By guest author: Anthony Kane, M.D.
http://ccparenting.com/parenting
http://addadhdadvances.com

If your child has Oppositional Defiant Disorder, I am sure you have often felt that things could not get much worse. Well, in case you ever felt that way, I am going to put things in perspective for you. We are now going to discuss, Conduct Disorder.

Conduct Disorder is the most serious of all disruptive behavior disorders in children and teens. This difficult condition affects between 1 to 4 percent of children and adolescents, is more common in boys than in girls, and occurs more frequently in cities than in rural areas. Some children may show signs of conduct disorder early childhood, often during the preschool years. Read more of the article...

Early Reports on Intuniv for ADHD

Intuniv is a new medication for the treatment of ADHD in children and teens that just recently gained its approval from the FDA and was available to pharmacies in early November, 2009.

Intuniv is not a stimulant medication, and may be helpful to the estimated 25-30% of children with ADHD who do not benefit from stimulant medications. Instead, Intuniv is a form of Guanfacine (Tenex) which has been used for years as a blood pressure medication in adults, and has also been used as an adjunct medication in the treatment of ADHD individuals with temper or anger problems, or oppositional defiant disorder. Now in the form of Intuniv, this medication seems to have a wider range of symptoms that benefit from its use than just anger or oppositional behavior.

It appears that Intuniv (guanfacine) works in the pre-frontal cortex Read more of the article...

What is INTUNIV for ADHD?

The active ingredient in INTUNIV is Guanfacine, normally thought of as the blood pressure medicine Tenex. INTUNIV is not a blood pressure medication, however. It is approved for the treatment of ADHD.

INTUNIV is not a stimulant, and its action on the brain is different than stimulants. INTUNIV is another ADHD medication from Shire Pharmaceuticals, where they seem to insist that all of their medications are spelled in all capital letters. Shire also makes and distributes ADDERALL XL, DAYTRANA, and VYVANSE. And since the sales of Adderall XR have been undercut by Teva's generic Adderall, and the sales of Vyvanse have been disappointing, Shire is hopeful that Intuniv will bolster its place in the ADHD marketplace. Read more of the article...

Can Excessive Video Game Playing Cause Attention Problems?

Yes, its just like you thought. The more your child or teen sits around watching TV or playing video games, the more at risk they will be for learning problems and attention problems. We have written about this before, and not to much has changed except that the research is starting to show up to validate what parents have known for years now. Read more of the article...

by Sonja Mak
European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Read more of the article...

ADHD is a neurological disorder that impacts between 5% and 9% of children, teens, and even adults. Over the years, as more pharmaceutical companies enter the market, and more medications are developed, there has been a signficiant increase int he use of ADHD medications - and a recent study suggests an increase in the misuse of such medications. Read more of the article...

I recently received this letter from a parent which touches on all of the issues involved in the diagnosis of childhood behavior disorders such as ADHD. Look at all of the issues involved: divorced parents, lifestyle of one of the parents, mood swings, inattention, tics, meds that don't work, and more. My heart goes out to this dad and his child: Read more of the article...

Intuniv TM and Vivanse

Shire Pharmaceuticals has invested heavily in developing medications for the treatment of ADHD in both children and adults. While Vivanse has become an option for many prescribing physicians and parents, they also have new medications “in the pipeline” to bring to the ADHD market. Read more of the article...

A recent study published in The American Journal of Psychiatry got everyone’s attention when it suggested that there may be an “association” between the use of stimulant medications, such as Ritalin, and “sudden cardiac deaths” in children that were considered to be “healthy” prior to their deaths.

But the details of the study, along with the “limitations” of the study, prompted the FDA to comment on the research and its conclusions, recommending that parents should not stop giving stimulant medication to their child just based on the conclusions of the study. Rather they recommend that parents have a discussion with the doctor who is prescribing and monitoring the medication. Read more of the article...