Tag: ADHD

Categories : Diseases, Syndromes and ConditionsTags :

Caffeine May Help with Cognitive Symptoms of ADHD

On By ModernMedia
Coffee cup and beans
Photo by Mike Kenneally on Unsplash

Researchers in Spain have found that caffeine may be beneficial in alleviating cognitive symptoms of ADHD, such as improving attention span and retention capacity. Their findings, published in Nutrients, may provide a less controversial addition to the therapeutic arsenal for this disorder.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses have increased exponentially over the last 20 years. It is currently estimated that this disorder affects between 2% and 5% of children in Spain, an average of one or two children per classroom, and up to 4% of the adult population.

Despite these high incidence rates, controversy surrounds the treatment of this pathology and the therapeutic approach to it. This varies widely depending on each patient, the symptoms they present and their intensity. For this reason, experts are continuing to investigate different components and substances that may be capable of providing new treatment opportunities for patients diagnosed with ADHD.

A team of experts at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) has investigated caffeine to alleviate some of the symptoms of ADHD, given the controversy surrounding the use of some medicines derived from methylphenidate, among others. Their systematic review of animal studies concludes that a prescribed consumption of caffeine can increase attention and retention capacity in adolescents and adults with ADHD.

“The therapeutic arsenal for alleviating ADHD is limited, and there is a certain degree of controversy around the use of some types of medications and stimulants, especially during childhood and adolescence. That’s why it’s useful to study the efficacy of other substances, such as caffeine,” explained Javier Vázquez, one of the paper’s main authors.

This is the first systematic review with results linking caffeine consumption in different animal models of ADHD with an increased attention span, improved concentration, learning benefits, and improvements in some types of memory.

“This substance improves these types of cognitive procedures, and increases capacity and flexibility in both spatial attention and selective attention, as well as in working memory and short-term memory,” emphasised Vazquez, who added that controlled treatment with this substance “doesn’t alter blood pressure, and doesn’t lead to an increase or reduction in body weight.”

The researchers point out that while possibly effective for cognitive symptoms, the results are unclear for other characteristic symptoms of ADHD, such as hyperactivity and impulsivity. “The results are very positive, but we must be much more careful when prescribing a caffeine-based medical treatment for these symptoms. In diagnoses in which the problem is purely attentional, caffeine may be an appropriate therapy, but if there’s a symptomatological presence of hyperactivity or impulsivity, we must be more cautious,” said Vasquez.

However, the results show that caffeine has a clear benefit in ADHD’s cognitive symptoms. “Our results reinforce the hypothesis that the cognitive effects of caffeine found in animal models can be translated and applied in the treatment of ADHD in people, especially at young ages such as adolescence,” the authors concluded.

“We want to emphasise that we aren’t against medication for ADHD, but we’re open to investigating all possible alternatives for improving this type of disorder, and for being able to use caffeine from a therapeutic point of view with all the appropriate medical supervision, a prescribed treatment and follow-up,” said Vázquez.

Source: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)

Categories : PaediatricsTags :

Only 10% of Children Completely ‘Outgrow’ ADHD

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Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

In contrast to popular belief, most children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) do not in fact outgrow the disorder according to a new study in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Instead, it manifests itself in adulthood in different ways over a lifetime, increasing and decreasing.

“It’s important for people diagnosed with ADHD to understand that it’s normal to have times in your life where things maybe more unmanageable and other times when things feel more under control,” said lead researcher Margaret Sibley, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a researcher at Seattle Children’s Research Institute.

Decades of research characterise ADHD as a neurobiological disorder typically first detected in childhood that persists into adulthood in approximately 50% of cases, but this study found that only 10% of children completely outgrow it.

“Although intermittent periods of remission can be expected in most cases, 90% of children with ADHD in the Multimodal Treatment Study of ADHD continued to experience residual symptoms into young adulthood,” they wrote.

ADHD is characterised by two main clusters of symptoms: inattentive symptoms which look like disorganisation and forgetfulness, and also the hyperactive, impulsive symptoms. In children, those symptoms look like having a lot of energy, such as running around and climbing on things. In adults, it manifests more as verbal impulsivity, difficulty with decision-making, and not thinking before acting. The disorder affects people differently and looks different depending on the phase of life.

Some people with ADHD also report a unique ability to hyper-focus, as in some Olympic athletes. While many people may experience symptoms similar to ADHD, it is estimated the disorder roughly affects 5% to 10% of the population, said Sibley.

This study followed a group of 558 children with ADHD from 8-years old to 25 years-old. Every two years, the cohort had assessments to determine whether they had symptoms of ADHD. Family members and teachers were also asked about their symptoms.

According to Prof Sibley, the belief that 50% of children outgrow ADHD was first put forward in the mid-1990s. Most studies, she said, only re-connected once when the kids reached adulthood and weren’t able to see if the ADHD had really gone away.

Coping with ADHD
Researchers have yet to find what causes ADHD to flare. Prof Sibley said it could be stress, the wrong environment, and not having a healthy lifestyle of proper sleep, healthy eating, and regular exercise. Also, if a person is not taking the time to manage symptoms and really understand what works best for them, then the symptoms are probably going to get more out of control, she said.

The two main treatments for ADHD are medication and therapy, though people can pursue their own healthy coping skills as well, said Prof Sibley.

Researchers found that most people who technically no longer meet criteria for ADHD in adulthood still retained traces though they were coping well.

“The key is finding a job or a life passion that ADHD does not interfere with,” Prof Sibley said. “You are going to see a lot of creative people have ADHD because they’re able to be successful in their creative endeavors despite having ADHD, whereas people who might be required to do very detail-oriented work at a computer all day—that could be a really hard combination for a person with ADHD.”

Prof Sibley said the time to seek professional help is when the symptoms cause problems in life, including not performing at one’s best, interpersonal problems, and inability to complete basic daily tasks.

Source: Medical Xpress

Categories : PaediatricsTags :

New ADHD Drug Gets FDA Approval for Children

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US regulators have approved the first new ADHD drug for children in over a decade.

The Food and Drug Administration last week approved  viloxazine (Qelbree) for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children ages 6 to 17. It was developed by  Supernus Pharmaceuticals. The drug’s price was undisclosed but is likely to be higher than the generic ADHD pills.

In Europe, viloxazine was sold as an antidepressant for several decades, but never received FDA approval. It was discontinued nearly two decades ago, due to competition from popular pills like Zoloft and Prozac.

ADHD affects about 6 million American children and adolescents. For many, problems include trouble paying attention and completing tasks, fidgeting and impulsiveness.  

Earlier ADHD treatments like Ritalin, nearly all of which contain the stimulants amphetamine or methylphenidate, which create the potential for abuse. Viloxazine however is not a stimulant or a controlled substance. It carries a warning of potential for suicidal thoughts and behaviour, which occurred in fewer than 1% of volunteers in studies of the drug.

Qelbree could be an option for children with substance use disorders, who do not cope well with stimulant side effects or who need more therapy, said Dr David W. Goodman, director of Suburban Psychiatric Associates near Baltimore and an assistant professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Goodman said that long-acting stimulants prescribed to ADHD patients currently are harder to abuse to get a high than the older fast-acting versions.

In a late-stage study, 477 children ages 6 to 11 took viloxazine for six weeks. Compared to placebo, Inattention and hyperactivity symptoms were reduced by about 50%. Symptom reduction was seen within a week in some participants. Its common side effects include sleepiness, lethargy, decreased appetite and headache.

Supernus is in late-stage testing for adults with ADHD, who represent a small but growing market as adult treatment of the condition expands.

Source: Medical Xpress