Thanks your really helpful
That's a very good question.
Basically, the most common meds are stimulant medications. There are now a few successful non stimulant meds out there, but that's another story.
So what are stimulant medications?
"Ritalin (methylphenidate), Concerta (a long lasting capsule form of methylphenidate), Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine), Adderall (a mixture of amphetamines) and Cylert (pemoline) are sometimes called "stimulants". When prescribed for people who have ADHD, they stimulate the frontal parts of the brain which are not inhibiting ("filtering out") distractions as well as they should. The medications work similarly to caffeine. They are not tranquilizers or sedatives. The children appear "calmer" because they are more focused, not because they are sedated. Many children require medication in order to give them the basic tools needed to work on behavioral modifications.
How can these medicines help?
They can improve attention span, decrease distractibility, increase ability to finish tasks, improve ability to follow directions, decrease hyperactivity, and improve ability to think before acting (decrease impulsivity).
Legibility of handwriting and completion of school work and homework can improve. Aggression and stubbornness may decrease in youngsters with ADHD.
Stimulant medication is not the only answer for ADHD! The medicine often works best when used together with special help in school and behavior modification procedures at home and school. Some youngsters and families also benefit from individual, family, or group psychotherapy. If stimulant medications do not help, or cause side effects that are a problem, you can discuss other medications with the doctor."
This is all from this site - http://www.pediatricneurology.com/ritalin.htm
There is a lot more information that follows about non stimulants, side effects, etc.
Hope this helps and it isn't information overload.
Well I just wanna know what the meds do.
Not sure of your question. Are you asking what does or what should the med do for you? Or perhaps asking about side effects? Or how the meds work on someone with ADD as compared to a person without ADD?
If so more info is needed. First everybody reacts a little bit differently to the meds. But there are a variety of meds out there in both the stimulant and non stimulant form and they all do things a bit differently. I can give you a site that covers all of them, but its kind of technical.
So if you can be a bit more specific, perhaps I can direct you to a place with the info you want.