how does ADHD medication work?
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The way all psychiatric meds work is poorly understood, and of course that is because the brain is poorly understood. Stimulants seem to “stimulate” parts of the brain involved in alertness and focus. So if you have a deficiency in alertness and focus, the meds improve your ability to pay attention, complete tasks, plan ahead, stay organized.
They also seem to improve self monitoring, so you are less likely to say something stupid or do something reckless. This a bit paradoxical, as you would think stimulants would increase impulsive behaviour, but they don’t, or at least not at usual prescribed doses in people with adhd.
Presumably, they somehow “tweak” brain pathways that operate on signalling with neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline. However, as I said, at that level we start to lose understanding of exactly what is going on.
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