I understand the energy of stimulant medications may help *inattentive type* ADHD people to focus: but how would they help someone who is already *hyperactive*?
It sounds counter-intuitive : ELI5?
In: 8
Brains run on dopamine. It’s the reward chemical for doing things we’re supposed to do. Most brains have a properly set tolerance for dopamine; they can feel the reward at a reasonable level.
ADHD brains generally have a higher tolerance for dopamine, they need more to achieve the same effect neurotypical people experience. This is partially why ADHD brains hyper-fixate on things they find interesting. ADHD brains are STARVING for dopamine, so whenever they find something that can produce enough to reach their threshold, they fixate on it.
Stimulants raise the overall level of dopamine in the brain to make it easier for additional dopamine to reach ADHD level thresholds.
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