Suffering with attention deficit disorder, ADD, symptoms can
be incredibly difficult and can also have a negative effect on your
relationships, your productivity, and your overall quality of life. To bring
relief from those symptoms, most physicians have a full line of medications
available to prescribe. Which one of the medications chosen can depend upon
factors such as the patient’s age and other medical conditions present.
Before you begin taking medication for your ADD symptoms, there
are several questions you may want to ask your doctor. One very important thing
to know is, “What are the long-term side effects of this medication?” Another
crucial question to ask is, “Will I have to take this medication for the rest
of my life, or is it intended to be a short-term therapy, and how is this determined?”
Another question that is being asked with increasing frequency as more people
seek the safest, least invasive therapies possible is, “Are there other methods
for relieving these symptoms without using ADD medications?” Your doctor may or
may not be familiar with alternative therapies such as biofeedback training,
specialized diets, and supplement use that are showing positive results in
managing ADD symptoms. If you’re interested in those possibilities, you may
have to do your homework before you meet with your physician.
One more group of questions that may arise when faced with a
new medical regimen begins with, “What restrictions will this place on my
life?” Following that should be, “What foods, activities, or other medications
should I avoid?” And it’s always important to ask, “What side effects should I
report?”
Working together with your healthcare provider, it’s
possible to create a safe, sensible protocol for managing your ADD symptoms.
Make a list of the questions you would like answered prior to beginning a new
medication, if that’s the prescribed therapy. By all means, explore the
complementary and alternative medicine therapies for alleviating your symptoms,
and ask your doctor about them. The final goal should be to find the answers
that are the best fit for you.
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