How long does it take for ADD medicine to help?

It depends on the medication. You will notice an immediate difference with Adderal. Stuff like Welbutrin takes a few weeks to kick in.

Just a side note: Medication is not a magic bullet. If you’ve had ADHD/ADD for a long time, you’ve learned bad habits and you will need to learn better ones. A coach or councilor goes a long way with this. If you only take the meds, you will only notice a slight difference in the long run.

@keobooks Thanks for that. He can’t be told anything, so perhaps meds really won’t be the thing to help him.

What is the medication? My husband noticed a difference in about three weeks, and then he continued to improve.

Well, I wouldn’t discount the meds. I noticed a difference and wanted to do what I could to improve because I finally felt like there was hope for a change. Before that, I would never listen to people who tried to help. It wasn’t that I was being a jerk, I just knew whatever they told me was going to be hopeless. Once I had the meds and I actually saw things change, I got eager to to whatever it took to get even better.

It varies for each person. You really should discuss your concerns with his doctor.

Widely variable since everyone is different. Some people respond better to certain meds than others, and even if they do get the right med, getting the right dosage is tricky at best.

As for side-effects, well, those also run a wide range. Maybe mood swings, maybe depression, maybe super-hyperactivity to the point of tachycardia and heart attack… really no one answer to that either.

I will say that while some people’s lives are far better due to medication, some of us really have more problems with pills than without. There is no “one size fits all” solution since everybody is different.