MSD

Exactly. Rule out other causes, then see a specialist. I go to a Yale-educated psychiatrist who has an amazing reputation, and he checked on other things first, then determined that samll amounts of medication would help. For several years, I switched from medication to medication, each causing their own problems, and slowly weaned off of medication, which acted as a crutch to help me overcome my ADHD. I'm still easily distracted, I'm still impulsive and hyper, but I am able to cope with it using techniques that I learned with the help of medication.

Basically, if ADD is definitely the culprit, medication can help, but won't cure anything. The patient needs to be willing to try to improve and push him/herself and not run off when it seems difficult.