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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.