Psychosis and Mania - ADHD drug warnings come too late for many

[donsu]

http://counterpunch.com/pringle03072007.html


ADHD Drug Warnings Come Too Late for Many


The makers of drugs used to treat attention disorders have known about the serious health risks associated with the medications for years but instead of warning the public, the industry has consistently focused its efforts on expanding the market and colluding with FDA officials to keep warnings off the labels of ADHD drugs.

On February 21, 2007, the FDA finally directed the drug companies to develop Patient Medication Guides to inform patients about the adverse psychiatric symptoms associated with Adderall, Concerta, Daytrana, Desoxyn, Dexedrine, Focalin, Metadate CD, Methylin, Ritalin, Strattera, and the extended-release, patch and chewable versions of these drugs.

-snip-

"The most important finding of this review is that signs and symptoms of psychosis or mania, particularly hallucinations, can occur in some patients with no identifiable risk factors, at usual doses of any of the drugs currently used to treat ADHD."

Between January 2000, and June 30, 2005, the FDA identified nearly 1,000 cases of psychosis or mania linked to the drugs in its own database and those from the drug makers themselves. A substantial proportion of the cases occurred in children age ten years or less, a population in which hallucinations are not common, the authors said.

-snip-

But the fact that these drugs cause psychosis is not news. The rate of psychotic events was reported in a 5-year Canadian study of children diagnosed with ADHD, by Cherland and Fitzpatrick in 1999. Among the 192 children studied, 98 had been placed on stimulant drugs, mostly methylphenidate, and psychotic symptoms developed in more than 9% of the children and ceased as soon as the medication was stopped.

-very long snip -


http://counterpunch.com/pringle03072007.html


ADHD Drug Warnings Come Too Late for Many


The makers of drugs used to treat attention disorders have known about the serious health risks associated with the medications for years but instead of warning the public, the industry has consistently focused its efforts on expanding the market and colluding with FDA officials to keep warnings off the labels of ADHD drugs.

On February 21, 2007, the FDA finally directed the drug companies to develop Patient Medication Guides to inform patients about the adverse psychiatric symptoms associated with Adderall, Concerta, Daytrana, Desoxyn, Dexedrine, Focalin, Metadate CD, Methylin, Ritalin, Strattera, and the extended-release, patch and chewable versions of these drugs.

-snip-

"The most important finding of this review is that signs and symptoms of psychosis or mania, particularly hallucinations, can occur in some patients with no identifiable risk factors, at usual doses of any of the drugs currently used to treat ADHD."

Between January 2000, and June 30, 2005, the FDA identified nearly 1,000 cases of psychosis or mania linked to the drugs in its own database and those from the drug makers themselves. A substantial proportion of the cases occurred in children age ten years or less, a population in which hallucinations are not common, the authors said.

-snip-

But the fact that these drugs cause psychosis is not news. The rate of psychotic events was reported in a 5-year Canadian study of children diagnosed with ADHD, by Cherland and Fitzpatrick in 1999. Among the 192 children studied, 98 had been placed on stimulant drugs, mostly methylphenidate, and psychotic symptoms developed in more than 9% of the children and ceased as soon as the medication was stopped.

-very long snip -

The number of ADHD related deaths cited at the hearing does not reflect an accurate picture. There are many more deaths recorded in the individual states. For instance, according to the report, "Child Suicides In Florida Associated With Use Of Psychotropic Drugs," by Ken Kramer, of the 252 cases of suicide in children under 18, between 2000 and 2004, thirty-six were on ADHD drugs.

Because the FDA system of reporting is voluntary, the agency admits that only between one and 10% of adverse reactions get recorded. Which means, because the FDA and Big Pharma intentionally delayed warning the public about the dangers of ADHD drugs, there are probably tens of thousands of ADHD victims who do not even know what happened.
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the pharma barons need to be in prison

[Deja Q]

1. Holy shit.

I wonder how long one has to be on those drugs before things go awry...

Fortunately, I've tried lots of drugs and most of them don't work or do bad things from the start, so I consider myself lucky I'm as intact as I am; which is pretty good... :)

[bleedingheart]

2. No one wants to take medication, but sometimes it is necessary

I have asthma. Nothing sucks more than having to inhale steroids, but not being able to breathe is worse.
The steroids and the drugs I take all have risks.

Same goes for the medications used to treat mental illnesses.

I have a son with Asperger's, no meds at first but eventually he needed them and we found one that is working, however we do hope that one day he won't need it.

On the other hand, a friend of mine has a son who has a persistent developmental disorder and a number of other issues. He is not on any medication but the poor kid can't function at all. He is in 3rd grade and he can't even get up in the morning, dress himself or do much without a great deal of assistance from his mother. The poor kid also has a problem gaining weight and his pediatrician can't figure out how to get him the necessary proteins to grow... His mind is there...he isn't mentally disabled in that sense...but he is locked up so tight in his own world that if he doesn't get both therapy and perhaps some medication (if it is deemed necessary)...I fear for his future. Meanwhile his mother keeps insisting that he will "snap out of it"...but he is only getting worse.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. True. We're always going to have to weight possible side effects vs.

quality of life. I rules out Lithium in my case. It is just way too scary with its toxicity problems, but that also meant that I tossed the number one most effective drug out the window. So whatever I end up with for meds may never have the efficacy that Lithium might have had. But at least I will still be here.

[Greybnk48]

4. My daughter has a serious case of ADHD

which has modified over time. In second grade she was diagnosed by a school psychologist, and my husband and I spent a ton of money for two more private opinions which verified his diagnosis. It was recommended that she take Ritalin and at this point we agreed (the diagnosis was not a surprise to us because we were dealing with her at home, but I was hesitant about medicating her).

Within a few days of starting the meds she was having difficulty eating, which was not a good thing because she was already slim. Within a week she began to have night terrors and hallucinations (she also began sleep walking). Of couse we called repeatedly about this to the Psychologist's office and were assured it would level off. After 3 weeks of this I threw the pills in the trash.

The occasional sleep walking and night terrors lasted up until her freshman high school year. This is of course anecdotal, but she had never had anything like this until she took those meds. She's 24 now and we have used behavior modification for years--successfully on a child that was termed a 10 out of 10 for severity of ADHD. It hasn't been easy for her, her driving record is a disaster, which was predicted to us back when she was in second grade. But she did graduate from college and has a great job, and has done all of this without meds.

I shudder to think of what may have happened to her had I forced her to continue with them, which is what we were advised to do.