Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate), is an FDA-approved long lasting stimulant for ADHD. There are anecdotal reports of fewer side effects than Adderall XR and some other ADHD stimulants. Vyvanse is a new way of delivering long acting d-amphetamine.

Daytrana is an adhesive methylphenidate (same as Concerta, Ritalin, Focalin) patch. It is the patch delivery system that makes Daytrana unique.

Focalin (previously marked as Attenade) is a more highly refined version methylphenidate (Ritalin). It only includes the R-form of the methylphenidate instead of mixing it with its structural but inert mirror image, the L-form.  Because it only includes the active element, the fact that dosage is typically half that of Ritalin is clinically meaningless, since half of Ritalin is inert anyway. Because the prescribed dosage of Focalin tends to be about half that for Ritalin, parents often feel less guilty about giving a strong drug to their child. However, since the reduction in prescribed dosage only reflects leaving out the inactive L - form half of Ritalin, the child is really getting the same amount of active stimulant. Thus, the child is not being spared anything.

Loss of appetite

Insomnia

Seroquel is generally used to treat adult psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (manic depression). However, I occasionally see it prescribed for children who have ADHD, which worries me. If your physician prescribes Seroquel for your child, get a second opinion.

Wellbutrin (bupropion) is an atypical antidepressant (chemical structure different from other antidepressants) that is occasionally used for ADHD and Aspergers Syndrome.

Unlike antidepressants such as Celexa, Paxil, Prozac, and Zoloft that target the neurotransmitter serotonin, Wellbutrin does not affect serotonin. The manufacturer is unsure how it acts, but suggests it may effect dopamine and norepinephrine.

Effexor is a serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) approved to treat depression, general anxiety disorder as well as social anxiety disorder. It is used in an off-label capacity to treat ADHD. Usually there is some benefit for anxiety/depression by 7 days. 

Tenex (Guanfacine) is primarily used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). It may also be helpful in reducing some ADHD symptoms such as aggression, but may not improve attention deficit or distractibility. Low doses are often prescribed to control the side effects of stimulants, such as insomnia.

Vyvanse is longer lasting than methylphenidate (used in Ritalin and Concerta). Peak effectiveness occurs in one to four hours. However, it continues to control symptoms for 12 hours. It is marketed by Shire Pharmaceuticals and FDA approved for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children ges 6–12, and adults. Vyvanse acts more consistently than Adderall XR and thus patients tend do better on it. Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine) is chemically very similar to Dexedrine Spansules. 

Drug companies withheld information showing antidepressants were ineffective and could be harmful to children and should have issued warnings on their products. Health authorities in Britain and the United States have voiced concern or advise doctors not to prescribe the drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) to children under 18 because of the potential suicide risk.

Attenance / Provigil (modifinil) is a different type of stimulant-like drug manufactured by Cephalon. It is chemically unrelated to the other stimulants used for ADHD. Although Attenace is a stimulant medication, it is not classified as a controlled substance.. This means that your doctor can phone-in refills.

Risperdal (Risperidone) is an antipsychotic drug developed, tested, approved and used to treatment disorganized or psychotic thinking in adults. Extrapolating from use with adults, it is prescribed as an “ Off-Label” (not FDA approved) use for Autistic Spectrum Disorders such as Aspergers Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorders in children.

Abilfy (aripiprazole) is a a very powerful antipsychotic medication with many serious side effects.

Abilfy is generally used to treat adult psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (manic depression). However, I occasionally see it prescribed for children who have ADHD, which worries me. If your physician prescribes it for your child, get a second opinion.

Since Zoloft is not FDA approved for children or teens, Prozac may be a better choice of SSRI since it has been approved for use in children and teens. .... Zoloft causes 3-5% of users to have suicidal thoughts, suicidal gestures (typically cutting), actual suicide attempts or actual death by suicide. Health authorities in Britain and the United States have voiced concern or advised doctors not to prescribe the drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) to children under 18 because of a potential suicide risk.

Strattera (pronounced Stra-tair-a) (atomoxetine) is a non-amphetamine drug approved in December 2002 for treatment of ADHD. Under the Controlled Substances Act, it is not classified as a stimulant and thus is not a controlled class two drug. Since it is not an amphetamine, Lilly was able to persuade the FDA not to classify it as a controlled substance. They try to stretch this classification to say that it is not a stimulant drug, which is a deceptive use of the FDA language. FDA never said it is not stimulating. Coffee is stimulating, but the FDA does not classify it is a controlled drug. And, this does not allow Starbucks to claim its coffee is not a stimulant. Strattera clearly functions as a stimulant, though not as strongly as amphetamines do. This may also be why it is not as effective as the stimulants. It also has most of the same side-effects of the stimulants. But, Eli Lilly seeks to avoid the "bad name" associated with amphetamines stimulants commonly used to treat ADHD.

Since 1988, Ciba-Geigy, maker of the popular A.D.D. drug Ritalin, has quietly propped up the national A.D.D. 'support group' CHADD (CH.A.D.D.) (for Children and Adults with A.D.D.) with more than $1 million in grants and valuable services. As the Merrow Report reported, CHADD (CH.A.D.D.) has been distributing misleading information to hundreds of thousands of parents and teachers that exaggerates the benefits of drug therapy, including Ritalin.

Clonidine is similar to Tenex. It is primarily used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Some consider it helpful to reduce ADHD symptoms such as aggression, but may not improve attention deficit or distractibility. Low doses are often prescribed to control the side effects of stimulants, such as insomnia. Tenex is usually prefered to clonidine or the catapress patch.

Adderall is a mixed salt amphetamine approved by the FDA for treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It was previously marketed as a diet pill under the name 'Obetral'. Mixed salt amphetamines have been studied and used clinically to treat ADHD since the 1930’s. Adderall is made by Richwood Pharmaceuticals.

Ritalin "works" on children in the same way that related stimulants like Cocaine work on adults — sharpening the short-term attention span when the drug kicks in and producing equally predictable valleys ("coming down," in street parlance; "rebounding," in Ritalinese) when the effect wears off. It is often referred to as "Kiddie Cocaine." The longer acting versions reduce the rebounding.

Just as predictably, children are subject to the same adverse effects as adults imbibing such drugs, with the two most common being appetite suppression and insomnia. Other side effects are reduced stature, ticks, "zombie" demeanor, stomach aches, moodiness and function

If your insurance or health care system doesn’t cover you for the price of your ADHD medications, treatment can get very expensive. For a month’s supply, the price of the drugs range from $26 for a generic versions of Ritalin up to $150 for Concerta and Adderal XR. The prices of the timed release versions of the drugs (Adderall XR, Ritalin LA or Ritalin-SR) are about twice the price of the normal versions.

 A lot less is known about long term side effects because the drug companies do not run long term trials prior to their ADHD medication getting approval from the FDA. The longest trial run by a drug company is four weeks. This is for a tablet that is routinely used for months and years at a time.

With the introduction of Concerta and then Adderall XR, most users of ADHD medications switched to extended release formulas. To combat this loss of sales, Ritalin introduced two versions, Ritalin LA and Ritalin SR. For more information see Adderall XR and Slow Release ADHD Medications.

Many of the children I see have a history of starting on low doses of drugs. At first the results seem quite satisfactory, however in a few weeks or months the attention and behavior problems again raise their ugly head.

Finding safe, effective treatments for adult mental illness is thorny enough. But treating children with the same drugs could prove even riskier, as some may permanently alter the structure of the brain. Concluding a two-part series about mind medicines, Alison Motluk asks what choices we have.

There is a crisis of confidence in many psychiatric drugs. In the first of a two-part series about mind medicines, James Kingsland looks at the Prozac class of antidepressants. Once thought to make you feel 'better than normal', now there are fears that they might raise the risk of suicide, and some even question how well they work to treat depression

IT is the most widely used antidepressant in history, boasts the website for the blockbuster drug Prozac. Beneath a picture of a smiling model is the beguiling claim: "Chances are, someone you know is getting better because of it."

Unpublished studies on the effects of anti-depressant drugs on children suggest some are both ineffective and potentially harmful, according to a new review of research. The unpublished data contradict published results, fuelling the debate on how pharmaceutical companies reveal trial data.

GETTING BY IS HARD ENOUGH IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. IT'S HARDER still when you've got other things on your mind-and Andrea Okeson, 13, had plenty to distract her. There were the constant stomach pains to consider; there was the nervousness, the distractibility, the overwhelming need to be alone. And, of course, there was the business of repeatedly checking the locks on the doors. All these things grew, inexplicably, to consume Andrea, until by the time she was through with the eighth grade, she seemed pretty much through with everything else too. "Andrea," said a teacher to her one day, "you look like death."

Staggering though it is to believe, many drugs regularly prescribed to children have been tested only on adults. Even their labels admit as much: "Safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients have not been established.'' Nonetheless, these drugs continue to be peddled to children, while unwitting parents and society as a whole turn a blind eye to the unknown and potentially disastrous long-term effects

Several million children are being treated with Ritalin and other stimulants on the grounds that they have attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and suffer from inattention, hyperactivity, or impulsivity.

Research funded by drug companies is more likely to produce results that favour the sponsor's product, reveals a new study.

Researchers analyzed 30 previous reports examining pharmaceutical industry-backed research and found the conclusions of such research were four times more likely to be positive than research backed by other sponsors.