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In reply to the discussion: Henry Waxman: "The pharmaceutical industry has systematically misled physicians and patients..." [View all]laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)He was 'diagnosed' and I put that in quotes because he was never professionally evaluated - his teacher suggested he was abnormally hyperactive and that maybe my parents should think about seeing a doctor for medication so he was less disruptive in class. So my parents - concerned, naturally - took him to a doctor - regular family doctor - that immediately put him on ritalin. My brother was on it for all of 5 days. He walked around like a zombie. Finally, this 8 year old boy confided in my parents that he felt dead inside, like he had no feelings, and that maybe it would be better if he was dead for REAL, and that he felt like committing suicide. My mom flushed those pills so fast...They eventually switched classrooms and the issue turned out to be that my brother was finishing his work super fast because it was too easy for him, and then he would get bored. The new teacher just kept giving him extra work. Voila - problem solved. Can you imagine if he'd have continued taking those pills? Who knows WHAT would've happened.