Drugs for ADHD 'not the answer'

[dcentity2000]

Treating children who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with drugs is not effective in the long-term, research has shown.

A study obtained by the BBC's Panorama programme says drugs such as Ritalin and Concerta work no better than therapy after three years of treatment.

The findings by an influential US study also suggested long-term use of the drugs could stunt children's growth.

It said that the benefits of drugs had previously been exaggerated.

The Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD has been monitoring the treatment of 600 children across the US since the 1990s.

Source and full story: BBC Newshttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7090011.stm

I'm not a fan of psychiatric medications being used in minors. Mind you, I'm no doctor.



Rich::

 

[Mermaid02]

I don't understand what they mean by "long term" we just try to get through each day. And it DEFINATELY does help.

BTW we do therapy weekly and a psychiatrist monthly....

 

[dcentity2000]

I don't understand what they mean by "long term" we just try to get through each day. And it DEFINATELY does help.

BTW we do therapy weekly and a psychiatrist monthly....

I have no idea what they mean by "long term". Perhaps they're referring to what happens when the patient comes off the medication?

Psychotherapy is certainly very effective - there's a lot of hype surrounding it, particularly the cognitive strain, at the moment.



Rich::

 

[punkin]

I think there was an article about this in the NY Times today. It basically said that most ADHD children are just delayed in their development and a large majority grow out of it by young adulthood.

 

[debbi801]

I don't think there can be any *one* cookie cutter approach for treating ADHD. I will tell you that with my one child, we tried behavior modifcation therapy, we tried eliminating TV, we tried Omega 3 supplements, we tried diet changes, stickers, etc., etc., etc. Nothing, and I mean nothing, worked. He was in the principal's office regularly, getting into trouble at school, getting into trouble at after school care, on weekends, etc.

Medication for him has made a huge difference. He's a pleasure to be around now. He's spending his time at school getting an education instead of getting into trouble. After school, he's having fun playing with other kids. He's learning how to make friends. This is Huge for him. He's not a zombie, he now just acts like a "typical" kid that can follow directions and have fun at the same time.

Would I prefer that he not be medicated, absolutely. But, given the choice between him being medicated and happy or him being non-medicated, unhappy, and in trouble all the time; I'll take the medication. And, he sees a therapist regularly too.

 

[freckles and boo]

As the parent of two children with ADHD (one of whom also has autism) who benefit daily from medication, I respectfully disagree. At least in the short term the medication has made a significant improvement in the quality of their lives and their ability to function in school.

I will now sit back and wait for the fifty people who also aren't doctors and don't know my children or anything about their diagnoses or therapies to post and tell me why I am an awful parent.

No offense, Rich, but the decision to medicate kids is NEVER taken lightly. Criticizing parents who face this is not cool.

 

[dcentity2000]

No offense, Rich, but the decision to medicate kids is NEVER taken lightly. Criticizing parents who face this is not cool.

No worries. I just thought the article would be interesting to some on this board - ADHD is a subject that crops up again and again, simply because it is serious and the desire to gather as much information about it as is possible is natural.

I say that I disagree with the use of psychiatric drugs in minors. I do generally. I would certainly hesitate before prescribing a child Mirtazapine, for example.

But it is clear that ADHD medications do have a beneficial effect on children, if even only in the short term. What makes me wonder are the stories of side effects when it comes to growth and development.

It's a tricky one, to be sure, and everyone is different. I just pray for the families and individuals out there that have to grapple with this illness; I pray that they find an answer to it as quickly as is possible.



Rich::

 

[freckles and boo]

It's a tricky one, to be sure, and everyone is different. I just pray for the families and individuals out there that have to grapple with this illness; I pray that they find an answer to it as quickly as is possible.



Rich::

Thanks.

Touchy subject, ya know...

 

[DawnCt1]

I think that the evidence is there; that ADHD is an issue, in many cases, not all, of neurological maturation. However, the problem lies in the situation, which is the situation of most ADD/ADHD children, is that they are not ready or able to learn and because of the demands and necessity of getting an education, cannot wait until their brains mature. If the medication allows them to focus and participate in the educational process, then it is a good thing. Do many ADHD children need to be medicated during the summer, weekends, holidays? Probably not. The reasons for the stunted growth, at least in some cases, tend to be depressed appetites. If they are permitted "drug holidays", this can at least address that issue.

 

[freckles and boo]

I think that the evidence is there; that ADHD is an issue, in many cases, not all, of neurological maturation. However, the problem lies in the situation, which is the situation of most ADD/ADHD children, is that they are not ready or able to learn and because of the demands and necessity of getting an education, cannot wait until their brains mature. If the medication allows them to focus and participate in the educational process, then it is a good thing. Do many ADHD children need to be medicated during the summer, weekends, holidays? Probably not. The reasons for the stunted growth, at least in some cases, tend to be depressed appetites. If they are permitted "drug holidays", this can at least address that issue.

We do break from the medication every weekend. Our younger daughter, whose appetite is suppressed by the medication, only wears her patch on school days and it is removed as soon as she walks in the door, except on Wednesdays and it is removed after ballet at 4:30. We make sure she has a huge breakfast and she is usually hungry again right at bedtime so we fill her up.

The older one only wears her patch for the two hours before her ballet class on Saturdays and it is removed immediately after. Her appetite does not seem to be affected at all.

I agree that we can not afford to wait it out. We did wait three years with our seven-year-old and we watched her flounder. In addressing the autism with our five-year-old we didn't recognize the co-morbidity of ADHD. She has blossomed since she finally has some control. Waiting and diet didn't work for us at all. Behavioral therapies have been much more effective now that the children can SLOW down and pay attention. I hope one day they will not have to rely on medication to have that control and attention.

 

[beavismom]

I don't know how effective therapy is after 3 years, but after 3 years of Focalin it is still making a huge difference for my son. Everyone makes their own choice in regards to this, but I personally wish that I hadn't waited as long as I did to medicate my son. The lack of confidence and esteem issues created by his inability to focus have done far more damage to him than the drugs ever will. If he is 5'11" instead of 6', I think I can live with myself.

 

[dcentity2000]

What we know and I mean know about the human brain can be written on a paper napkin with a thick felt pen.

But we're getting there.

Antidepressants are a good example. The first drug family available were the MAOIs. They're great, if you forget that, should you mix them with tyramine rich foods (cheese, chocolate, wine, aged/smoked meats etc) can cause strokes. Mixed with pain killers, you get a coma.

Then we had the Tricyclics. No dietary problems here, but overdose is nasty.

Now we have more modern, refined drugs. Tianeptine, for example. One patient in particular took an average of 240 tablets per day for a number of months; he was successfully detoxified as an inpatient.

So, yeah. Mostly we're floundering in the dark.

But we're improving.



Rich::