How Modafinil is Used to Treat ADHD
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders.
It involves cognitive, emotional, and behavioral challenges that cause problems in a child’s behavior, emotional control, and school performance.
Children, adolescents, and adults with ADHD have difficulties paying attention, staying organized, and completing repetitive tasks they find boring.
However, ADHD affects not only school performance but other aspects of the child’s life.
Kids and teenagers with ADHD typically struggle with challenging behaviors, learning difficulties, poor grades, and low self-esteem.
ADHD makes kids disorganized, forgetful, hyperactive, and impulsive.
They also have problems controlling impulses, following the rules, and establishing and maintaining positive relationships.
Research has shown that executive functions (cognitive skills such as attention, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and cognitive control) in children with ADHD mature more slowly, causing delays in their executive skills.
Children and adults with ADHD also have lower dopamine levels (hormone and neurotransmitter that helps control reward and pleasure centers in the brain).
The lower dopamine levels limit the brain’s ability to recognize rewards and stay motivated. The most common symptoms of ADHD in children and teenagers include:
- Inattentiveness (insufficient attention and concentration)
- Impulsivity
- Disorganization and distractibility
- Hyperactivity
How is ADHD Treated?
The appropriate treatment for ADHD helps manage challenging behaviors and improve the child’s school success.
The combination of medication and behavior therapy has proven to give the best results in ADHD treatment.
While behavior therapy helps alleviate behavior problems that result from ADHD, medications increase alertness and help kids do better at school.
Stimulants are the most widely used pharmacological therapy for ADHD.
These drugs alleviate ADHD symptoms of impulsivity and hyperactivity, such as restlessness and impulsiveness.
Also, psychostimulants improve inattention (inability to focus, forgetfulness, distractibility), other associated behavioral problems, and overall well-being.
Despite numerous psychostimulants’ availability, studies show that more than 30 percent of ADHD patients do not manifest adequate treatment response to various medical therapy options.
How Effective is Modafinil in Treating ADHD?
Modafinil is a central nervous system stimulant (psychostimulant) known under the brand name Provigil.
This is a wakefulness-promoting prescription drug given to people with sleep disorders, fatigue, and impaired cognition to help them stay alert.
Modafinil reduces extreme sleepiness in sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and shift work disorder.
Although Modafinil’s use to treat symptoms of ADHD is not approved by the FDA, some studies have shown its effectiveness in reducing ADHD symptoms compared to placebo.
Modafinil increases frontal cortical activity by acting on multiple areas of the brain’s ascending arousal and attention systems, thus enhancing alertness and improving attentiveness.
Research has indicated that Modafinil is generally well tolerated with mild to moderate side effects such as;
- Headaches,
- Loss of appetite,
- Weight loss,
- and insomnia.
Caffeine can also increase the drug’s side effects.
Modafinil is a controlled substance by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (FDA) because it can cause dependence or be abused.
My Son Has ADHD.
The doctors had him on Ritalin and it worked, but he wouldn’t eat. He was so skinny, unhealthy looking skinny.
As most concerned parents do when their child is stressed, I started researching. That’s when I found Modafinil.
Modafinil is very similar to Ritalin, but Modafinil is not an Amphetamine. So it’s not addictive and has little to no side effects.
When I spoke to the doctor about Modafinil, she agreed, to a three month change, but told me it was very expensive.
Again I researched, I found I could buy Modafinil online without a prescription at one quarter of the cost!
My son is doing very well, on the doctors advice we started meditating and exercising together. Sounds impossible right?
Ask any parent with a child who has ADHD, to meditate together, and you will get laughed at!
But we do now, twenty minutes per day.
