ADHD: Alternative Treatments

ADHD Medications

One proposed theory for the cause of ADHD is that a person is experiencing a depletion of their dopamine levels. Since dopamine acts as a neurotransmitter, a chemical message, low levels cause someone to lack important active connections in the brain. The lack of dopamine means that there is a lack of strong connections in the brain, which is in this theory is causing someone to act out or be hyperactive.  

ADHD medications work to effect the chemistry of the body by blocking dopamine receptors so there is more circulating in the body and reinforcing important neural circuits in the brain. Two types of molecules are used to achieve this; amphetamine  as in Adderall, and methylphenidate as in Ritalin and Concerta. 

 

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