ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle (2018)
For anyone diagnosed with ADHD, taking stimulants is associated with 8+x increase of being diagnosed with a basal ganglia and cerebellum disease later in life.<p><i>I believe this is NOT causative, but is instead a correlation between other diseases associated with Dopamine production and ADHD. I take and have continued to take stimulants for ADHD.</i><p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nature.com&#x2F;articles&#x2F;s41386-018-0207-5" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nature.com&#x2F;articles&#x2F;s41386-018-0207-5</a><p>In my family&#x27;s case, we likely have something called Dopa Responsive Dystonia (DRD), and what the author is describing sounds to me like what I experienced prior to being diagnosed with ADHD, and later with DRD.<p><i>Having said that, I&#x27;m not a doctor, so please go see an experienced movement disorder specialist if you are reading this and have any concerns.</i><p>DRD is very hard to diagnose, but easy to treat. Because the stimulants (Adderall and Ritalin) made the DRD symptoms worse, my mother happened to get early onset Parkinson&#x27;s, and my grandmother also responded to carbodopa&#x2F;levodopa (carbo&#x2F;levo), it was fairly obvious in retrospect, but if we didn&#x27;t have a family member with early onset Parkinson&#x27;s I doubt it would have been picked up.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Dopamine-responsive_dystonia" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Dopamine-responsive_dystonia</a><p>My sense is that anyone with ADHD who uses stimulants should see an experienced movement disorder neurologist or few about basal ganglia and cerebellum diseases and try out medications based on their assessment. From personal experience, it became extremely clear I had DRD after taking carbo&#x2F;levo, but there&#x27;s no way I would have really known without trying it. It also helps with some of the stimulant side effects, which I still continue to take because they are very effective.<p>My family has seen maybe six neurologists total, and only one really knew about DRD. The Dystonia Foundation has a decent doctor locator.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;dystonia-foundation.org&#x2F;living-dystonia&#x2F;find-a-doctor&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;dystonia-foundation.org&#x2F;living-dystonia&#x2F;find-a-docto...</a>