FDA Says Kids Shouldn't Stop Taking ADHD Medications

[Old Coot]

Source: Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration on Monday said children shouldn't stop taking drugs that treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, despite a study showing the stimulants may be associated with sudden death.

A study released in the American Journal of Psychiatry found an association between the stimulants, which include drugs such as Ritalin, and sudden death in children who take the medicines.

The FDA, which partly funded the study, said there isn't enough evidence to conclude the drugs are dangerous and recommends people continue taking their medications. The study compared 564 healthy children who died suddenly to 564 who died in a motor vehicle accident. The study found that two patients in the motor vehicle group were taking stimulants, while 10 in the group of those who died suddenly were taking the medicines. The children died between 1985 and 1996, before certain stimulants, such as Adderall, became more commonly used.

"Given the limitations of this study's methodology, the FDA is unable to conclude that these data affect the overall risk and benefit profile of stimulant medications used to treat ADHD in children," FDA said.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124508720714715739.html

[lindisfarne]

1. One study in science rarely is definitive. Now if there were a number of well-designed studies

showing providing converging evidence, yes, there may be a need to change prescribing guidelines. (Perhaps in a very small subset of kids, they may have this negative effect. But if they were having this effect on all kids, we'd know it by now because kids would be dropping dead left & right.)

This isn't a defense of the over-diagnosis of ADD in the US & the over-prescription of drugs of ADD - this is simply an explanation of how one should go about interpreting studies - including asking how well designed they are and whether there is converging evidence from other studies.

The WSJ article is unclear and uninformative. It's clear the journalist has little understanding of science in general, or the study in particular.

[bigscott]

2. not very scientific

they dont mention (AFAIK) if this study was controlled for economic background or social background etc. kids who ride in cars may not be the same socioeconomically as kids who dont (poorer kids and kids in cites take the bus more often, or walk, or take the subway) etc etc. Scary if this is borne out but there is a lot of work to be done

[Politicalboi]

3. Yes keep taking dangerous medicine

Because Marijuana is still taboo and we couldn't have kids taking something that has shown to work without causing death. What would we tell our children?

[Missy Vixen]

6. Marijuana works for ADHD? Oh, do tell.

I realize I'm just not that cool, but we had an experience with a former colleague who was treating his ADD with marijuana. It was not effective. What's more, he was addicted. He couldn't go for more than a couple of hours without lighting up; to say that we were unhappy with the fact he insisted on smoking on our property without our knowledge or permission is an understatement. Despite those here who keep insisting, pot is not a cure-all for every malady.

I am beginning to wonder if environmental factors are more to blame for ADHD than what we're being told. In the meantime, our former next-door-neighbor's son with ADHD was treated with biofeedback instead of drugs. It seemed to work well for him.

[Politicalboi]

8. I know MJ isn't a cure all

I thought I had read before that it does help kids with ADHD and ADD. I'm no doctor for sure, and sometime I speak out my ass, but MJ does have medical benefits for some. Perhaps it's a case by case with ADHD and ADD.

http://www.brendastardom.com/arch.asp?ArchID=391

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/may012009/adhd_pl_5-1-09.php

[xchrom]

4. this is going to be a thread to watch.

:popcorn:

[Soylent Brice]

5. i was on meds for ADD/ADHD from 11 yrs old - 19 yrs old

personally for me, bad.

i built up an immunity to ritalin, was switched to dexedrine. was also on imipram and disepramine, and eventually lithium.

i took myself off of meds at 19 yrs old. by the time i was 15 i was having daily hallucinations and blackouts. the only smart thing the docs did do for me was weekly therapy to learn how to cope with ADD/ADHD. that end was great. meds, not so much.

FDA is a bunch of half-wits anyways. not surprised by their "findings".

to each their own, buyer beware, and all that.

[winyanstaz]

7. oh yes, keep on giving your kids meds that could kill them...

and keep on buying expensive drugs they dont need. Soon it will be manditory for everyone to be on prescription drugs..a nation of zombies.

[enlightenment]

13. Don't need.

Typical. Unless you have sat on the floor rocking a weeping child who moments before had been banging his head against the floor, repeating 'make it stop, make it stop' - you haven't got a f'ing clue what you're talking about.

What he wanted to stop was the endless INPUT into his head. Imagine living in a house with a thousand doors - behind those doors are every thing in the world; every sound, smell, movement . . . everything.

Open ALL the doors at the same time - take them off the hinges and throw them out. Let ALL that input come cascading into your house at the same time.

Now - just for chuckles, imagine that you not only incapable of blocking out some of that input, you are also incapable of deciding which bits of it are more important than the rest. It is all equally important and requires your attention.

THAT is Attention Deficit.

And seeing my child trying to bash his brains out to make it stop is what convinced me to agree to the drugs. For a person who REALLY has ADD/ADHD, those stimulants work to CLOSE some of those doors.

My son took himself off the drugs in high school - by then he had learned mechanisms to cope; but if he hadn't had them when he was younger, he probably wouldn't have survived to make that choice for himself.

So, please - take your kneejerk hyperbole and stuff it.

[hedgehog]

9. So 10 of the 564 healthy children who died suddenly were taking stimulants,

what about the other 544? What was the cause of death for any of these children, taking Ritalin or not? What does this have to do with kids who die in auto accidents, anyways? What was the total number of kids on Ritalin who died suddenly? How many kids were taking Ritalin? What is the total number of kids who died suddenly versus the total number of kids? What does "died suddenly " mean, heart attack? stroke, meningitis? The original study may have made sense, but as described in this article it's very vague.

[YOY]

10. I stopped taking mine 18 years ago.

I've done pretty goddamn well without them. Nice job, nice wife, good education, and wonderful daughter. I was only on them for a week but I knew the fuckers were being lazy with diagnosis and treatment...especially because they tried to convince me there was something wrong with me when I knew there wasn't. I just was lonely at the time and t was nice to talk to someone...even if it was a headshrinker. I'm not lonely anymore...and I don't appreciate what they did to me...as far as I am concerned is was misdiagnosing a non-illness to line the drug maker's pockets. Blackballed me for life in certain ways.

Oh look a Chicken!!! <---Just kidding.

[Politicalboi]

11. Good for you

LOL!

[YOY]

12. There it is!!!

Actually the "Oh look a chicken!" joke is from a friend of mine with similar experiences. She threw her meds away too...granted she was on them longer than a week as I was. She's doing just fine as well...loving partner, works with me, great profession, and we all love her.