ADHD Drugs Linked to Sudden Death in Kids

MONDAY, June 15,2009 (HealthDay News) -- Stimulant medications commonly prescribed to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are associated with an increased risk of sudden death, but those deaths are still rare, new research finds.
Children and teens taking ADHD stimulant medications were seven times more likely to die suddenly than their peers, the study found.

"What we found -- to our surprise -- is that even if you take out confounding factors, the association between stimulant use and sudden death was still significant," said study author Madelyn Gould, a professor of clinical epidemiology in psychiatry at Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute in New York City........Results of the study were published in the June 15 online edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

With 2.5 million kids in the U.S. on stimulant medications like Ritalin and Adderall, it's big news when research shows that the incidence of sudden death is 7.4 times higher among this group (aged 7-19). Other possible factors as causes of deaths were ruled out.

The hyperactive children killed by these drugs represent just the tip of the iceberg. You can be sure that many more children are being harmed to different degrees and in varying ways without family or physician awareness. The tragedy is compounded by the fact that the harm could often be avoided if the youngsters were properly examined and treated for nutritional deficiencies as well as allergic and toxic exposures.
Dr. Benedetto Vitiello, chief of child and adolescent treatment intervention at the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health said "It rings a bell for everyone to be more attentive and less cavalier about the use of these drugs."

References:
http://www.kristv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10533236
http://www.hacsg.org.uk/NEWS.htm

ADHD Drugs: Hallucinations Not Uncommon

FDA Examines Incidence of Psychotic Symptoms in Children Taking ADHD Medications
Jan. 26, 2009 -- Treatment-related hallucinations and other psychotic symptoms in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be more common than previously thought, FDA officials report in the latest issue of the journal Pediatrics
To View Full Article: http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/news/20090126/adhd-drugs-hallucinations-not-uncommon

Study Raises Questions About Diagnosis & ADHD Treatment

A new UCLA study shows that only about half of children diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, exhibit the cognitive defects commonly associated with the condition.The study also found that in populations where medication is rarely prescribed to treat ADHD, the prevalence and symptoms of the disorder are roughly equivalent to populations in which medication is widely used.The results of the first large, longitudinal study of adolescents and ADHD, conducted among the population of northern Finland, appeared in several papers in a special section of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry published in December and are currently online. To view full article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/94801.php

STRATTERA WARNING

The ADHD drug Strattera CAUSES psychosis, hallucinations, mania and agitation - 12/01/2008-The manufacturer, Eli Lilly, has now changed the label for Strattera in Europe to include warnings that Strattera CAUSES “hallucinations, delusional thinking, mania or agitation in children and adolescents without a prior history of psychotic illness or mania … at usual doses”। Stockholm, Sweden 12/01/2008 09:38 PM GMT (TransWorldNews) - To View Full Article: http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=69298&cat=10

Strattera Safety Questioned

STRATTERA-Children's suicide attempts raise concerns about ADHD medication - July 3, 2008-New questions are being raised about the safety of a drug used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder amid reports that more than 40 Canadian children have attempted suicide after taking it। To View Full Article: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080703.wadhd03/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home