Scary stuff
Thanks to Uzz for sending me this story. It is some scary stuff. Anyone who has read my blog for any length of time has listened to me go on about the challenges of raising my beautiful, bright 10-year-old son. He is a truly gifted artist, but he struggles with so many things. He has a speech impediment, he is dyslexic, he has Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (birth defect also called CAH) and we feel that he probably has Sensory Integration Disorder (meaning certain forms of stimulation freak him out. He can't stand people making little noises, tapping on their desks, etc. That will drive him into a frenzy.) So, we've had many difficulties in helping to find just the right educational environment for him.
We've tried ADHD medications to see if they helped him. We never really saw any benefits and the longest we tried anything was five months. Some may say we didn't give it long enough, but it was plenty of time for me. Concerta wasn't awful for him, but he only took Adderall for two days before he started having facial tics and chewed his lips so badly that they were on the verge of bleeding. I said no more.
Plus, with his CAH, you never know how his body is going to respond to anything. The medical profession will reassure you that all is well, there are only a few side effects like insomnia, loss of appetite, etc. But,
this article cites a U.S. drug safety reports linking an attention deficit drug to 20 deaths.
Canada has pulled Adderall from circulation, however the FDA in the US says it isn't enough to take it off the market. After seeing what it did to my child in two days, I can't imagine giving it to a child. I'm sure everyone responds differently to medication and perhaps it works wonderfully for others, but not my kiddo. We have and will continue to focus on changing the behaviors and responses to stimuli.
From the story:
Health Canada ordered the withdrawal yesterday of Adderall XR, made by Shire Pharmaceuticals Group Plc, based on its review of adverse-event reports previously given to the U.S. agency by the Basingstoke, England-based company. The drug is prescribed for children and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Both agencies' decisions were based on information the company gave the FDA through the agency's adverse-event reporting system. The reports linked the drug to the deaths of 14 children and six adults from 1999 to 2003. Among the deaths, five patients had structural heart abnormalities, one was a child with Type-1 diabetes, another was a child who had exercised to the point of severe dehydration and heat exhaustion, and an eighth showed toxic levels of amphetamine, according to a public health advisory posted in the FDA Web site. The rate of deaths may not be significantly higher than among those who don't use Adderall, Temple said. There have been seven reports to the FDA of sudden deaths among patients using Ritalin or Concerta, he said.
We've tried ADHD medications to see if they helped him. We never really saw any benefits and the longest we tried anything was five months. Some may say we didn't give it long enough, but it was plenty of time for me. Concerta wasn't awful for him, but he only took Adderall for two days before he started having facial tics and chewed his lips so badly that they were on the verge of bleeding. I said no more.
Plus, with his CAH, you never know how his body is going to respond to anything. The medical profession will reassure you that all is well, there are only a few side effects like insomnia, loss of appetite, etc. But,
this article cites a U.S. drug safety reports linking an attention deficit drug to 20 deaths.
Canada has pulled Adderall from circulation, however the FDA in the US says it isn't enough to take it off the market. After seeing what it did to my child in two days, I can't imagine giving it to a child. I'm sure everyone responds differently to medication and perhaps it works wonderfully for others, but not my kiddo. We have and will continue to focus on changing the behaviors and responses to stimuli.
From the story:
Health Canada ordered the withdrawal yesterday of Adderall XR, made by Shire Pharmaceuticals Group Plc, based on its review of adverse-event reports previously given to the U.S. agency by the Basingstoke, England-based company. The drug is prescribed for children and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Both agencies' decisions were based on information the company gave the FDA through the agency's adverse-event reporting system. The reports linked the drug to the deaths of 14 children and six adults from 1999 to 2003. Among the deaths, five patients had structural heart abnormalities, one was a child with Type-1 diabetes, another was a child who had exercised to the point of severe dehydration and heat exhaustion, and an eighth showed toxic levels of amphetamine, according to a public health advisory posted in the FDA Web site. The rate of deaths may not be significantly higher than among those who don't use Adderall, Temple said. There have been seven reports to the FDA of sudden deaths among patients using Ritalin or Concerta, he said.
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