Warnings for ADHD drugs... - Pretty Scary!

punkeemunkee'smom wrote: FDA issues Warnings that include sudden death....

This is pretty scary to me since I have 4 friends who have been pressured to medicate their 'ADHD' children during this school year alone. I hope that the schools will,in the face of these new warnings, be more willing to work with the families rather than medicate first and try other behavior modification later....


I want to add that I know some children do need medication but I also believe that it is a quick fix in many instances.....

Calimama replied: How scary!

Cece00 replied: I'm glad they will put the guides, I think those are important for ANY medication that carries risk. But I must say, why would anyone with a heart problem or defect take these drugs or why would parents allow their child with a heart issue to take the drugs?

I am not on the "ADHD/ADD doesnt exist" or "People only put their kids on these meds so they dont have to parent" bandwagon AT ALL- my own son has ADHD (he is not medicated currently)- but I do know that the active ingredients in these drugs are not really conducive to being healthy with heart issues. If my child had a heart problem or defect we would definetly not use these meds.

lisar replied: Thanks for the info. I sent the link to a friend of mine.

punkeemunkee'smom replied:
Actually I went to highschool with a seemingly heathy and very active guy who had a heart attack in his sophmore year of college on the football field due to an undiagnosed congenital heart condition. I have heard of that many times since. I do not believe that people always/only put their kids on meds so they 'don't have to parent'. I have however seen in this school year an amazing amount of children in my small circle who have been 'diagnosed' ADHD and had friends very litterally pressured to put them on meds. There are a mirad of other viable options in the treatment of hyperactivity that I do not believe are always looked at because a pill a day is the quickest way to fix the 'problem'. I posted this article not to start a debate but because I found it alarming albeit not 100% surprising and just wanted to pass it along in case some of the moms on here have a child OR a friend(s) with a child that has been put on any of these medications.

redchief replied: Abbie, I'm glad you posted this. Everyone should be fully informed before they consider medicating their children.

On the loss of your high school friend, congenital means he was born with a heart defect. Sad all the same, but very likely not due to the medication. That doesn't mean that parents shouldn't consider other avenues for their ADHD kids instead of medication as a first resort.

punkeemunkee'smom replied:

Thanks ,Ed. I was pointing out in response to Cece saying if your child had a heart defect you shouldn't let them take medication,that you don't always know if your child has a heart (or any other medical) condition.. I guess maybe I did not word it correctly. He was never as far as I knew on any medication like ritalin,etc...

Boo&BugsMom replied:
Thanks for the info Abbie. It strengthens my opinion on this subject matter. I couldn't agree more with your "quick fixes" comment. I've had students in that type of situation.

coasterqueen replied: Thanks for the info Abbie.

It really is sad schools pressure the parents to medicate their children. One thing every parent who is encountering ADHD should know is that there is an actual brain wave test to determine if in fact your child is ADHD. I would NEVER EVER let someone diagnose my child w/o having this test done. It appears to be the only test that is accurate in diagnosing it. Unfortunately way too many kids are diagnosed that shouldn't be and are medicated as well.

redchief replied:
Sorry, yes I misunderstood what you meant.

Cece00 replied:
Well, yes, of course there will be ppl with heart defects who do not know about them, but I am saying I cant imagine a parent who would KNOWINGLY put a child on these meds if they KNEW the child has a heart issue. Even though I think the meds are helpful for some children (and not for others) if a child has a known heart condition, he/she def. shouldnt take it..too risky.

This is the paragraph of the article that I was speaking about:
Draft versions of the guides posted on the FDA Web site include discussion of reports of increased blood pressure and heart rate in ADHD patients, as well as cases of sudden death in some who have heart problems and heart defects. In adult patients, the reported problems also include stroke and heart attack.

PS- I wasnt meaning to imply you are one of the ppl who thinks ppl medicate their children because they dont want to parent. I just am aware of the fact that that is the attitude of some people, along with "ADHD doesnt exist". I was just making that point so it was understood that I dont agree with those opinions, but still think the medications can be useful in certain cases, but not for children or adults with a heart concern.

DansMom replied: Thanks Abbie. I think twice before giving Daniel Children's Tylenol. You can probably imagine where I stand on the question of meds that change your brain chemistry. I do understand that for the truly 3% of kids who are properly diagnosed, these meds can help a great deal. I knew a suicidal pre-teen who was helped by brain meds. But I'm with those who think it should be a last resort for extreme problems. I don't think the science of dosing is very exact, and I don't think the research on long-term effects has been at all thorough.