   
Medication Choices
Q:
"My son began taking Adderall (2 1/2 mg daily), but within days, he started blinking and squinting. What do you recommend for a child who cannot tolerate medication?" 
A:
If Adderall causes tics at such a low dose, the other stimulant medications may do the same. You need to see a physician who knows how to treat ADD with medications other than the stimulants. For example, imipramine (Tofranil) might work very well. Editor's Note: In this edition of ADDitude's Ask the Doctor, Dr. Silver addresses non-stimulant alternatives for treating ADHD and associated symptoms. Imipramine is an example of one such medication. It is in a class of pharmaceuticals known as tricyclic antidepressants. Other non-stimulant alternatives for treatment are antidepressant Wellbutrin, SSRI Paxil, and several medications commonly used for treatment of other disorders, but which may have a beneficial effect on selective ADHD cases.
Other non-stimulant ADHD treatments are currently being researched and developed, such as Eli Lilly's Tomoxetine. See
Larry Silver, M.D., is the author of Dr. Larry Silver's Advice to Parents on AD/HD and The Misunderstood Child: Understanding and Coping with Your Child's Learning Disabilities. He is also a clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
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