ADHD Medications: Brain Damage, Heart Attacks, Hallucinations, and Liver Damage
The drug Ritalin is prescribed to 6 million children with ADHD each year and, like all pharmaceutical drugs, it has a long list of side effects including nervousness, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, insomnia, joint pains, headaches, increased blood pressure, fever, tachycardia. , abdominal pain and psychosis.
Tom Sawyer may have been lazy, absent, and complacent. You may have had fights with strangers for no apparent reason; but he was also witty, energetic, and refreshingly smart.
Today, children who have difficulty playing quietly or following directions are under the scrutiny of parents, teachers, counselors, and child therapists, all of them looking for the slightest sign of a medical syndrome.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) only requires that a warning be printed on the package insert for the drug Ritalin, which is now associated with 19 confirmed infant deaths due to cardiovascular problems. Stimulants can be much more dangerous to the heart than Vioxx or Bextra, drugs that have been withdrawn for the past two years due to their harmful effects on the heart.
On March 21, 2000, a 14-year-old boy died of a heart attack while skating. The ninth grader had been taking Ritalin since first grade. The boy’s father has testified that he and his wife were forced by Michigan Social Services to put their son on Ritalin or would otherwise be charged with neglecting their son’s educational and emotional needs. (WorldNetDaily.com January 3, 2003).
These agents substantially increase heart rate and blood pressure.
In a placebo-controlled trial, mixed salts of amphetamine (Adderall) given to adults increased systolic blood pressure by approximately 5 mm Hg; Similar effects were found with methylphenidate formulations. Changes in blood pressure of this magnitude, particularly during long-term therapy, are known to increase morbidity and mortality. (Steven E. Nissen. Medications for ADHD and cardiovascular risk. New England Journal of Medicine 2006; 354: 1445-1448).
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising healthcare professionals on a new warning for Strattera, a drug approved for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults and children.
The labeling warns that severe liver injury can progress to liver failure and lead to death or the need for a liver transplant in a small percentage of patients. The labeling also notes that the number of actual cases of severe liver injury is unknown as post-marketing adverse events were not reported. (Medical news today 12/18/2004).
Hallucinations
Medications like Ritalin cause a small number of children treated for ADHD to suffer from hallucinations that typically feature insects, snakes or worms, according to federal drug officials, and a panel of experts said Wednesday that doctors and parents should be warned of the risk. . (The New York Times March 23, 2006).
The current labeling of ADHD medications (Adderall, Focalin, Concerta, Metadate, Methylin, Ritalin, and Dexedrine) does not mention the possibility of hallucinations in patients who had no history of them and had taken the usual dose. “We read case after case of these children experiencing these hallucinations,” Rosemary Johann-Liang of the FDA’s Office of Drug Safety told the committee. “That’s something that really impressed all the critics.” (USA Today March 23, 2006).
FDA drug safety specialist Dr. Kate Gelperin told the committee that the agency had discovered a surprising number of cases in which young children who received stimulants suffered hallucinations. Most said they saw or felt insects, snakes or worms, Dr. Gelperin said. (The New York Times March 23, 2006).
Depression and brain damage
A new study conducted in rats by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and McLean Hospital / Harvard Medical School suggests that the misdiagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) combined with the use of prescription drugs in children it can lead to an increased risk of developing depressive symptoms in adulthood.
These findings are critical because they suggest that Ritalin may have long-term consequences on normal brain function. The study is particularly relevant when considering the difficulty in correctly diagnosing children with ADHD. There is growing evidence to suggest that the correct diagnosis of ADHD is of the utmost importance: Children who are mistakenly identified as having ADHD and then placed on prescription drug therapy could face possible impairment of brain performance in adulthood. (American College of Neuropsychopharmacology December 29, 2004).
Dr. Joan Baizer and colleagues at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York have found that relatively high doses of the drug methylphenidate, the generic form of Ritalin, changed the expression of a gene involved in brain function in laboratory rats. . The same gene is known to be affected in humans by other psychoactive drugs, such as amphetamines and cocaine. According to Dr. Baizer, the dose used was comparable to the upper limit of the dose used to treat children with ADD and ADHD, after accounting for differences in metabolism between rats and humans. (Anna Salleh, ABC Science Online 11/12/2001).
Manufacturers of ADHD medications have been instructed to produce patient medication guides that inform patients of the potential risks of adverse cardiovascular and psychiatric symptoms and the precautions to take. Adverse psychiatric events include hearing voices, becoming manic, or being suspicious for no reason. These events have even happened to people with no history of psychiatric conditions. (Catharine Paddock, Medical News Today February 22, 2007).
Dr Alasdair Vance from Alfred Hospital Melbourne said: “Yes, there are studies showing that Ritalin is effective, but they only look at single doses or what happens in the first three to six weeks. The vast majority of children take it for months or years. The few longer-term studies on Ritalin use had only looked at symptoms, not brain physiology.“, he warned.Anna Salleh, ABC Science Online 11/12/2001).
The new instruction affects 15 products, including various forms of Adderall, Concerta, Daytrana, Dexedrine, Focalin, Metadate, Methylin, Ritalin, and Strattera. The FDA has been criticized for not notifying the public sooner. (Medical News Today February 22, 2007).
After reading the above, would a parent be happy to give their child drugs? The first thing to do is observe the nutritional status of the child and other alternative non-drug therapies.
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