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I think medication is always worth trying, because with ADHD you never know what might work. Since psychostimulants are generally the first choice, that's what should be tried first. As a student who was diagnosed with ADD in elementary school, I can say that some medications don't work. Dosage matters too. You've got to use trial and error to find what works.

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I think it is bizarre that the psychostimulatns are categorized with other anphetamines. This to me means they should be highly controlled, versus a first medication resort.

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If medication was being heavily considered, I would prefer to start with a non-stimulant prescription. It takes longer to see an effect but there is less risk of serious abuse or side effects. I would be more reluctant to try the stimulants because the dose is so much stronger and the withdrawals could be so much worse. I think heavy drugs and doses should be considered greatly before prescribed or given to young children or teenagers.

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I tend to avoid broad sweeping generalizations like "kids shouldn't be given drugs", or "all kids should be given drugs for ADHD". What I will say, is that when approached on a case by case basis, if a child responds well to a course of medication than that very well might be the right care plan. What I find alarming from our reading, however, is the cardiovascular side effects of the non-stimulant drugs. Any drug that can raise a pulse rate it to 5 bpm and the systolic bloop pressure up to 3 mmHG is clearly a stimulant, regardless of its classification. I would like to see more research on why that class of drug is categorized as a non-stimulant.,

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I think the us of medication is very situational. If someone have severe ADHD then they should be but on medication. However, I think medication should be like the last option. I think that people should learn and try to manage their ADHD without it but I know that it is not the case for everyone. So if need be then they should  be put on medication.

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As I read the article, I would be concerned to give my child ADHD medications. I say this because there are no studies on the use of psychostimulant medications for more than a few years. However, saying this it also might depend upon how the child reacts to the medication. This is because it can do good things for them like limiting their "ups and downs." I am still on the fence with this and as I learn more I hope to gain a solid opinion.

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I think it's really concerning how there aren't any studies about the long term use of stimulant for treating ADHD. There is no way of knowing how people could be effected both physically and psychologically by long term use. It also seems like there can be severe side effects to nonstimulants, so even though they are less likely to be abused,they aren't necessarily a "safe alternative" to stimulants.

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I think the use of psychostimulants could be useful in certain cases. The article mentioned that some people prefer it because it leads to fewer ups and downs during the day. If an individual finds the sensitivity that comes with ADHD troublesome, I think psychostimulants could be a viable option.

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I did not know before the variety of medications with the variety of affects that are available to treat symptoms of ADHD, and the use of psychostimula or non-stimulate medication will vary based upon the person with ADHD, their lifestyle, and how they respond to the medication.

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We think that it depends on the person. There is a wide variations of results and some people take it better than other, or with less symptoms. Others could become reliant on the med and that could be detrimental for a student. We think that it should be on a person to person basis. We also know there are not many long term studies and it could harm the body.

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The use of medication, especially psychostimulants, works for many people and doesn't have negative effects. However, there are non stimulants that are available to those who do have negative effects. It really comes down to how your body reacts and what you feel you need to help yourself.

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According to the article psychostimulants may require the dult or child to take multiple doses a day. Based on this evidence I would conclude that takeing this type of medication is not something I would want someone to turn towards. Anytime your body has to multiple medications throughout the day is something negative in my opinion. I understand why some people want to take medication however I think medication should be a last resort

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I believe that medication is not the only option, but that it should still be an option for people because it really depends on the situation. Treating ADHD cannot be looked at like a one size fits all solution. With psychostimulants having the option have short term and long term, I think that it is good that it can be based off of the individual. I also think that there are some down falls to medication, but it as a whole it should be determined case by case.

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Medicating of students/adults with ADHD should vary case by case. Psychostimulants and nonstimulants should be tested for each person to find the right combination and dosage. Overall, the dosing and usage should be different for each person.

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As in everything in the medical field and in education there is never a one size fits all. Medicating an ADHD child could be beneficial and detrimental. For some medication is a necessity, and allows them to complete everyday tasks , where others can learn to work around ADHD. I would be cautious as to the side effects and withdraw symptoms.  I would suggest that parents do their research and look into all medications. I would also be curious about a long term effects study on Psychostimulants, and see the responses

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Based on the information I the article I don't think medication should be pushed so heavily. In some cases, like when the person who has been diagnosed is older and able to make better informed decisions, medication can be successfully used. However, seeing how psycho stimulants can create the chance for substance abuse I think we should look for other methods to help students.

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I think that medication shouldn't be required or expected of students who have ADHD. It definitely depends on the individual, their interests and hobbies and their needs. It should be taken as needed but I don't know how side effects and withdraw would apply to only taking it occasionally.

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From the article, I learned that psychostimulants are the most common medication for ADHD, while nonstimulant medications come in second place. However, these medications are not perfect and they act differently among different people, sometimes they would bring negative effects to the users. I think there is a huge space for how the improve the medications treatment for people who have ADHD

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I believe that this should be decided based on the child. I do not think we can say ADHD medication should never be used nor that it should always be used. It is reassuring that these medications have been highly tested. Overall, a student should test out what is best for them and be able to work with teachers and doctors to find the right solution.

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Honestly, I do not think people should get on medication unless they really need it. However, I also feel that there are benefits of it and it can be very helpful for people. I think parents and students should research the pros and cons. They may also try it and see how it affects them. Personally, I think there are other alternatives to medicine but it depends on the situation.

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Allissa Hupp, Kinley Farney, Ashley Minge

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Allissa Hupp, Kinley Farney, Ashley Minge

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We think that medication should only be used in extreme situations. Many students have withdraws when going off of the medication. We think that it is unreasonable to ask a 2 year old, let alone a 7 year, or even a 16 year old, to take medication more than once a day on a set schedule. Kids have to take the medication to school, and adults have to take it to work, even with the long-lasting medication because it only lasts around 6-8 hours average, with the newer ones lasting 10-12.

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The use of medication should depend on how the child reacts to it. Some children are able to take medicine and react fine to it. Others do not react so well which is why I think it varies with each child.

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It seems to me that there are some issues with medication in general. Mainly adverse effects or having to try many different kinds to find what works for them. Also they seem to be lacking in long term studies on psychostimulants. However I think we need to approach ADHD on a case by case basis. Some kids may need medication and it may work well for them while other students may just need to try other things such as therapy.

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As someone who has been diagonised with ADHD, and has been on medication for it since grade skill. I'm supportive of using medications for ADHD. BUT only if it helps students, it took me a very long time to find the correct medication for me, and can be very dangerous. I also can find medication very frustrating because I think it gets abused by people. Especially when I see someone who doesn't need it, taking it. But that's just my personal opinion.

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I believe that there are apparent and evident cases both for an against the utilization of medications for ADHD. With that is mind, I think it to be sensible that the parents along with the child should independently be able to make their own choice on the matter.

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I think before forcing a child to take medications, there are many other methods and strategies to manage ADHD. It should be taken case by case whether a child needs medication or not; or whether they may need stimulants versus non-stimulants. I believe that behavior therapy can be a big part of helping manage ADHD. The child and family should have input whether it is necessary the child be on medication.

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I think ADHD should be used if the child reacts well to them. If the child responds well and can handle the drugs then I do not see a problem with it. The thing that does concern me about the psychostimulants is that there is a lack of research. I am concerned about the nonstimulants that they still increase the heart rate even though they say that it is not a stimulant. This is concerning especially with people that may not be able to have an increased heart rate.

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I think that while medication can be useful, it should not be the first solution to combating the problem of ADHD. The lack of research on some of the effects of these drugs could lead to long term problems for students. If a student could function well in a classroom with just individualized attention and specialized instruction, I think that avoiding medicating the child would be the best case scenario. If these tactics are not working however I would first start with lower dosages to make sure it wouldn't harm the child. Using medication as a last resort seems the most fitting to me personally.

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It is near impossible for me to pick a side in the debate of medicating people with ADHD. Each person has a different chemical make up, behavioral tendencies and level of severity. Thus, I believe that medication should only be prescribed on a case by case basis.  A major concern for me when it come to medicating individuals is the reaction and symptoms to testing new medications.

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The thing that concerns me about the use of psychostimulants is not only the lack of long term research done on them, but the fact that they would be unable to conduct such research without it being unethical. Also, the inability to know how one will react to it without actually just having them try it and waiting to see what happens.

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I think medication should be looked at thoroughly by the individual and the parents to decide what is best for them. It all depends on how the medication affects the person directly, as well as their personality. To me, medication should be a last option and used with discretion. Knowing my brother has ADHD, and the medicine changed his personality is also a reason for my opinion.

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It seems to me that there are some benefits to medications but also a lot of downfalls. It seems like with psychostimulant medication they can experience a lot of ups and downs and withdrawals from the meds. It looks like a lot of the symptoms of ADHD can be helped without medication. It looks like the biggest adverse effects of medications are withdrawals and making kids have a more suppressed personality. I personally don't think this is the best option because I don't think kids need to be suppressed. They need to be helped if they have a hard time behaving acceptably but I don't think they should always just be given pills to fix the problem. I think there ar probably a lot more alternative treatment options than medication and I think those should be tried first, especially in crucial developmental times for students with ADHD.

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It seems that there are issues involved with the use of stimulants (having to retake them, adversions to the medication, "rebounding") which raise the cost of useing them. This being said they are still the first choice as opposed to non-stimulants, which implies they have their merits as well. I know many people who are addicted to stimulant medications prescribed for ADHD; it seems to be a pretty huge cost for the benefit associated. This being said, I also know many people who are very greatful for their stimulant medications.