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THREE million children in this country take drugs for problems in focusing. Toward the end of last year, many of their parents were deeply alarmed because there was a shortage of drugs like Ritalin and Adderall that they considered absolutely essential to their children’s functioning. But are these drugs really helping children? Should we really keep expanding the number of prescriptions filled? In 30 years there has been a twentyfold increase in the consumption of drugs for attention-deficit disorder. As a psychologist who has been studying the development of troubled children for more than 40 years, I believe we should...

A contentious relationship between drug manufacturers and the Drug Enforcement Agency may cause a continuing shortage of the attention deficit medication Adderall, which the FDA just added to its official drug shortages list, the New York Times reported. As of 2007, about 9.5 percent, or 5.4 million, of school-aged children were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyper Disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adderall prescriptions went up 13.4 percent from 2009 to 2010, and more than 18 million prescriptions were written for the drug, Reuters reported. As demand for the drug grows, more and more patients have...

Yesterday, my entire afternoon got eaten by my panic over shortages of Adderall, the drug that changed my writing life from daily torture that I slogged through because I'm a hard worker to sometimes-hard work I love. Instead of writing, I wasted my time on the phone to a bunch of local pharmacies, and emailing my very good-natured doctor multiple times ("Can you prescribe in Mexico?"), and searching for Canadian pharmacies -- maybe one in Windsor where maybe I could get Gregg to pick me up 10 or 20 or maybe even 30 pills...in all the spare time he has....

LOS ANGELES -- Looks like Lindsay Lohan can continue to take drugs while in jail. It's OK since LiLo has a doctor's note allowing her to take daily doses to deal with ADHD and insomnia. TMZ.com reported today that Lohan's prescriptions were being processed hours after she was sent away for her 90-days sentence. She'll be allowed to take Adderall, a psychostimulant used to treat ADHD, and Ambien sleeping pills. The allowance is ironic since it's prescription drugs that have gotten Lohan "into this mess in the first place," TMZ reported. Smoking, however, is not allowed.

If there were a drug that would make you smarter, would you take it? Today an increasing number of healthy people are using drugs without a prescription as a way to improve their mental function. It's called neuroenhancement and if you want to find someone who's trying it out, just visit a college campus. That's where a surprising number of students are turning to drugs like Adderall and Ritalin, originally developed to treat attention disorders, to boost their brain power and help them make the grade

Important Pet Food News: "Natures Variety" has recalled a;; Chicken and Organic Chicken foods with the date 'use on or before 2/5/2011'. This is a Salmonella problem and presents both an animal and human risk! FOR CAT OWNERS: If any person in your family is on the drug Adderall (used for ADHD disorders) especially the extended release version. Please note this is very appealing to cats but also very toxic. Please keep all of this medication in the bttle in the cupboard and make sure that none has been dropped on the floor!

A new report is raising new questions about Lindsay Lohan's drug use. Despite claims that she's "been eating enough," as Lohan told E! News this week, those that spotted the star on vacation in Hawaii last week say she was nothing but skin and bones. Lohan admits that her recent, quite public breakup with Samantha Ronson has contributed to "a hard month," but she's consistently rebuked accusations of an eating disorder.

Academics Laud Drug Use by: Bethany Stotts, December 15, 2008 Six academics and Philip Campbell, the editor-in-chief of Nature Magazine, recently argued that society should move “towards the responsible use of cognitive-enhancing drugs by the healthy,” particularly drugs typically used in the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). “In this article, we propose actions that will help society accept the benefits of enhancement, given appropriate research and evolved regulation,” write the authors, who hail from prestigious universities such as • Stanford Law School, • Harvard Medical School, • the University of Cambridge, • the University of Manchester, • the...

Gore's son pleads guilty in drug case By GILLIAN FLACCUS 6 minutes ago Al Gore's son pleaded guilty Monday to possessing marijuana and other drugs, but a judge said the plea could be withdrawn and the charges dropped if he successfully completes a drug diversion program. Authorities have said they found drugs in Al Gore III's car after the 24-year-old was pulled over on July 4 for going 100 mph in his Toyota Prius. He pleaded guilty Monday to two felony counts of drug possession, two misdemeanor counts of drug possession without a prescription, and one misdemeanor count of marijuana...

LAGUNA NIGUEL, California — Al Gore's son faces up to three years in prison if convicted on felony drug-possession charges and lesser offenses related to July 4 traffic stop in Orange County where he was found with 140 Vicodin pills, according to a report from the People.com Web site. Al Gore III, 24, faces two felony counts of drug possession, two misdemeanor counts of drug possession without a prescription and one misdemeanor count of marijuana possession, the district attorney's office said in a statement. Gore also was charged with a traffic infraction for allegedly driving faster than 100 mph. Gore...

Al Gore's son was charged with felony drug-possession charges and lesser offenses related to his July 4 speeding stop, authorities said Friday. And a law enforcement source tells PEOPLE that Gore had 140 Vicodin pills and "dozens" of other prescription drugs. If convicted on all charges, Albert Gore III faces up to three years and eight months in prison. But state law makes him eligible for a drug diversion program instead of incarceration, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office. His arraignment is set for Aug. 1 in Laguna Niguel, Calif. Gore, 24, was pulled over south of Los...

Al Gore Defends Arrested Son's Carbon Offset Strategy by Scott Ott (2007-07-05) — Al Gore, the concert organizer and former U.S. vice president, today defended his son, Al III, after the younger Gore’s arrest for speeding and drug possession, applauding his use of the hybrid Toyota Prius to offset the carbon emissions of his smoking marijuana. “Even at 100 miles per hour,” said the elder Mr. Gore, “the Prius produces less deadly greenhouse gas than a Lincoln Navigator or a Hummer. While I don’t condone getting caught with marijuana, I would venture to say that my boy’s total carbon footprint...

Al Gore III, the 24-year-old son of Al Gore was arrested on suspicion of drug possession today. The former second-in-command's son was pulled over after allegedly driving his Prius 100 miles an hour down an Orange County freeway. (At least he was driving a Prius!) When deputies searched the car they found pot, along with Valium, Xanax, Vicodin and Adderall. He is currently being held at the Santa Ana Inmate Reception Center on $20,000 bail. This isn't Gore III's first arrest. He was charged with marijuana posession in 2003 and was ticketed for reckless driving in 2000 and 2002.

Experts Note Need for More Studies on ADHD Use in AdultsMost research on safety issues has been conducted in children, they note THURSDAY, March 23 (HealthDay News) -- While experts applauded a federal panel's recommendation Wednesday to avoid the strongest warning for drugs that treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, official remarks made later about the critical need for research into the cardiac effects of these stimulants on adults also struck a chord. "Longitudinal studies so far have shown in adults minimal changes in blood pressure and pulse, but we need longer-term prospective studies to further document the safety and efficacy of...

GAITHERSBURG, Md., March 22 — Stimulants like Ritalin lead a small number of children to suffer hallucinations that usually feature insects, snakes or worms, according to federal drug officials, and a panel of experts said on Wednesday that physicians and parents needed to be warned of the risk. The panel members said they hoped the warning would prevent physicians from prescribing a second drug to treat the hallucinations caused by the stimulants, which one expert estimated affect 2 to 5 of every 100 children taking them. Instead, they said, the right thing to do in such cases was to stop...

Deaths of 51 U.S. patients who took widely prescribed drugs to treat attention deficit disorder prompted regulators to start watching for heart attacks, high blood pressure and other problems in 2004, a report released on Wednesday said. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff did not say the drugs were responsible for the fatalities, but they urged close monitoring for "the rare occurrence of pediatric sudden death during stimulant therapy." "These reports themselves do not establish a causal relationship between these medications and cardiovascular adverse events," wrote Dr. Gerald Dal Pan, director of the FDA's Office of Drug Safety, in...

When Chad Taylor noticed his son was apparently experiencing serious side effects from Ritalin prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, he decided to take the boy off the medication. Now, he says he may be accused of child abuse. In February, 12-year-old Daniel began displaying some symptoms that his father suspected were related to the use of Ritalin. "He was losing weight, wasn't sleeping, wasn't eating," Taylor told ABC News affiliate KOAT-TV in New Mexico. "[He] just wasn't Daniel." So Taylor took Daniel off Ritalin, against his doctor's wishes. And though Taylor noticed Daniel was sleeping better and his appetite...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The House voted Wednesday to prohibit schools from making children with behavioral or mental problems take medication in order to attend class. Under the bill, passed 425-1, states receiving federal education money must make sure schools do not coerce parents into medicating their children. "School personnel may have good intentions, but parents should never be required to decide between their child's education and keeping them off potentially harmful drugs," said Rep. Max Burns, R-Ga., who sponsored the legislation. In recent decades, more children have been diagnosed with attention deficit or hyperactivity disorders and prescribed drugs such as...