Although many illnesses and disorders are curable, it is better to prevent a person from developing them. These preventive measures vary significantly, therefore research into prevention of disorders and diseases is a continuing process. Hence, specialists hope they will find more such means.
PREVENTIVE MEASURES:
Unfortunately, there is no means of prevention of ADHD in children. This means that when a child is born, there is no possibility to detect whether it has ADHD; there is no medication that a child could be given in order to prevent ADHD from developing as the child gets older.
But there are some things about ADHD that everybody should be aware of. This includes taking care of the child during the gestation period. One should avoid drinking alcohol, harmful drugs, and smoking, due to the fact that a child is dependent directly on the mother’s organism and blood supply for its survival.
Children in the womb do not have a blood supply and an individual heart beat. Although a woman may not be responsible for ADHD in a child, she should avoid these substances as they are harmful for a fetus anyway, and their exact effects are not known.
But women can do a few more things to protect their children from developing ADHD. This includes: having proper medical care during a pregnancy, understanding and adopting parenting methods and healthy practices during pregnancy, learning about pre-school attention techniques.
TREATING ADHD:
Once a person is diagnosed with ADHD, there is no question about prevention anymore. However, there are some treatments available, and they can also be successful. Some of them include the use of medicines called methylphenidate.
Different pills may cause various reactions. Ritalin and Focalin, are most common. They have lasting effects between 3-5 hrs. Other versions of Ritalin have effects up to greater periods of time. As far as Ritalin is concerned, there have been some doubts concerning long term use of it and side effects. Such medications as Metadate ER, and Methylin ER, also last for long periods and can be alternatively used.
Apart from the medicines mentioned above, there are others and they are not really prescribed much. Ritalin and a few others are commonly prescribed as the doctors feel more confident about regarding the success it has had.
Ritalin side effects are controversial and are still under examination. Along with the use of Ritalin or any other ADHD medication, one should have counseling. This is a supportive measure and helps the patient sort his or her problems out.
