My 29 year son was diagnosed 3 years ago with add....the doctor had him on Adderall which he abused with drinking and smoking pot.....he quit smoking 2 months ago....and quit drinking a month ago....Doctor has him on focalin now for a year and Im being told that it isnt working...My son is upping the dose on his own thus running out of pills....what is the difference between add and adhd....does adhd meds help with add?  He has also been diagnosed with ocd...clinical depression and anxiety...He is on klonopin and clamepramine as well....he has a drs apt on the 9th and wants to switch the focalin for Dexedrine...what do I do?
Hello and welcome to Chat Doctor. Thanks for your query. I understand that you are concerned about your sons diagnosis and his Chat Doctor.  Now, regarding your question about his diagnosis, ADD and ADHD refer to the same condition. They are just different terminology used in different classification systems. ADD stands for Attention Deficit Disorder and is a diagnosis under the WHO diagnosis classification system (ICD-10). ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and this is a diagnosis under the American classification system (DSM-IV TR). Both diagnoses share common characteristics and the treatment is almost the same. Regarding his medication, I would not be in a position to say which medication would be appropriate for him without knowing a detailed history and a proper psychological assessment. So, I would advise you to discuss his medication with his treating doctor. Wish you all the best.