What are your thoughts on the proper use of medications like Ritalin and Adderall?
First, I’ll repeat that it’s absolutely essential that a proper diagnosis be made before using any medication. I have a saying that accurate diagnosis guides effective treatment. It’s also important to have realistic expectations. You can take a pound of medication and still not do any work. The fact is, you still have to choose to put in the effort. Medication puts you in the ballpark, but you still have to swing the bat. How do you choose a medication? Typically, I recommend an extended release. That means either Adderall XR, Concerta, Vyvanse, or Focalin XR. To choose between them, I find the rule of thirds to be quite useful. Roughly one third of patients will respond best to Adderall or Vyvanse, one third to Ritalin/Concerta/Focalin, and one third will respond equally to both. You can’t point at a hundred people and say that for everyone Adderall or Ritalin would work best, but for any one person there may be a better or worse response. For my patients, it can be hard, but they ha
