Stimulants

ADHD Medication Rules

Considering using stimulant medications to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? Here’s what you need to know about these meds.

By ADDitude Editors Verified Updated on April 20, 2017
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An expert on attention deficit and learning disabilities talks about the biology behind ADHD and why it's sometimes so difficult to diagnose and treat symptoms in children.
An expert on attention deficit and learning disabilities talks about the biology behind ADHD and why it's sometimes so difficult to diagnose and treat symptoms in children.

Excerpt of ADHD Medication Rules By Dr. Charles Parker

“If your body doesn’t work correctly, then the stimulant medications you take won’t work correctly either. If you don’t have a clue how attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications work biologically, how they ‘burn’ in your body, you won’t know what to expect with treatment. Basic burn rate awareness, more than any single piece of information, can make or break any medication treatment.

“Mandy had been taking ADHD stimulant medications since she was in junior high, and now she is a mother with two kids. She has never been able to find out why the medications seem to work for awhile, then lose their effectiveness. She thought she was untreatable.

“I consulted with her and discovered she suffered from gluten sensitivity, which corrupted her bowel, her liver, and her metabolic rate with those different medications. The gut is only one of the many burn rate variables at play in any medication management strategy.”

Download ADHD Medication Rules at Dr. Charles Parker’s CorePsych Blog.