estimated life expectancy by 12.7 years. Barkley has noted that most of the contributors to this mortality are lifestyle-related and can be reversed with treatment. “

Dodson states that “untreated ADHD, with its impulsivity and inattention, raises the risks for serious traffic accidents, addiction, unsafe sexual practices, and self-harm, as well as challenges with academic performance, relationship difficulties, financial struggles, and chronic stress for children, teens, and adults.”

So why is it still so hard to get medication?

Read more on this topic here: https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-and-stimulants-medication-fear/

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