Archive for the ‘Anti-Anxiety Medication’ Category
Strattera – treating ADHD
ADHD, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is a behavior disorder that has been debated for quite some time now. Almost everything about it has been debated: the causes, the severity, proper diagnosing of ADHD and many other aspects. However, medical experts now more or less agree on the fact that it is a diagnosable disorder that needs to be addressed. ADHD affects up to 15% of school children and under 50% of those children continue to suffer from ADHD into adulthood. There are different contributors to developing ADHD, although the precise and specific causes are still unknown. One of the main contributors is genetics, found to be a factor in 75% of ADHD cases. Environment also plays a big role in causing ADHD, as does the diet, social surroundings, and there have even been some theories that argue that ADHD has something to do with evolutionary development of human society from hunters into farmers.
However, the symptoms cannot be disputed and argued about. The most common symptoms of ADHD, depending on the specific type of the condition include: tendency to be easily distracted, losing interest in activities that are not pleasurable, missing details, inability to concentrate and focus on one task, fidgeting, squirming, tendency to wander off when spoken to, difficulties following instructions and many, many other symptoms that can have an adverse effect on the development of the child, especially when it comes to success in school or performing certain tasks.
For years, the only type of drugs that has been used in treating ADHD have been stimulants. However, when Strattera was discovered and developed as a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), stimulants have met their match. Since then, both these types of medications have been used to treat ADHD and Strattera is being more and more used, due to some of its properties. Some of the properties that make Strattera superior to stimulants in treating ADHD is that Strattera has less abuse potential for abuse and it has shown that a 24-hour coverage is possible with Strattera for adults and children suffering from ADHD. It is also a preferred treatment for patients who do not tolerate stimulants or who have a history of substance abuse. Also, patients with psychiatric disorders are also prescribed Strattera sooner than stimulants.
Strattera treatment
Before you can safely start using Strattera, you need to tell your doctor in case you have any of these conditions: heart disease, heart arrhythmias, congenital heart defect or any other cardiovascular problems, hypertension, hypotension, liver disease, urination issues or if you have a personal of family history of mental illnesses and disorders. In the aforementioned cases, your doctor will need to closely monitor your progress and establish a dosage that will not harm your health. There are certain side effects that can be caused by Strattera, as well as interactions with other substances, and you should consult your doctor if you want to be well informed about all the aspects of your Strattera treatment.
BuSpar and its anxiolytic properties
BuSpar is a psychoactive medication and it is mainly used in treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) of mild to moderate intensity. However, it is not effective against panic attacks, nor is it efficient in treating obsessive compulsive disorder and social phobia. However, in treating generalized anxiety disorder, there are few other medications that can compare with BuSpar. GAD is an anxiety disorder which involves excessive and irrational worry about everyday situations and things which is disproportionate to the real sources of worries. There are many symptoms of GAD, which include fatigue, headaches, numbness, muscle tension, difficulties swallowing, trembling, fidgeting, nausea, difficulties breathing and concentrating, agitation, sweating, insomnia and restlessness. However, Gad should not be confused with anxiety that most of the population experiences in certain situations. It is necessary for the aforementioned symptoms to be present and consistent for more than six months in order for GAD to be diagnosed. BuSpar inhibits the receptors of serotonin from reuptaking serotonin, thus increasing the levels of these neurotransmitters, which leads to the relief of anxiety symptoms. BuSpar can also be used in conjunction with SSRI drugs in therapy designed to treat depression. Another potential use, that still has to be tried and researched, includes improvements of memory and spatial learning after traumatic injury to the brain. These effects have been observed in trials on rodents, although human application of BuSpar in such cases has yet to be tested.
BuSpar is mostly compared with benzodiazepines as they are the class of drugs which is most commonly used in treating anxiety disorders. V is superior to benzodiazepines in that it does not show any potential for dependence and addiction, unlike benzodiazepines which are highly addictive. Also, prolonged use of v does not cause tolerance as do the benzodiazepines which become tolerated to such extent after some time that they become inefficient. However, BuSpar takes more time to show all the benefits and this is the reason why people who have been using benzodiazepines often find BuSpar to be less effective. In fact, when switching from benzodiazepines to BuSpar, it is advised that the benzodiazepine treatment be gradually discontinued while introducing BuSpar, as to avoid any withdrawal effects which are common when discontinuing the use of benzodiazepines too suddenly.
About BuSpar treatment
There is a number of medical conditions that are at risk of being exacerbated or affected by the BuSpar treatment and they include liver and kidney diseases, closed-angle glaucoma, asthma and other obstructive airways diseases, epilepsy, certain heart problems, diabetes and myasthenia gravis. You should under no circumstances take v if you have taken any MAO inhibitors within two weeks from taking BuSpar. The same goes for the vice-versa case. The fact is that these two medications can interact in such a way that the outcome may even be lethal. It would be a good idea to inform yourself in-depth about any other interactions with other medications, as well about any side effects that can be caused by BuSpar. Your doctor is the only source of information.