Posted on 01/26/2009 5:15:05 AM PST by raybbr
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can cause children to have hallucinations even when taken as directed, U.S. government researchers said on Monday.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration researchers analyzed data from 49 clinical studies conducted by makers of the drugs and found they can cause psychosis and mania in some patients, including some with no obvious risk factors. In some cases, children hallucinated that worms, bugs or snakes were crawling on them.
"Patients and physicians should be aware of the possibility that psychiatric symptoms consistent with psychosis or mania" might arise in the course of treatment, Dr. Andrew Mosholder and colleagues wrote in the journal Pediatrics.
Their analysis provides fresh detail about known risks of the drugs, which include Novartis AG's Ritalin and Focalin XR, Shire Plc's Adderall XR and Daytrana patch, Johnson & Johnson's Concerta, Eli Lilly and Co's Strattera and Celltech Pharmaceuticals Inc's Metadate CD.
It also includes data on Cephalon Inc's modafinil, sold as Provigil, a narcolepsy drug that was rejected as an ADHD treatment in children.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I gave that story its own thread. This is important.
I wonder how many voters for the liberal way have been sedated since their youth?
Wasn’t one of the Columbine killers on one of these types of drugs and because of it he was prevented from joining the Marines?
This news will probably increase the black-market demand for the drugs among students.
Given the number of adults, i.e. their parents taking ADHD meds, they are probably not having much trouble filling the demand side...
These drugs are very dangerous. I have seen the damage they inflict on those seeking relief.
There’s gonna be a special place in hell....
ADHD drugs are amphetamines. Period. Amphetamines can cause these effects, especially with long term use and especially if one is sleep deprived from the use of stimulants.
I know, these drugs... my nephew took a strong drug that made him see flying people, which of course, scared the heck out of him. I felt really bad for him.
The prospect of spending future tax incomes, makes elected and appointed government officials hallucinate.
Now I guess I better prepare for the onslaught of ADHD doubters to hit this thread. I was one at one time.
Quite so. They are psychotropic and in the same federal category of controlled substances as cocaine.
I don't think they doubt ADHD. I believe they don't believe it's a pervasive a problem as the diagnoses. At least that's the way I feel about it.
I would've been on them.
Now, I own three successful companies and no one dares speak of ADHD.
Instead they call me a driven multi-tasker.
“I believe they don’t believe it’s a pervasive a problem as the diagnoses.”
The diagnosis is usually made by the parent, because the kid won’t behave at school or go to bed when ordered, and the pediatrician, to keep the parent’s happy, writes a script. My wife claims that she has seen very few cases in which the drugs are denied when the parents ask for them. In a minority of cases the pediatrician will actually investigate behavior at school or order an evaluation by a behavioral specialist before writing a script. In many cases she is convinced, after being with the child all day, the problem is lousy parents.
The cure can be worse than the disease.
My wife tells me about so many children whose eyes glaze over and seem to zone out into a trance like state after being medicated.
The doubt is NOT about ADHD... it is the potential more harm caused to the mind of the child that is the unknown. Raising a child is work, and each child is different. In my own personal life, I had one of these children that IF I would 'he' would have been the perfect candidate for medication.
What stopped me from taking this path was the observation of the other boys and their behaviors coming down off the medication and then their reactions after taking the medication. And the overwhelming majority of children put on the medications were boys. That alone concerned me.
Right. No one should be surprised at these side effects. Even caffeine will do similar things to some people.
I’ve read that it’s common for students to sell their prescription drugs to other students. If a person’s parents have them, that would be an easier source, of course.
Ah. It was my experience that it was 'illegal' for students to even have on their person any kind of meds. I observed the rush hour to the nurses office for the students to get their daily meds. Course I have no idea what kind of meds at home were in the hands of the children. Reason why I suspected that it was likely someone else prescription meds getting trafficked.
It probably is, but people don't always follow rules.
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