Ritalin articles

Ritalin

Psychiatric drug use soars in toddlers
despite limited knowledge of effects

A widely publicized study first published in the Feb. 23, 2000 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, (JAMA), questions the rise in prescription drugs such as Ritalin and Prozac in toddlers 2 to 4 years of age. The study indicates that there was a 50% jump in usage of these psychiatric drugs in this age group between the years of 1991 and 1995.

A number of news organizations picked up the story including MSNBC who reported, "Experts said they are troubled by the findings because the effects of such drugs in children so young are largely unknown." They go on to say that doctors are worried that these drugs used so early could be dangerous for a child's development. The study showed that in 1991 about 100,000 children were getting the drugs. In 1995 that jumped up to 150,000 children. Of that 60% were age 4, 30% were age 3, and 10% were 2 year olds!

US News and World Report also carried the same story in their March 6, 2000 issue. In that report they also questioned doctors ability to understand using these drugs. This story cited a 1999 survey from the University of North Carolina sent to Family Physicians and Pediatricians. In that survey 72% of the doctors said they had prescribed antidepressants to children under 18, but only 16% of those said they felt comfortable doing so, and only 8% said they had adequate training to treat childhood depression. The article in US News goes on to say, "Almost nothing is known about how antidepressants and other psychoactive drugs affect a child's developing brain."

Just last week the United Nations, "lambasted" the United States for "over prescribing psychiatric drugs." According to the UN panel the United States consumes 80 percent of the worlds methylphenidate (generic of Ritalin). The US News article then asks the question, "Are American youngsters indeed suffering more behavioral illnesses, or have we as a society become less tolerant of disruptive behavior?"

The lead author of the original study, Julie Mango Zito PhD, sums it up best as reported on Feb 22, 2000 in www.thehealthnetwork.com when she said, "I am very concerned about long term safety. They are starting kids earlier on medication and keeping them on longer. Who knows what development process could be influenced by regular daily dosage? It could affect their brain, heart, liver, or other organs."

Ritalin effects questioned

"US panel calls for research into effects of Ritalin". This is the title of an article appearing in the December 5th 1998 issue of the British Medical Journal. The article goes on to say that the National Institutes for Health consensus panel called for "urgent clarification of the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, (ADHD) and research into the long term effects of treatment with Ritalin." This article typifies a growing trend of scientific and commentary articles revealing the dangers of using Ritalin.

Prescriptions for Ritalin have increased six-fold over the past ten years, raising the question of over-diagnosis and treatment. Peter R. Breggin, M.D., a psychiatrist and editor-in-Chief of a professional journal entitled Ethical Human Sciences and Services, lists several disturbing facts about Ritalin and its dangerous effects.

Decreased blood flow to the brain, an effect recently shown to be caused by cocaine where it is associated with impaired thinking ability and memory loss.
Disruption of growth hormone, leading to suppression of growth in the body and brain of the child
Permanent neurological tics, including Tourette’s Syndrome
Addiction and abuse, including withdrawal reactions on a daily basis
Psychosis (mania), depression, insomnia, agitation, and social withdrawal
Possible shrinkage (atrophy) or other permanent physical abnormalities in the brain
Worsening of the very symptoms the drug is supposed to improve including hyperactivity and inattention
Decreased ability to learn

An organization of concerned parents has formed called PARENTS AGAINST RITALIN (PAR). They have a web site, which can be found at: www.p-a-r.org . This web site host valuable information on the subject of Ritalin. The following excerpt was taken from their web site, "According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Ritalin is considered a Class II Drug and a controlled substance, a fact not widely known. Other drugs in this category are those such as cocaine, methamphetamine and methadone. A drug becomes a controlled substance when it has the potential for abuse and /or addiction. It is not uncommon in many classrooms today to find the percentage of children on Ritalin to be 25% or greater and the numbers are climbing."

The following was excerpted are from the 42nd Edition of the Physicians' Desk Reference®*, on the drug Ritalin®:

Warnings
Ritalin should NOT be used in children under six years, since safety and efficacy in this age group have not been established. Sufficient data on safety and efficacy of long-term use of Ritalin in children are not yet available. Although a casual relationship has not been established, suppression of growth (i.e., weight gain, and/or height) has been reported with the long-term use of stimulants in children. Therefore, patients requiring long-term therapy should be carefully monitored.

Adverse reactions
Nervousness and insomnia are the most common adverse reactions but are usually controlled by reducing dosage and omitting the drug in the afternoon or evening. Other reactions include hypersensitivity (including skin rash, urticaria, fever, arthralgia, exfoliative dermatitis, erythema multiforme with histopathological findings of necrotizing vasculitis, and thrombocytopenic purpura); anorexia; nausea; dizziness; palpitations; headache; dyskinesia; drowsiness; blood pressure and pulse changes, both up and down; tachycardia; angina; cardiac arrhythmia; abdominal pain; weight loss during prolonged therapy. There have been rare reports of Tourette's syndrome. Toxic psychosis has been reported. Although a definite casual relationship has not been established, the following have been reported in patients taking this drug: leukopenia and/or anemia; a few instances of scalp hair loss. In children, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, weight loss during prolonged therapy, insomnia, and tachycardia may occur more frequently; however, any of the other adverse reactions listed above may also occur.

Ritalin usages increases in small children

In the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) is an article that reports on the increased usage of psychotropic medications (Ritalin, etc.) on preschool children. On average the study quoted in JAMA shows a three fold increase in the usage of these medications on children from the ages of 2 - 4 years old.

Probably the most alarming part of these statistics is that these medications were not tested for children this young. As the study concluded, "Conclusions in all 3 data sources, psychotropic medications prescribed for preschoolers increased dramatically between 1991 and 1995. The predominance of medications with off-label (unlabeled) indications calls for prospective community-based, multidimensional outcome studies." In case the wording appeared vague, the term "off label" means that these medications are being used in a way that they were not intended for and not tested for.

A related story comes from the Associated Press speaking about how the long term use of Ritalin caused the death of a 14 year old Michigan boy. An Oakland County medical examiner said that the young boy, who collapsed at his home on March 21st, died of a heart attack, the likely cause of which was 10 years of taking Ritalin. This means the child was started on the medication at the age of 4.

This disturbing trend has not gone unnoticed as CNN reported that, "Hillary Rodham Clinton announced a new federal program that cautions parents about giving preschool children Ritalin and other psychiatric drugs meant to treat attention-deficit disorders." Mrs. Clinton said that from 1991 to 1995, use of Ritalin among U.S. preschoolers increased 150 percent and antidepressants like Prozac went up more than 200 percent. She commented, "Some of these young people have problems that are symptoms of nothing more than childhood or adolescence."

Ritalin maker and American Psychiatric
Association sued for conspiracy

Lawsuits, filed in federal courts in New Jersey and California allege that Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, the manufacturer of Ritalin, and the American Psychiatric Association, conspired to create a market for Ritalin and expand its use. Stories appearing in the September 14, 2000 issue of the New York Times and the Sept 15 On Health with Web MD, both report on these class action suits.

Over the past decade prescriptions for Ritalin have skyrocketed as have the diagnosis of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). This has prompted controversy related to the correctness of the increase in diagnosis, the over prescribing of the medication, or the unstudied effects on children of long term use of this psychotropic drug.

One of the lawyers involved in the Ritalin lawsuits, John Coale of Washington DC, said the litigation was brought because Novartis and the psychiatric group expanded the market for the drug by promoting the idea that many children had attention deficit order and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He stated, "They were giving this stuff away like candy,"

Top / Back

Download AOL Instant Messenger