What are you expecting from ADHD medication? And how do you know if it's working?

Written By Sue Rapp

First target 4 or 5 symptoms that are noticeable and problematic to you and important to others in your life.

These may include:

  • Distractibility

  • Procrastination, difficulty getting started on boring tasks

  • Restlessness, fidgeting

  • Mood lability

  • Emotional overreactions

  • Impulsivity, acting or speaking without thinking

  • Temper flashes and outbursts

  • Poor reading speed, comprehension, and retention

  • Difficult to stick with boring activities to the pay-off

  • Scattered, misplace things

On a Scale of 1 to 10…

Without overthinking it, rank or score your current ADHD medication on a scale of 1 to 10: 1 being just awful – nothing but side effects – and 10 being the best you can imagine a medication ever working.

Many clinicians ask some version of this question to patients and require other self-appraisals to determine how well the medication is reducing symptoms. Generally, they’re looking for scores of 8 through 10. Nine is a very good response to medication. For most people, the lowest acceptable score is a 7.

ADHD stimulant medications are not subtle – they are some of the most effective medications in all of medicine. Most clinicians have found that people who respond with a 6 or lower, therefore, can do much better on a different medication or a difference dose. So, if you think that you have fine-tuned this particular medication but you are not experiencing a life-changing level of improvement, continue to work with your clinician to find the right medication and dose for you.

More here:

https://www.additudemag.com/how-to-tell-if-adhd-medication-is-working/

Sue Rapp
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