ADHD Drugs Need Serious Warnings, Panel Says

I do feel for all parents and the children that are affected by the extreme emotional rollcoaster that they are on. There are different degress of ADHD and I will say once again, if not put in check, many of these children end up in the legal system due to implustivity, failure or inability to reason out the action before reacting. As one of the mothers stated here, have my son for a week when he gets so angry - he is in a blind rage - WHY? Because I told him to do something. I don't like druging my child either and now he is 14 going on 15, he is out of control - he doesn't take his medicine like he should. I stand there and watch him put it in his mouth, check to make sure he has swallowed it and quess what? He has mastered fooling me, of course, it is obvious as the day goes on that he did not take it. It is also obvious that this disorder is extremely misunderstood - school tells me that they aren't equipped to handle a child like him, because he is disruptive, argumenative, hyper and gets out of his seat often causing the teacher to lose control of her class room, he speaks out of turn, he speaks when he isn't suppose to, he will get up and walk out of the classroom and they just don't know what to do with him. He loves to be the center of attention and often creates major malay and then their answer to this behavior - suspend him from school for arguing his point of view - because children who are not treated early enough - often this disorder turns into what is known as ODD - Oppositional Defiance Disorder and then it gets worst - turns into OCD - Oppositional Conduct Disorder - so you see it goes from bad to worst creating problems for the parents, the child and society as a whole. These children are often disrespectful to the highest authorities, thereby creating major problems for themselves and others. This young man is sweet, endearing and very very intelligent - the problem is he can not control which behavior is going to present itself TODAY! He has had so many ignorant individuals tell him that he does not need his medication and I have had many ignorant individuals tell me that the only thing he needs - is his a-- whooped! The lady said it right, go ahead - whoop the child with this type of disorder -NO, it does not work - they become angier, more defiant and enraged!!!!! Don't tell my child that he doesn't need his medication or that he is just a BAD kid! He has a diagnosed disorder and it is real, VERY REAL!
Dianna

jrcr88 wrote:

It is society as a whole not just adults. These kids and adults, such as myself and my son have this condition. It is a condition of the neurological system, wherein they cannot always control their impulses, whether it be behaviorial or communication.
The medication assist in helping the brain slow down enough to make sense of what it is computing to function in a society which feels all kids should just sit in their seat for 8hrs a day and be good.
My child and myself are both ADHD and our peers cannot communicate with us or don't want to be around us because we are impulsive in our behaviors and communications skills.
My son is on medication, I am not, but I give my son love and attention everyday, and I am his best advocate, but he still struggles with friends as I because of our condition.
I disagree with Bonniefirst, this condition is also gentics as well. It doesn't matter how much love , attention and balance meals you give a child with ADHD, the condition is what it is, and will be with you for the rest of your life, you just learn to adapt.
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I agree... I also think the education system is at fault for not taking classes to learn how to deal with these children instead of politely recommending medication for the child. I have always been concerned about the long term effects of taking these drugs. My son has taken them since he was 5. And still has impulsive issues and needs a structured enviroment. He is now 14

jrcr88 wrote:

It is society as a whole not just adults. These kids and adults, such as myself and my son have this condition. It is a condition of the neurological system, wherein they cannot always control their impulses, whether it be behaviorial or communication.
The medication assist in helping the brain slow down enough to make sense of what it is computing to function in a society which feels all kids should just sit in their seat for 8hrs a day and be good.
My child and myself are both ADHD and our peers cannot communicate with us or don't want to be around us because we are impulsive in our behaviors and communications skills.
My son is on medication, I am not, but I give my son love and attention everyday, and I am his best advocate, but he still struggles with friends as I because of our condition.
I disagree with Bonniefirst, this condition is also gentics as well. It doesn't matter how much love , attention and balance meals you give a child with ADHD, the condition is what it is, and will be with you for the rest of your life, you just learn to adapt.
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I would like to ask every parent on this board who has a child with add or adhd and honestly ask yourself, what does your kid(s) diet consist of each and every day. I have a son with adhd, and I am always reading up on a lot of different things. Diet as most of you may not think has anything to do with it, but it helps. First, get your kid off of all cereal that has BGH and BHT in it. BGH in a lot of foods especially packaged and processed stands for Bovine Growth Hormones. BHT is another hormone and the T, I don't actually know what it stands for. Also, keep them away from all food colorings. Some of these kids are sensitive not allergic to wheat, diary and other things. I make my sons lunch for him every day and give him bottled water. At least I know what my kid is eating for lunch every day. School lunches even though they say they are more healthy, you don't know how they are prepared. When there are parties in school, kids bring in a lot of sugary sweets and things that have dyes in them. Isn't it amazing how you can't bring in anything that has nuts in it to school because there are kids that have allergies to nuts. However, they allow parents and kids to bring junk food into school for parties, etc. Change the way your family and kids eat. Here is a website of a pediatrician that lives in my local area. His name is Dr. Joel Furhman. Go to www.dr.furhman.com or do a google search on Joel Furhman or you can put in Dr. Joel Furhman. He has a great book out and you can download radio talk shows about a lot of different things on eating healthy not just for kids, but for the whole family. Do not believe when people say diet doesn't play a role. It does. And don't be pressured into putting your kids on drugs for their behavior. My God!, this is 2006 and there are other options. Don't give up!

Sharon wrote:

<quoted text>I would like to ask every parent on this board who has a child with add or adhd and honestly ask yourself, what does your kid(s) diet consist of each and every day. I have a son with adhd, and I am always reading up on a lot of different things. Diet as most of you may not think has anything to do with it, but it helps. First, get your kid off of all cereal that has BGH and BHT in it. BGH in a lot of foods especially packaged and processed stands for Bovine Growth Hormones. BHT is another hormone and the T, I don't actually know what it stands for. Also, keep them away from all food colorings. Some of these kids are sensitive not allergic to wheat, diary and other things. I make my sons lunch for him every day and give him bottled water. At least I know what my kid is eating for lunch every day. School lunches even though they say they are more healthy, you don't know how they are prepared. When there are parties in school, kids bring in a lot of sugary sweets and things that have dyes in them. Isn't it amazing how you can't bring in anything that has nuts in it to school because there are kids that have allergies to nuts. However, they allow parents and kids to bring junk food into school for parties, etc. Change the way your family and kids eat. Here is a website of a pediatrician that lives in my local area. His name is Dr. Joel Furhman. Go to www.dr.furhman.com or do a google search on Joel Furhman or you can put in Dr. Joel Furhman. He has a great book out and you can download radio talk shows about a lot of different things on eating healthy not just for kids, but for the whole family. Do not believe when people say diet doesn't play a role. It does. And don't be pressured into putting your kids on drugs for their behavior. My God!, this is 2006 and there are other options. Don't give up!

I am really glad the "diet" thing works for you, however if a child is on medication for this medical problem and it does not always work what makes you think a "diet" is going to be any better?
I don't know how old your kid is but I wouldn't imagine you were at his school all day every day to monitor every morsal he puts in his mouth. He does have class with other students doesn't he? I am sure he gets plenty you don't know about.

I forgot what I was going to say

I saw a story about video mind games helping children with ADHD. Has anyone heard about this? I'm in the process of having my child tested for ADHD and trying to find out about anything that might help, besides medication. Please let me know you thoughts. Thank you.

What's the deal with all these newly discovered "diseases". Is there something in the vaccinations or water supply ? When I was growing up none of the kids were forced to take drugs to be normal.
Getting outside playing and eating good food was our medication. Don't let the drug companies convince you that your sons or daughters have a learning disorder just because they are active in comparison to the other kids. The others are probably overweight from eating Bon Bons and watching TV

I have a hard time with children being put on mood altering drugs,I am true believer that it is a behavioral issue that rely,s upon the parent and children mock what they see and or taught ,it,s a cop out for lazy parents. who don,t want to parent ,and yes i am a parent of four children ages range from 14yrs to 22 months ,and i am a drug and alcohol counselor so i see all walks of life am i wrong for my way of thinking maybe to some people i am .however i am very involved parent.and let me tell you something i was told by the school board that my five year old needed drugs and had ADD i fought it .and refused to allow the system to control my actions as a parent .and i won when i spoke of getting a attorney. and guess what i will and would do it all again with out blinking a eye....maybe for some kids it might apply but i refuse to give up and allow anybody to dictate my parenting ..

lynne wrote:

I have a hard time with children being put on mood altering drugs,I am true believer that it is a behavioral issue that rely,s upon the parent and children mock what they see and or taught ,it,s a cop out for lazy parents. who don,t want to parent ,and yes i am a parent of four children ages range from 14yrs to 22 months ,and i am a drug and alcohol counselor so i see all walks of life am i wrong for my way of thinking maybe to some people i am .however i am very involved parent.and let me tell you something i was told by the school board that my five year old needed drugs and had ADD i fought it .and refused to allow the system to control my actions as a parent .and i won when i spoke of getting a attorney. and guess what i will and would do it all again with out blinking a eye....maybe for some kids it might apply but i refuse to give up and allow anybody to dictate my parenting ..

Whoopty doo good for you! Unfortunately ADHD is worse than ADD. We parents that are faced with this problem are not lazy parents. And I doubt your tactics would work everywhere geographically.

Thank you! I have had no choice but to go off Adderall, but, as any ADHD'er knows, I am having a difficult time now. I have heart dysrhythmias on this, palpitations, high blood pressure (not from preexisting condition), etc. So thanks! Although these symptoms dont occur with everyone taking Adderall, my physician did not take my symptoms seriously, long term effects can be cardiomegaly. This is serious! So I took myself off but I have to find an alternative. For anyone taking any drug that they know is affecting them in ways "not normal", let me just say, pay attention to your body, you know it better than anyone else. We are our own advocates! Thanks again!@

i am a parent with a son with adhd and he has had it for years now and if wasn't for medication i don't think we would of made it . they help tremendously and i'm glad their trying to come up with others. i have gave my son attention, love, activites, and diet and the lord savior but sometimes you need that medication.

As a parent of a real life 3-D ADDHD kid, I say that you do what you have to do. Period. The child needs our support, and that may include medication at times. Let's just be flexible and self-loving as parents. Try the natural route as I have, and then abandon that route without a trace of ego or pride when you see it isn't working. Is medication really so terrible in context, ie: if you see that your child is becoming hopelessly dependent on a caretaker (the parent in most cases)?
I could have written a book on the natural way ... and we do everything: diet, exercise, meditation, contact with nature, neurofeedback, flower essences, tutoring, psychotherapy, parental intervention. It costs a fortune, first of all, and is not available to everyone. But it has all helped enormously, even though my child was diagnosed in the upper tier of very intense symptoms. But this is years later (almost 8!) and if my child can't achieve critical independence from her parents in the teenage years, what are these "natural" principles really worth?
PS I totally agree with the person who wrote that ADD can morph into ODD if it's left untreated. That said, I am still not convinced ADD is a disease, and not a syndrome involving anxiety and over-stimulation in a society addicted to stimulation, and perhaps a slight delay in frontal lobe development. But my kid, who is brilliant and talented, still can't spell and she can't follow directions half the time, she can't remember test dates or maintain a date book, she loses homework regularly, and self-care is often beyond her ... She gets angry at her tutors because she thinks she's being treated as a dumb student. Now she is furious with me for bringing up the issue of these ongoing deficits and she feels angry and oppositional. I am hoping after this next evaluation that she can use medication for a limited period every school day so she can begin to master the schoolday without feeling "wierd" or inherently different (which she does). She has so many dreams and ambitions ... lawyering, artist ... none of it will happen without organizational skills. And she is just not able to master them, no matter how many reminders we create.

life isn't fair

note, most of the people that I know that are diagnosed with ADHD that were prescribed Ritalin when younger now snort it up they're nose. IF you can say how that is beneficial to any human being in any way I would love to hear it.

B Roberts wrote:

I think it's amazing that there are so many kids today growing up with a perceived "Ritalin" deficiency. Then again, the question arises: Why are the symptoms instead of the underlying causes being addressed?
If the parents of these children went to the trouble of questioning the medicinemen on the actual reasons why this is the current paradigm, I think they'll find the answers to be wanting.
Just think about this for a minute. Someone is making a huge bundle off all this. It appears Michael Moore was right when he once remarked that the American economy functions on fear and consumption. The greater the fear, the greater the consumption. Well, it seems to have worked so far.
ADHD can be effectively addressed with other, less costly 'non-patented' modalities.
But, it seems the public have become the 'innocent' victims of their own naivity and profit-motivated system; a system which conveniently puts the dollar at the top of the hierarchy before the beneficial welfare of its people. Ah, yes, I can see it now... the fat cats pensive, on their knees about to say, "Let us 'prey!"

And your solution is.......

Hi, I've just found this forum and wanted to add my comments.

I have a 12 year old son who was diagnosed with ADHD four years ago and was given Ritalin which was strongly recommended by his Peadiatrician.

In the UK, there are much stricter diagnostic proceedures before Ritalin is prescribed, and it's quite a controversial drug. I decided to go with the Doctor's advice and give it a go. It certainly helped calm my son down. I felt I was getting the "real" him back. He seemed happier, more focused, and his self-esteem improved.

However ... a year ago he was diagnosed with OCD, and more recently Tourettes. It was only when his (new) Paediatrician advised me that Ritalin can exacerbate symptoms of OCD/Tourettes, that I decided to stop him taking it. I then did some research on the internet, and really began to take notice of all the negative press Ritalin has had.

For instance: The drug companies trials on Ritalin are still "incomplete" despite the drug being used since the early 1960s. You would think that 40 years would be long enough complete trials, even long term ones.

Growth and weight has to be closely monitored when children are taking Ritalin regularly. If Ritalin can have an adverse effect on weight and growth, what is it doing to the rest of our children's bodies?

Food and nutrition is definitely a factor with ADHD. In the modern times we live in, it's impossible to avoid all additives completely, but I've gradually phased out the main culprits. I try and buy organic produce wherever possible, make my own cookies, and cook as many meals as possible from scratch.

My son is on a waiting list now for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help him with his OCD. I can't help wondering whether he would have developed this and Tourettes if he hadn't taken Ritalin.

I am agree with yandara from australia. I'm a three boys mother's, and the three of them are different, and they have received the same love and attention. The second one has hiperactive and attention deficit, he's sixteen years old know, he doesn't take medicamentes anymore, but he took them several years, and I'm worry because I don't know how long would be good to take them. He also went to therapy when he was a child he is better know but is difficult to him follow some rules and to obtain good notes at high school, he is really good playing football, and he is very sentimental a carismatic kid. I really thanks that he took ritalin and other medication that helped him because is very difficult for parents, teachers, brothers, relatives and friend to handle this situation. I really gives thanks to God to have a kid like him because I love him so much. a

one more thing wrote:

bonnie first mentioned give more attention what do you think adhd is? its attention deficit hyperactive disorder? maybe you should get your little dictionary out and look it up then spend several hours studying then spend several days no years with attention deficit kids to give you a real insite on this condtion that can apparently be cured with love diet and attention! just because its called attention deficit doesnt mean all you got to do is give them the love and the attention and diet and it will go away! o.k then tell me how do I make the hyperactivity, the tears, the anger, the agression the manic mood swings where my sons is frightened of death on a daily basis, hitting hilself because he cant do soemthing properly, oh and dontfoget the impulsive outburts he displays on a daily basis? and thats just to name a few! hes not medicated because ignorant people like you have said try the alternatives! i have for 3 years and I have watched this disorder take my son away!
I agree there may not be some nice draw backs on medication but without it hes just problem child that people like you will never understand! and by the way when hes not having any of these side effects he is the most loving child and I am so blessed to have him in my life regardless of his syndrome!

Hi. Can anyone give me information on where to get testing on adult add in Houston, TX. I am trying to find one that will take my insurance.

Thank you

I was never one for medicating a child just so it’ll make parenting easier, but once my son who is 5 now, was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of four, we had no choice, due to his aggressive behavior at school, making bad decisions w/o thinking, constantly hitting other children, having temper tantrums, and frustrated of not being able to communicate, left us with little choice, we did not want him labeled by others, I t had nothing to do with love and affection, diet and time spent together, he got plenty, and his diet was healthy, as both Mom and I eat very healthy.
He has been taking Clonidine, which is used to reduce blood pressure, but it also can be prescribed for children under the age of five for ADHD. It slows his mind down and allows him ninety percent of the time to thinks before reacting, I can communicate with him about making good and bad decisions and tamper tantrums are only a few and only last about thirty seconds.
After learning about the condition, it appears that I am ADHD, having struggled throughout my life with focusing, concentrating and learning, and I always thought that I just wasn’t smart, which will one or another will effect your self image, especially at school.