in today's lesson we will continue to explore our discussion on nervous system disorders with a focus on ADHD add and their treatments ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is marked by hyperactivity impulsiveness and difficulty paying attention on the other hand add or attention deficit disorder is quite similar to ADHD but lacks the hyperactivity component seen in ADHD both disorders can significantly impact daily life making tasks that require sustained attention challenging let's move on to discuss the treatments available for these conditions to see how we as pharmacy techs can help these individuals with these disorders stimulants such as methylphenidate marketed as conserta dexmethylphenidate marketed as Focalin and listex amphetamine marketed as vivants are commonly prescribed for add or ADHD common stems for these drugs are eight or in it is important to note that methylphenidate is a scheduled 2 medication with high potential for abuse as a controlled substance it is heavily regulated the combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine in the drug with brand named adderal XR is also used for ADHD and narcolepsy the neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to control sleep wake Cycles stimulants help increase attention and decrease impulsiveness and hyperactivity by increasing the levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain however stimulants can have side effects the most serious effects include fatal hypothermia characterized by abnormal body temperature seizures arthas and cardiovascular failure less serious effects are paranoia anger headaches dizziness rest or Tremor additionally stimulants are contraindicated in individuals with glaucoma hypertension coronary artery disease or an overactive thyroid meanwhile a non-stimulant medication atomoxetine with the brand named stratera is also used to manage ADHD lastly anti-adrenergic agents such as clonidine with the brand named cpress are used as non-stimulant option or as an adjunct to stimulant medications clonidine is used to manage ADHD symptoms and hypertension let's recap what we've learned ADHD includes hyperactivity while add does not stimulants and non-stimulants are used to manage these conditions pay attention to contraindications and potential for Abus of stimulants as they can have highly addictive properties