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10,000 Young Toddlers Are on Stimulant Drugs for ADHD
http://www.huffingtonpost.com ^ | May 17, 2014 | Allen Frances, M.D

Posted on 05/17/2014 3:03:09 PM PDT by Veto!

How crazy is it to drug babies? ……… An adventurous group of cowboy child psychologists invented a new and untested diagnostic category (with the ridiculous name 'Sluggish Cognitive Tempo') that would be a wonderful target for additional inappropriate stimulant use. …. "Treating babies with stimulants is based on no research, is reckless, and takes no account of the possible harmful long-term effects of bathing baby brains with powerful neurotransmitter drugs."

(Excerpt) Read more at huffingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: adhd; bigpharma; drugs
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To: Veto!

From experience with our son, the parents need to eliminate all processed foods. No artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, preservatives, etc. No low-fat, low-cal, fat-free, diet anything. 100% whole wheat. No fruit juices. Real food is the key. Combine dietary changes with extra exercise and physical stimulation during learning time and the kids will thrive. Also, a high quality multi vitamin and extra D, B, and omega 3s.


21 posted on 05/17/2014 3:33:25 PM PDT by goodwithagun (My gun has killed fewer people than Ted Kennedy's car.)
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To: drunknsage

I have heard of that reaction. It, of course, is not very common. Sorry that happened.

I actually take it (80 mg) for an off-label purpose entirely unrelated to ADHD. Can’t even tell I’m on it except it does improve the symptom somewhat.


22 posted on 05/17/2014 3:36:08 PM PDT by steve86
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To: drunknsage
Thanks, drunknsage. That's pretty scary. No wonder the kids graduate to heroin and coke -- their ADHD drugs can be gateway drugs to addiction. I don't know this for sure, but I do suspect that some "legal" psychoactive drugs can do just that.

More from Dr. Frances:

Many people thought I was being overly optimistic when recently I predicted that the ADHD fad had finally peaked and that we would gradually return to more appropriate levels of diagnosis (perhaps the previous 3 percent instead of the current 11 percent). My optimistic prediction was not based on naivete about Pharma greed or physician carelessness. My hopes rested on the possibility that there would be a backlash of parental and professional protest as it becomes clearer and clearer how absurdly overused is the ADHD diagnosis and the stimulant medication. ….. The CDC report will certainly fuel that outrage and help stimulate a backlash, but at what price to the babies?

So where is the parental and professional outrage?

23 posted on 05/17/2014 3:40:36 PM PDT by Veto! (OpInions freely dispensed as advice)
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To: goodwithagun
From experience with our son, the parents need to eliminate all processed foods. No artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, preservatives, etc. No low-fat, low-cal, fat-free, diet anything. 100% whole wheat. No fruit juices. Real food is the key. Combine dietary changes with extra exercise and physical stimulation during learning time and the kids will thrive. Also, a high quality multi vitamin and extra D, B, and omega 3s.

I was waiting for someone to bring up the OTHER junk we feed our kids. Good for you, and especially good for your son.

It's a real battle to eat right in the face of so much VERY attractive, widely advertised garbage.

24 posted on 05/17/2014 3:45:33 PM PDT by Veto! (OpInions freely dispensed as advice)
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To: Veto!
Some kids probably do need treatment, but not anywhere near the number that are taking dangerous meds.

^^THIS^^

And it makes it a lot tougher for parents of the kids that "really" have a problem, because so much cynicism has been bred regarding this issue.

Sad to say, there are people I have known in my life that I could predict whose kids will be diagnosed with ADHD. Except for one family, they've met basically the same critieria: split or "too busy" parents, lack of discipline, overstimulation (endless TV and electronics) and crappy diet.

Toss in the prejudice against "normal boy behavior" in the schools and it's been a recipe for disaster.

25 posted on 05/17/2014 3:58:38 PM PDT by workerbee (The President of the United States is DOMESTIC ENEMY #1!)
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To: workerbee

The thing is that a lot of parents don’t get second opinions when meds are prescribed.

My daughter was diagnosed with a movement disorder at 15 where her left hand cramps and/or has uncontrollable movements. The first neurologist prescribed Artane to treat it. He said there were few side effects. We went online, and online people said it was horrble.

We then got a referral to a movent disorders specialist at Stanford. She was very against the meds and said that the side effects from Artane would be worse than the disorder. She did prescribe clonapin (which has terrible side effects), but it’s to be used sparingly when my daughter is having lots of pain or cramping. I think my daughter has taken it 3 or 4 times. She also had my daughter trying physical therapy and other methods to help her that don’t include meds.

My other daughter has a seizure disorder and a brain injury. She’s on anti-seizure meds, but has ad other issues. Her psychiatrst has never wanted to put her on meds for depression or anxiety. She’s too worried about how meds will affect her because of the rain injury. She likes us going to psychologist and modifying her environment.

I love doctors who don’t jump to medicate!


26 posted on 05/17/2014 4:25:15 PM PDT by luckystarmom
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To: Veto!

It can be frustrating. I make our bread and have a huge garden. Our shopping list is usually ingredients that we can’t produce (with cleaning products and dry goods of course). My kids didn’t get formula and I made all their baby food. If I can do it, anybody can. Plus, processed food is so expensive! A dozen eggs from our farmer is $2.50, which is the same as a bag of Doritos (yuck!). I infrequently stop at McDonalds for a coffee and I’m appalled at the prices. It would cost our family of five (youngest is just 9 months) almost $25 for one meal! I don’t know how poor people afford that stuff, yet they frequent these establishments and make most of their purchases from the freezer section of the grocery store.


27 posted on 05/17/2014 4:29:04 PM PDT by goodwithagun (My gun has killed fewer people than Ted Kennedy's car.)
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To: layman

Obviously that term is used to differentiate them from OLD toddlers. :=)


28 posted on 05/17/2014 4:31:20 PM PDT by Bob
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To: All
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29 posted on 05/17/2014 5:15:40 PM PDT by musicman (Until I see the REAL Long Form Vault BC, he's just "PRES__ENT" Obama = Without "ID")
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To: Veto!

We chose to spank our kids, instead of drugging them.


30 posted on 05/17/2014 8:18:12 PM PDT by BobL
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To: steve86
Some children — I don’t know about toddlers — do require pharmaceutical treatment for ADHD. A newer drug, Strattera, is used for that purpose and is not a stimulant.

Some may need treatment, but I would hazard that the vast majority do not. If I was growing up today, they would be plying me with all sorts of drugs. I had many different symptoms as I tried to assimilate and there were a number of embarrassing moments, but I managed to learn to control myself and to fit in without the "help" of drugs.

31 posted on 05/18/2014 3:14:00 AM PDT by trebb (Where in the the hell has my country gone?)
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To: All; Veto!

Why are parents so trusting?

OK, some of them are very young, but you would think at least the grandparents would clue them in.


32 posted on 05/18/2014 4:23:22 AM PDT by Sun (Pray that God sends us good leaders. Please say a prayer now.)
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To: icwhatudo

You obviously don’t know a darn thing about ADHD. It’s not a discipline thing ... it’s more about focus than anything else. You can beat a child to a bloody pulp and it wouldn’t change a thing about that child’s ability to focus.


33 posted on 05/18/2014 7:05:46 AM PDT by al_c (Obama's standing in the world has fallen so much that Kenya now claims he was born in America.)
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To: al_c

Like the need for “medical marijuana”, while some may actually be real, most is just BS.

Its a phony diagnosis for the kids of many lazy parents who rely on drugs so they can keep their kids quiet while they play on facebook.

Sure, some may actually have problems, but far too many are just lumped in.


34 posted on 05/18/2014 11:17:18 AM PDT by icwhatudo (Low taxes and less spending in Sodom and Gomorrah is not my idea of a conservative victory)
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To: icwhatudo

Agreed.


35 posted on 05/18/2014 11:51:14 AM PDT by al_c (Obama's standing in the world has fallen so much that Kenya now claims he was born in America.)
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To: steve86
Just what is ADHD? never heard of this when I was going up in the 50s it seems everyone has it now,really.
36 posted on 05/18/2014 10:35:21 PM PDT by primrose (w)
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To: icwhatudo

MY THOUGHTS ALSO.MY DAD HAD IS OWN TREATMENT FOR THAT ALSO.


37 posted on 05/18/2014 10:37:29 PM PDT by primrose (w)
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To: steve86

Don’t know a thing about Strattera and hope it has a less pernicious effect.

Here’s “Why Giving Adderall to Toddlers is Completely Utterly Wrong:”
another article describing horrible effects of Adderall on toddlers:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/19/why-giving-adderall-to-toddlers-is-so-completely-utterly-wrong.html


38 posted on 05/19/2014 4:13:45 PM PDT by Veto! (OpInions freely dispensed as advice)
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To: goodwithagun
McDonalds for a coffee and I’m appalled at the prices. It would cost our family of five (youngest is just 9 months) almost $25 for one meal! I don’t know how poor people afford that stuff, yet they frequent these establishments and make most of their purchases from the freezer section of the grocery store.

The prices are ridiculous but have you ever tried that junk? Friend drove me to a McD's where he wanted to buy us milkshakes. Then he decided we should have lunch so we wouldn't be late for meeting. I tried the "chicken wrap," and when they handed it to me, I marched up to the manager and asked for a fork. "You expect me to put my face into that mess?" And when I tasted the "chicken," I said, "You call that food?"

Since that time, last year, many expose's of McD's "ingredients" have been published. There's a lot more than chicken in those nuggets….including blobs of blue unidentified somethings that are probably related to plastic--right in the "texture" of the "meat."

Good for you for taking REAL care of your kids.

39 posted on 05/19/2014 4:24:36 PM PDT by Veto! (OpInions freely dispensed as advice)
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