Children taking stimulant drugs such as Ritalin to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are several times as likely to suffer sudden, unexplained death as children who are not taking such drugs, according to a study published yesterday that was funded by the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institute of Mental Health.
While the numbers involved in the study were very small and researchers stopped short of suggesting a cause and effect, the study is the first to rigorously demonstrate a rare but worrisome connection between ADHD drugs and sudden death among children. In doing so, the research adds to the evolving puzzle parents and doctors face in deciding whether to treat children with medication.
Doctors have speculated about such a connection in the past because stimulants increase heart rate and have other cardiovascular effects. Physicians are currently advised to evaluate patients for cardiac risks before prescribing the drugs, and FDA officials said yesterday that those guidelines do not need strengthening in light of the new study. About 2.5 million children in the United States take ADHD medications such as Ritalin and Adderall.
READ MORE @ WASHINGTON POST
Showing posts with label Ritalin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ritalin. Show all posts
Monday, June 15, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Hallucinations Are Rare Side Effects of ADHD Medications
Children who take medications for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may rarely experience some disturbing side effects, such as hallucinations.
U.S. government experts reviewed clinical trials and post-marketing reports of side effects from the commonly prescribed ADHD stimulant medications, such as Concerta, Ritalin and Strattera. They found that out of every 100 "person-years" of treatment, one or two children will experience serious side effects, such as hallucinations of bugs or snakes.
"Patients and physicians should be aware that psychosis or mania arising during drug treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder may represent adverse drug reactions, the study's authors wrote in the February issue Pediatrics.
READ MORE @ WASHINGTON POST
U.S. government experts reviewed clinical trials and post-marketing reports of side effects from the commonly prescribed ADHD stimulant medications, such as Concerta, Ritalin and Strattera. They found that out of every 100 "person-years" of treatment, one or two children will experience serious side effects, such as hallucinations of bugs or snakes.
"Patients and physicians should be aware that psychosis or mania arising during drug treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder may represent adverse drug reactions, the study's authors wrote in the February issue Pediatrics.
READ MORE @ WASHINGTON POST
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Mutation Related To ADHD Drug Metabolism Discovered
Researchers within the Darby Children’s Research Institute at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) have discovered a gene mutation directly involved in the metabolism of the most common and perhaps most known medication used to treat ADHD, methylphenidate (MPH), or Ritalin. The discovery may open the door to pre-testing of patients for the appropriate ADHD medication, instead of having to undergo trial and error.
It’s not unusual for scientists to focus their work in one direction, only to discover something unexpected. Researchers within the Darby Children’s Research Institute at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) have discovered a gene mutation directly involved in the metabolism of the most common and perhaps most known medication used to treat ADHD, methylphenidate (MPH), or Ritalin®. This research is described in full detail in the June 2008 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
It’s not unusual for scientists to focus their work in one direction, only to discover something unexpected. Researchers within the Darby Children’s Research Institute at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) have discovered a gene mutation directly involved in the metabolism of the most common and perhaps most known medication used to treat ADHD, methylphenidate (MPH), or Ritalin®. This research is described in full detail in the June 2008 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
Monday, November 19, 2007
ADHD Drugs Ineffective Over The Long Term
Apart from being ineffective over the long term, ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) drugs may also undermine your child's physical growth, a BBC television program, Panorama, has revealed. Scientists seem to be saying that claims made about ADHD drugs some years ago were overstated.
A long-term monitoring program involving 600 kids across the United States since the beginning of the 1990s was shown in the TV program - with some of its results. It is called the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD. The study concluded that over the long term, such ADHD drugs as Concerta and Ritalin have no demonstrable benefit for children - long term means after three years of taking the drug(s).
The use of ADHD drugs in much of the developed world has doubled over the last five years - many say it has become a cure-all for bad behavior.
READ MORE @ MEDICAL NEWS TODAY
A long-term monitoring program involving 600 kids across the United States since the beginning of the 1990s was shown in the TV program - with some of its results. It is called the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD. The study concluded that over the long term, such ADHD drugs as Concerta and Ritalin have no demonstrable benefit for children - long term means after three years of taking the drug(s).
The use of ADHD drugs in much of the developed world has doubled over the last five years - many say it has become a cure-all for bad behavior.
READ MORE @ MEDICAL NEWS TODAY
ADHD Drugs Ineffective Over The Long Term
Apart from being ineffective over the long term, ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) drugs may also undermine your child's physical growth, a BBC television program, Panorama, has revealed. Scientists seem to be saying that claims made about ADHD drugs some years ago were overstated.
A long-term monitoring program involving 600 kids across the United States since the beginning of the 1990s was shown in the TV program - with some of its results. It is called the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD. The study concluded that over the long term, such ADHD drugs as Concerta and Ritalin have no demonstrable benefit for children - long term means after three years of taking the drug(s).
The use of ADHD drugs in much of the developed world has doubled over the last five years - many say it has become a cure-all for bad behavior.
A long-term monitoring program involving 600 kids across the United States since the beginning of the 1990s was shown in the TV program - with some of its results. It is called the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD. The study concluded that over the long term, such ADHD drugs as Concerta and Ritalin have no demonstrable benefit for children - long term means after three years of taking the drug(s).
The use of ADHD drugs in much of the developed world has doubled over the last five years - many say it has become a cure-all for bad behavior.
Friday, November 9, 2007
ADHD Medication Doesn't Work on Some Preschoolers - Children May Not Respond If They Have Other Disorders
Children diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may not respond to methylphenidate, otherwise known as brand name Ritalin, if the child suffers from other behavioral and social disorders. The number of coexisting conditions can diminish the effectiveness of the medication, according to a new look at a study from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
The Preschoolers with ADHD Treatment Study (PATS) was released last October, and showed that young children between the ages of 3 and 5 who were diagnosed with ADHD responded well to doses of methylphenidate. However, a new article published in the latest issue of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology reports that the effectiveness of methylphenidate lessens if the child has other disorders, such as anxiety disorders, conduct disorder, and/or oppositional defiant disorder.
READ MORE @ ASSOCIATED CONTENT
The Preschoolers with ADHD Treatment Study (PATS) was released last October, and showed that young children between the ages of 3 and 5 who were diagnosed with ADHD responded well to doses of methylphenidate. However, a new article published in the latest issue of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology reports that the effectiveness of methylphenidate lessens if the child has other disorders, such as anxiety disorders, conduct disorder, and/or oppositional defiant disorder.
READ MORE @ ASSOCIATED CONTENT
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