ADHD Neurotransmitters

ADHD Treatments Evolve Dramatically

Remember how that old Maine farmer told the lost city guy who stopped to ask for directions: “Come to think of it, you can’t get there from here…” Well, truth be known, the evolving neuroscience is taking us in new intervention directions.

ADHD medications, my friends, are evolving dramatically. Intuniv, the new ADHD medication, [not a stimulant, but rather an alpha 2A agonist] by Shire will be in your pharmacies soon, and the pharmacology, the indications, the new science is simply dramatic.

If you are a professional on any level, and can attend one of the launch dinners in your town, I strongly recommend that you take an evening to see evolved neurophysiology at work. That α2A receptor, that quite different medication, will help change the way we think about medications for ADHD in the future. More about that later, stay tuned to CorePsych Blog for the details, – and watch my YouTube Channel at DrChalresParker for a pithy report on our office findings with Intuniv – likely next weekend.

Neurotransmitter Measurements For ADHD

Neurotransmitter physiology takes us way beyond what we have been doing for years with only stimulant medications. Neurotransmitters will take us further down the line to that holy grail of ADHD treatments: The Natural Way. Do make sure you sign up for updates, because this evolving neurotransmitter information will be the main theme in coming reports – and for today one brief story that I am sure will get your attention:

More than ADHD

52 yo male flies in from California for SPECT functional brain scans and complete brain review after years of failed treatment for ADHD and depression. These basic findings will make your hair curl:

Prozac 140 mg in the AM combined with Lexapro 80 mg in AM
Adderall XR 80 mg in the AM
Neurontin 800 mg 2X/day [given because he looked bipolar with the AMP and the Prozac - go figure]

Does serotonin syndrome come to mind? Are you now with me on my oft cited 2D6 interactions between Ampehtamines and Prozac? Lemme guess… do you think he was, dare I say it… toxic?

He suffered with profound ADHD – he couldn’t think, couldn’t complete sentences, drifted off with his wife – he looked like a flaming Thinking ADHD subset. His legs were twitching, not only at night, but through the day. He suffered from cognitive impairment/dementia and worried that he had early Alzheimer’s. He had significant metabolic issues with transit time slowing for years.

We got the interactions straight, confirmed with SPECT that he suffered from significant metabolic challenges with diffuse hypoperfusion across the surface of his brain.

The Neurotransmitter Watershed

Most important after these obvious issues, with no brain injury and no evidence of Alzheimer’s, were the neurotransmitter testing results [spend some time on this page and download the details]. His cognitive world was completely handicapped by low levels of Dopamine and Serotonin, with, as you might expect, elevated levels of Glutamate [more later, stay tuned].

Even with all the dopaminergic drugs his dopamine was below normal levels. The simple reason he didn’t suffer from serotonin syndrome: he had so little his serotonin tank was almost completely empty! Yes, for years he has been a picky eater.

Neurotransmitter Lesson: Without the foundation of an appropriate supply of neurotransmitters in the first place no amount of psychiatric medications will turn the treatment tide. You can’t get there from here.

You will hear this next measurement phrase repeatedly here:
If you don’t look, you won’t see the specific problem – comprehensive evidence is that new direction.

With this executive he suffered from pervasive cognitive problems, the SPECT imaging provided a good safety check, and the neurotransmitter testing provided the most effective different medical intervention strategy. My humble opinion: neurotransmitter testing will provide significant different intervention strategies for many with complex presentations.

He is thrilled with his new cognition, is on target in his marriage and at work, and does not suffer crippling brain toxicity. He is on neurotransmitter precursors [natural amino acid combinations] specifically designed to meet his deficiencies. Prozac is long gone, he is on Pristiq and Vyvanse, only low doses of each, and time will tell if he even needs those medications down the road.

Stay tuned for more reports like this one, with more details on the specific process. Best to simply sign up for these blog posts as I will be sending out regular info on these new directions. Neuroscience evolves.

And do forward this post to your friends who are stuck with ADHD Medication challenges. – And BTW, yes, we can provide this testing long distance, as we don’t require a trip to Virginia, unless we write for medications.

Drugs, Genes and ADHD (adhd-treatment-options.blogspot.com)

—>Tweet this post below! For ADHD Medications: Download complimentary white paper Precise Solutions now, – and get ready for the complete version of ‘The Patient’s Guide’ details to follow. Get Neurotransmitter Details Here

Tagged as: ADD and ADHD, ADHD Neurotransmitters, Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, brain, Disorders, dopamine, Health, Mental health, Neurotransmitter deficits, neurotransmitter precursors, neurotransmitter testing, neurotransmitters, Serotonin

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Anything

Metaphoric ‘psych’ fishing report from out on the Santa Monica Pier: -

Out in Cally last weekend, I asked this affable angler a basic fishing question: What are you fishing for? His answer: “Anything that bites…”

Sounds like typical fishing, – but it isn’t my way, and I hope isn’t yours.
No, his objective, today and everyday, is not targeted precision. It’s ANYTHING…

Medical science makes the new office/fishing wisdom simple: with neurotransmitter biomarker testing, we can match the hatch [they biting on Mayflies?]. We still need that careful clinical interview, just as we do with SPECT brain imaging– but with this kind of less costly evidence [most insurances cover it], we can see where the excess and the deficits exist. No longer will our conversations focus only upon serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine… but twelve neurotransmitters, many you haven’t yet heard about.

Background on all this fishing stuff
Yes, I do love to fly fish, from the Madison River in MT for rainbow trout, to bonefish, to stripers in saltwater, right here in Va. Beach. I tie my own flies, have written an article for Fly Fishing in Saltwaters, and, don’t tell anyone, have saved road kill [great fly tying materials – the Boy Scout way] – and if I had some more time, I would be out there in my kayak chasing those stripers.

But now I’m fishing for a different, more challenging fish: ideas that work for people – with no risk, using the best technology, at the best cost point.

So… how does fishing relate to brains and psych? Very simple – fly-fishing is about understanding the details of the natural world, seeing, then understanding what’s there in the water in front of you. If you aren’t looking and thinking, you may think your fishing – but it’s just passing time. – ‘Anything that bites will be just fine’ just doesn’t work in the context of what we now know about brain physiology and insect hatches.

Why all this fish fuss?
Just back last night from, dare I say it, a remarkable ‘fishing day’ with the NeuroScience folk talking about what I consider to be, get this, nothing less than: the future of psychiatry. One of the presenters, Eileen Wright MD, I’ve heard on CD, but seeing her live, listening to her psychopharmacologic understanding of sleep, – beats some of the deepest pharma researchers I’ve heard – and as you know, I have been seriously listening. Sleep, ADHD, Depression and Anxiety – just what exactly are we trying to find and fix?

Stay tuned here to the CorePsychBlog – I will keep bringing you up to date on neurotransmitter measurement [and correction] specifics. I spelled out these details in several CorePsych Radio Programs, and put up some links to downloads on the psychiatric implications of neurotransmitter measurement here.

Just read this excellent paper on Neurotransmitter testing to get you started – and I will teach you how to ‘match the hatch.’

Talk soon,
cp