A double-blind study funded by Shire biopharmaceutical company found that one of its products, Vyvanse, could alleviate the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in children ages six to 12 years old.

Researchers divided a group of 129 children (ages six to 12 years old) with ADHD into two groups. One group received a placebo and the other group took Vyvanse. The children who took the drug had fewer symptoms for up to 12 hours than did the children who took the placebo.

Side effects of the drug are decreased appetite, insomnia, headaches, irritability, upper abdominal pain and affect ability.

The study appeared in the journal Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health.

Labels: research, symptoms, drug_study

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An eight-year study of children with Attention Deficit Disorder Hyperactivity Disorder found that children do not outgrow their symptoms even after receiving treatment.

The authors of the study, which was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (and which appeared in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry), concluded that this may mean that people who have ADHD during childhood should continue to take medication for the disorder even as adults.

The study's 579 subjects were between the ages of 7 and 9 years old at the beginning of the study. For a 14-month period, the children underwent one of four treatment types (medication alone, behavioral therapy alone, or combinations of the two). The combination treatment worked the best to mitigate symptoms.

The researchers checked the children two, three, six, and eight years later. By the time they were in late adolescence, many of them had stopped taking medications for their ADHD symptoms, and these symptoms had returned.

As the summer months approach, experts advise parents not to make changes to their children's ADHD meds, or to allow their children to take a "medication vacation," especially if the children will be attending an ADHD summer camp or other organized seasonal activity.

Labels: medications, Attention_Deficit_Hyperactivity_Disorder, symptoms

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We all know that exercise is good for our bodies. It keeps our hearts and lungs strong, improves circulation, and keeps us healthy. For people with ADD/ADHD, exercise can have an additional benefit: research has shown that it reduces symptoms associated with these disorders.

“According to Dr. [John] Ratey, ‘Exercise is the single most popular tool we have to optimize our brain function… exercise not only makes us smarter; it also makes us less stressed, depressed and anxious.’… When we exercise, the chemicals dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin in the brain are increased.” (Source: HealthCentral)

Those three chemicals are the ones most closely associated with ADD/ADHD symptoms, and medications like Adderall and Ritalin are designed to increase those levels. Though there is no definitive evidence, it is possible that regular exercise could reduce the need for ADD/ADHD medication.

 

Labels: symptoms, exercise

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 3 Comments

Every year, thousand of yong people get strep infections -- which, when treated with antibiotics, poses little danger to the child. But the antibiotics can, in rare cases can cause the immune system to attack the part of the brain associated with emotion.

“Some doctors suspect that some children who are diagnosed with ADHD or OCD might have PANDAS. Many pediatricians do not know about the disorder.” [Source: KHOU-TV (Houston, TX)]

PANDAS stands for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders, and symptoms can include OCD-like behavior, motor or verbal tics, separation anxiety and ADHD-like symptoms. Parents of children who have been diagnosed with ADHD are encouraged to have their children tested for PANDAS, just to be sure.

Labels: medications, health, symptoms

Posted By: 4ADHD.com 0 Comments

Children with sleep disorders often have symptoms similar to ADHD, which could result in their conditions being misdiagnosed. Many of these children suffer from sleep apnea, and may even snore.

Researchers studied 100 children ages 7-17. Slightly more than half were female, and the group was three-quarters Caucasian.

The scientists used detailed questionnaires and also looked at race, age, gender, body mass index and skull X-rays to see the jaw. Their results showed no associations with these factors, making [sleep apnea] hard to detect in the children. [Source: CNN]

People who get too little sleep tend to be irritable and have trouble paying attention and staying focused; characteristics commonly associated with ADHD. If not properly diagnosed and treated, however, sleep apnea can cause heart problems, hypertension and even strokes.

 

Labels: sleep, symptoms

Posted By: 4ADHD.com 1 Comment

In order to prepare themselves for productive employment later in life, children who are properly diagnosed with ADHD need to start learning how to manage their symptoms:

“Mental health professionals estimate that 9 million adults in the United States have ADHD. Symptoms of ADHD… include difficulty paying attention, easy distractions, trouble finishing paperwork, fidgeting, talking too much and procrastination… adults in the workplace with ADHD often may not stop to think before they say or do something. They may commit social faux pas and hurt people’s feelings…” [Source: Pensacola Business Journal]

Clearly, this is an important issue for parents of children with ADHD. Early diagnosis gives kids an important advantage, because it gets them thinking and strategizing about symptom management. The lessons and methods they learn as children will become the foundation for symptom management when they’re adults.

 

Labels: symptoms, jobs

Posted By: 4ADHD.com 1 Comment

A study of 1,800 children in Perth, Australia, found that those who eat "western-style" diets were twice as likely to have symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder compared to those who eat healthy diets.

A western-style diet was made up of highly processed foods, more likely to be fried and made in a restaurant.

Professor Wendy Oddy and her colleagues found that teenagers who ate healthy diets of fruit and vegetables, whole grains and fish were less likely to have symptoms of ADHD. They were not sure if children with ADHD tend to make poor diet choices, or if processed foods aggravate or cause symptoms.

The study appears in the Journal of Attention Disorders.

Labels: nutrition, diet, symptoms

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Infants who do not like to look at faces may be at higher risk for autism, according to a new study from Kennedy Krieger Institute and the University of Delaware.

Researchers studied 25 six-month-old babies whose older siblings have autism syndrome, and compared them with a control group of 25 infants from families with no such medical histories.
The high-risk babies spent less time looking at their caretakers and more time focused on toys.

The author of the study, Rebecca Landa, said a lack of interest in people's faces is "a subtle difference that could easily be overlooked by parents and some professionals."

The study appears in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Labels: autism, symptoms

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 1 Comment