Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 25, 2026

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients
Published on: June 12, 2020
Treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults: focus on once-daily medications
Richard H Weisler1, Ann C Childress
1Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina (Dr Weisler); and Department of Family Practice, Center for Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Inc, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Department of Psychiatry at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno (Dr Childress).
Objective:
To review the efficacy, safety, and abuse liability of approved treatments in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with a focus on once-daily medications.
Data Sources:
PubMed was searched for relevant studies/reviews in English from 2002 to 2011 on adult ADHD treatments.
Study Selection:
Keywords used in the search were ADHD, adults, and treatment. Limits included only clinical trials, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, and reviews including adults (aged ≥ 19 years).
Data Extraction:
Selection criteria returned 471 publications. Retrieved studies were excluded if they primarily focused on children, treatments not indicated for ADHD, or ADHD and comorbid conditions.
Data Synthesis:
An epidemiologic survey revealed that 10.9% of adults identified with ADHD had received treatment during the prior 12 months. Treatments for ADHD in adults include pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic options. US Food and Drug Administration-approved long-acting stimulants and a nonstimulant with proven efficacy and safety profiles have been developed and include osmotic-release oral system methylphenidate hydrochloride (OROS-methylphenidate), extended-release dexmethylphenidate hydrochloride, mixed amphetamine salts extended release (MAS-XR), the nonstimulant atomoxetine hydrochloride, and the prodrug lisdexamfetamine dimesylate. Long-acting stimulants differ in formulation characteristics used to achieve extended release, with OROS-methylphenidate employing an osmotic-release technology, extended-release dexmethylphenidate hydrochloride and MAS-XR using pH-dependent beads, and lisdexamfetamine dimesylate using prodrug technology. These features variably affect pharmacokinetic characteristics, duration of action, and abuse liability. While all long-acting medications have varied pharmacokinetic features, mechanism of action, and duration of effect, all are generally efficacious and safety profiles are similar.
Conclusion:
Approved long-acting treatments in adults with ADHD were effective in improving symptoms and were generally well tolerated.
More Related Videos
10:02Event Related Potentials ERPs and other EEG Based Methods for Extracting Biomarkers of Brain Dysfunction: Examples from Pediatric Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD
Published on: March 12, 2020
08:25Measuring Attentional Biases for Threat in Children and Adults
Published on: October 19, 2014
Related Concept Videos
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings....
Classical Conditioning in Daily Life
John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner famously demonstrated the development of fear through classical conditioning in their experiment with Little Albert. They paired the...
Intrinsically Disordered Proteins
Inhaled Medications
Focusing of Light in the Eye
Coping Strategies: Problem Focused
For example, consider a student who struggles to understand their...