Suggest Treatment For Lack Of Focus In School And Distraction

Posted on Sat, 10 Oct 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 10 Oct 2015 Answered on

Thu, 29 Oct 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : I have never been prescribes adderall, but I am currently struggling in school and can not keep up when anything around the house.

Answered by Dr. Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Best to first figure out what is wrong.

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,

I am sorry you are having problems with school and things that need to get done at home.

Adult Attention Deficit Disorder can cause the things you are describing, but other things can cause these problems too, such as anxiety or depression. Please note that with ADD, the symptoms have been present in some degree since childhood.

Here is a reliable site that has an ADD checklist that you might find helpful:http://www.addadult.com/getting-help/screening-checklist/

Some of the symptoms of ADD and anxiety can overlap, such as difficulty focusing attention on things. In spite of the overlap, treatment is different for ADD vs anxiety or other problems. As you mentioned, there is Adderall for ADD, or some of the newer drugs such as Vyvanse. For anxiety or depression, Lexapro (escitalopram) can be effective and has one of the best side effect profiles.

So it may be best for you to see a psychiatrist for a consult to sort out the problem of your feeling overwhelmed and inability to keep up. I know this may be hard without medical insurance, but if you can, it might be worth it.

I hope this information helps.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar