ADD/ADHD is a commonly diagnosed condition in school-aged children, and the numbers continue to grow. In the 2015-2016 school year, 10.1% of children in America's schools had been diagnosed with ADHD. That translates to just a bit over 6.1 million children. This is up from 6.1% percent less than a decade earlier.
The Difference Between ADD and ADHD
There is actually no clinical difference between the terms ADD and ADHD. ADD stands for attention deficit disorder, while ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The term ADD was solely used until the word "hyperactivity" was added to the diagnosis in 1987, thus creating the new term, ADHD. Since then, ADD is considered an outdated term even though many still use it today when speaking of ADHD.
Symptoms of ADHD
Like many conditions caused by the mind and body being somewhat out of sync, there are many symptoms that might be attributed to ADHD.
The symptoms of ADHD include:
- Being easily distracted or having a short attention span
- Frequently losing things
- Failure to complete given tasks
- Unable to follow verbal instructions, especially if they involve more than one step
- Poor organizational skills
- Unable to sit still
- Excessive talking, frequently at high speeds
- Being impulsive, unable to wait their turn
- No sense of danger
Since many of these symptoms can mimic other conditions, ADHD isn't usually diagnosed until several symptoms are detected and constant (chronic). Also, since children are likely to possess many (if not most) of these symptoms, medical and psychological testing is also usually administered in addition to confirming the frequency and presence of these symptoms to further support proper diagnosis.
Adderall Is a Game Changer
In the early years, there were no ADD medications available. Teachers, parents, and medical professionals had to rely on therapy and psychological techniques to try to help those diagnosed with ADD learn to control their behavior and impulses.
Fast forward to 1996 to the introduction of Adderall. It seems odd that Adderall, a stimulant, would be a successful treatment for those who show signs of hyperactivity, but it works. The prevailing theory is that the reason for ADHD symptom occurrence is due to the child's mind and body moving at different speeds. Adderall effectively corrects this imbalance, thus allowing the child to be calmer and more focused.
In combination with physical and psychological therapy, Adderall can help a child succeed in school and socially, allowing them to grow into a productive and independent adult.
The RxLess Discount Card Will Help You Save
If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed Adderall, you may be worried about the cost of having that prescription filled. The RxLess discount card can provide substantial savings on Adderall and all your other prescription medications. The RxLess discount card is accepted and can be used at over 70,000 pharmacies across the US, Puerto Rico, Guam and the US Virgin Islands.
Use the RxLess search tool to search your prescriptions to find the medication price at each pharmacy within your area. Once you find a suitable pharmacy's price, present the RxLess discount card to the pharmacist to obtain the discount. For more information on how to use RxLess, and how to obtain your RxLess discount card, visit our FAQ page at https://www.rxless.com/frequently-asked-questions
