OT - Ritalin heart attacks warning urged after 51 deaths in US

[Guest guest]

The main problem that I have with all of this is that if Ritalin can cause a

child with a damaged heart death, then what is it doing to the hearts of all of

those kids with healthy ones?

I still say, that it is a sad state of affairs when parents just drug their

children instead of, ummm, parenting them, changing their diets, looking for

other environmental contributors or even looking at what is going on in the

schools.

--

Sara

Proud Mama to

Colin 12/07/99

Jack 8/07/02

-------------- Original message --------------

From: " mum2mishka " <mum2mishka@...>

http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/story/0,,1707536,00.html

Ritalin heart attacks warning urged after 51 deaths in US

Move to highlight risks of drug prescribed to hyperactive children

Boseley, health editor

Saturday February 11, 2006

The Guardian

Ritalin, extensively prescribed to calm hyperactive children in the UK,

should carry the highest-level warning that it may increase the risk of

death from heart attacks, US experts recommended yesterday.

There have been 51 deaths among children and adults taking drugs for ADHD

(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) in the US since 1999. Yesterday

the UK licensing authority, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory

Agency (MHRA), said nine children had died in this country among a smaller

population on medication. They declined to reveal the children's ages

because of the possibility of identification.

In the US, doctors write 2m prescriptions for ADHD drugs for children every

month and 1m for adults. In the UK, nobody knows how many people are on the

drugs, which are licensed for children as young as six - although there are

reports of them being given to children as young as three. A total of

361,832 prescriptions were written last year for Ritalin and other drugs of

the methylphenidate class, which averages 30,153 a month.

The cause of death for two of the nine children who died in the UK was

specifically heart-related: one had a heart attack and a second an enlarged

heart. One was recorded as a " sudden death " . One died of a haemorrhage in

the brain and another of a swelling in the brain, two committed suicide and

the last died of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome - presumably the

mother was on the drugs.

The recommendation by an advisory panel of the Food and Drug Administration

to put a " black box " warning - the most serious possible - on all ADHD drugs

in the US is likely to be accepted. Pressure will mount now on the British

authorities to warn publicly of the risk.

There is growing concern about the rising numbers of children being put on

drugs. This class of drugs, known as methylphenidates, are amphetamine-based

and it is thought they could cause heart problems in some children and

adults because they raise blood pressure. There is already a warning on the

drug most widely used in the US, Adderall, which is not licensed in the UK.

The FDA advisers said it was not certain the drugs contributed to the 51

deaths. " The data is only suggestive at this point, but because of the

gravity of the side-effect, namely sudden death, physicians need to be made

clearly aware of that concern, " said Dr Gross, the panel chairman and

head of internal medicine at Hackensack University Medical Centre in New

Jersey. One member of the panel was clear that he hoped the warning might

slow down the soaring rate of prescription of the drugs to children who are

inattentive or badly behaved at school. " I want to get people's hands to

tremble a little bit before they write that [prescription], " said

Nissen, a panel member and cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic.

Dave Woodhouse, psychologist and director of the Cactus Clinic, attached to

Teesside University, which offers parents an alternative to drugs in the

form of nutritional guidance and counselling, said: " One of the main issues

is that fact that in the case of a lot of kids given Ritalin you don't know

if they have a heart condition or not. "

There are three methylphenidate drugs licensed in the UK - the bestselling

Ritalin, Concerta and Equasym. The MHRA said there had been 521 reports of

suspected adverse drug reactions, most of them in the past five years as

more children have been put on them. It added that methylphenidate " is

recognised to cause cardiovascular adverse effects " , such as a racing or

abnormal heartbeat and palpitations and increased blood pressure.

[Guest guest]

Gee, almost as many deaths as the " bird flu epedemic " . Why isn't anyone

panicking over this?

Diane

mum2mishka <mum2mishka@...> wrote:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/story/0,,1707536,00.html

Ritalin heart attacks warning urged after 51 deaths in US

Move to highlight risks of drug prescribed to hyperactive children

Boseley, health editor

Saturday February 11, 2006

The Guardian

Ritalin, extensively prescribed to calm hyperactive children in the UK,

should carry the highest-level warning that it may increase the risk of

death from heart attacks, US experts recommended yesterday.

There have been 51 deaths among children and adults taking drugs for ADHD

(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) in the US since 1999. Yesterday

the UK licensing authority, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory

Agency (MHRA), said nine children had died in this country among a smaller

population on medication. They declined to reveal the children's ages

because of the possibility of identification.

In the US, doctors write 2m prescriptions for ADHD drugs for children every

month and 1m for adults. In the UK, nobody knows how many people are on the

drugs, which are licensed for children as young as six - although there are

reports of them being given to children as young as three. A total of

361,832 prescriptions were written last year for Ritalin and other drugs of

the methylphenidate class, which averages 30,153 a month.

The cause of death for two of the nine children who died in the UK was

specifically heart-related: one had a heart attack and a second an enlarged

heart. One was recorded as a " sudden death " . One died of a haemorrhage in

the brain and another of a swelling in the brain, two committed suicide and

the last died of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome - presumably the

mother was on the drugs.

The recommendation by an advisory panel of the Food and Drug Administration

to put a " black box " warning - the most serious possible - on all ADHD drugs

in the US is likely to be accepted. Pressure will mount now on the British

authorities to warn publicly of the risk.

There is growing concern about the rising numbers of children being put on

drugs. This class of drugs, known as methylphenidates, are amphetamine-based

and it is thought they could cause heart problems in some children and

adults because they raise blood pressure. There is already a warning on the

drug most widely used in the US, Adderall, which is not licensed in the UK.

The FDA advisers said it was not certain the drugs contributed to the 51

deaths. " The data is only suggestive at this point, but because of the

gravity of the side-effect, namely sudden death, physicians need to be made

clearly aware of that concern, " said Dr Gross, the panel chairman and

head of internal medicine at Hackensack University Medical Centre in New

Jersey. One member of the panel was clear that he hoped the warning might

slow down the soaring rate of prescription of the drugs to children who are

inattentive or badly behaved at school. " I want to get people's hands to

tremble a little bit before they write that [prescription], " said

Nissen, a panel member and cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic.

Dave Woodhouse, psychologist and director of the Cactus Clinic, attached to

Teesside University, which offers parents an alternative to drugs in the

form of nutritional guidance and counselling, said: " One of the main issues

is that fact that in the case of a lot of kids given Ritalin you don't know

if they have a heart condition or not. "

There are three methylphenidate drugs licensed in the UK - the bestselling

Ritalin, Concerta and Equasym. The MHRA said there had been 521 reports of

suspected adverse drug reactions, most of them in the past five years as

more children have been put on them. It added that methylphenidate " is

recognised to cause cardiovascular adverse effects " , such as a racing or

abnormal heartbeat and palpitations and increased blood pressure.

[Guest guest]

Gee, almost as many deaths as the " bird flu epedemic " . Why isn't anyone

panicking over this?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/story/0,,1707536,00.html

Ritalin heart attacks warning urged after 51 deaths in US

Move to highlight risks of drug prescribed to hyperactive children

Boseley, health editor

Saturday February 11, 2006

The Guardian

Ritalin, extensively prescribed to calm hyperactive children in the UK,

should carry the highest-level warning that it may increase the risk of

death from heart attacks, US experts recommended yesterday.

There have been 51 deaths among children and adults taking drugs for ADHD

(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) in the US since 1999. Yesterday

the UK licensing authority, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory

Agency (MHRA), said nine children had died in this country among a smaller

population on medication. They declined to reveal the children's ages

because of the possibility of identification.

In the US, doctors write 2m prescriptions for ADHD drugs for children every

month and 1m for adults. In the UK, nobody knows how many people are on the

drugs, which are licensed for children as young as six - although there are

reports of them being given to children as young as three. A total of

361,832 prescriptions were written last year for Ritalin and other drugs of

the methylphenidate class, which averages 30,153 a month.

The cause of death for two of the nine children who died in the UK was

specifically heart-related: one had a heart attack and a second an enlarged

heart. One was recorded as a " sudden death " . One died of a haemorrhage in

the brain and another of a swelling in the brain, two committed suicide and

the last died of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome - presumably the

mother was on the drugs.

The recommendation by an advisory panel of the Food and Drug Administration

to put a " black box " warning - the most serious possible - on all ADHD drugs

in the US is likely to be accepted. Pressure will mount now on the British

authorities to warn publicly of the risk.

There is growing concern about the rising numbers of children being put on

drugs. This class of drugs, known as methylphenidates, are amphetamine-based

and it is thought they could cause heart problems in some children and

adults because they raise blood pressure. There is already a warning on the

drug most widely used in the US, Adderall, which is not licensed in the UK.

The FDA advisers said it was not certain the drugs contributed to the 51

deaths. " The data is only suggestive at this point, but because of the

gravity of the side-effect, namely sudden death, physicians need to be made

clearly aware of that concern, " said Dr Gross, the panel chairman and

head of internal medicine at Hackensack University Medical Centre in New

Jersey. One member of the panel was clear that he hoped the warning might

slow down the soaring rate of prescription of the drugs to children who are

inattentive or badly behaved at school. " I want to get people's hands to

tremble a little bit before they write that [prescription], " said

Nissen, a panel member and cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic.

Dave Woodhouse, psychologist and director of the Cactus Clinic, attached to

Teesside University, which offers parents an alternative to drugs in the

form of nutritional guidance and counselling, said: " One of the main issues

is that fact that in the case of a lot of kids given Ritalin you don't know

if they have a heart condition or not. "

There are three methylphenidate drugs licensed in the UK - the bestselling

Ritalin, Concerta and Equasym. The MHRA said there had been 521 reports of

suspected adverse drug reactions, most of them in the past five years as

more children have been put on them. It added that methylphenidate " is

recognised to cause cardiovascular adverse effects " , such as a racing or

abnormal heartbeat and palpitations and increased blood pressure.

--------------------------------------------------------

Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

$$ Donations to help in the work - accepted by Paypal account

earthmysteriestours@... voicemail US 530-740-0561

(go to http://www.paypal.com) or by mail

Vaccines - http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm

Vaccine Dangers On-Line course - http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccineclass.htm

Homeopathy On-Line course - http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/homeo.htm

[Guest guest]

>

>

> I still say, that it is a sad state of affairs when parents just

drug their children instead of, ummm, parenting them, changing their

diets, looking for other environmental contributors or even looking at

what is going on in the schools.

>

Please consider being a little more open-minded on this.

Out of the millions of children " diagnosed " with ADHD, I'd venture

that a conservative 50% have exhausted every " parenting " technique in

the books, visited half a dozen medical and educational " specialists, "

and made what they think are valiant attempts at changing diets.

They are probably putting in a hell of a lot more " parenting " hours

than those of us blessed with healthier kids, or those of us lucky

enough to have found the needle in the haystack as to what is causing

the problem.

They need our help and support, more than our judgment.

[Guest guest]

At 07:05 PM 2/15/2006 -0000, you wrote:

>

>>

>>

>> I still say, that it is a sad state of affairs when parents just

>drug their children instead of, ummm, parenting them, changing their

>diets, looking for other environmental contributors or even looking at

>what is going on in the schools.

>>

>

>Please consider being a little more open-minded on this.

>

>Out of the millions of children " diagnosed " with ADHD, I'd venture

>that a conservative 50% have exhausted every " parenting " technique in

>the books, visited half a dozen medical and educational " specialists, "

>and made what they think are valiant attempts at changing diets.

>

>They are probably putting in a hell of a lot more " parenting " hours

>than those of us blessed with healthier kids, or those of us lucky

>enough to have found the needle in the haystack as to what is causing

>the problem.

>

>They need our help and support, more than our judgment.

>

>

ADHD/ADD is REAL (not in every diagnosed case, but I agree with )

I see them in my practice. It isn't about parenting. Many children are

vaccine injured and that injures their brains and there is a spectrum of

brain injury here

vaccine-induced encephalitis - the varying degrees of the encephalitis

range from:

1. irritability

2. intractable crying

3. seizures

4. hyperactivity

5. ADD/ADHD

6. autism

7. death (SIDS & other)

And anything else in between - its because of the

inflammation of their little brains.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

" I still say, that it is a sad state of affairs when parents just

>drug their children instead of, ummm, parenting them, changing their

>diets, looking for other environmental contributors or even looking at

>what is going on in the schools. "

I'll play devil's advocate here and jump in on the other side. I understand

what both of you are saying but it is true that many active, rambunctious

children are " drugged " just for the sake of " tractability " . Ever see the

episode of " King of the Hill " when Bobby was given Ritalin? or when Bart

Simpson was? Many parents try hard but many, many others just take the " pill "

route and it IS wrong.

Beverle

[Guest guest]

I guess I just disagree that " many " parents irresponsibly take the

drug route for simplicity's sake. This was a common belief when I

was teaching special education, and I just rarely found it to be

true.

Yes, I saw parents who were easily frustrated, unwilling to put

forth much effort to implement my suggestions, and looking for a

quick fix... but these were individuals who had dealt with that

child 24/7 for 8 or 9 YEARS. They had already gone through the

Reality Discipline and Attachment Parenting and whatever else that,

frankly, doesn't work at all for many children with brain injuries,

i.e. autism or ADHD. And, likely, they were dealing with similar

chemical problems or nutritional deficiencies as their children.

Years of failure in their most important job... is it any wonder

they were looking for something quick and easy?

By the time they trudged into my classroom, they were FAR different

people than they had been when they brought that precious little

baby home. Since I had not experienced what they had been through,

I could not begin to judge their actions. And in every case, a

little support and faith in their efforts went a long way.

Sorry so long... I just really believe that a more tolerant approach

goes further to assist and educate. There's so much we can never

really know about each other's lives --

>

> " I still say, that it is a sad state of affairs when parents just

> >drug their children instead of, ummm, parenting them, changing

their

> >diets, looking for other environmental contributors or even

looking at

> >what is going on in the schools. "

>

> I'll play devil's advocate here and jump in on the other side. I

understand what both of you are saying but it is true that many

active, rambunctious children are " drugged " just for the sake

of " tractability " . Ever see the episode of " King of the Hill " when

Bobby was given Ritalin? or when Bart Simpson was? Many parents

try hard but many, many others just take the " pill " route and it IS

wrong.

> Beverle

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

If only 'they' could use better testing methods before slapping on the label

based on limited observation and parent/teacher descriptions that can be so

easily altered for a 'quick fix'. Family history is so important and so

overlookked by the DSMIV (according to what I have read).

Anita

" Beverle G. Sweitzer " <abernco@...> wrote:

" I still say, that it is a sad state of affairs when parents just

>drug their children instead of, ummm, parenting them, changing their

>diets, looking for other environmental contributors or even looking at

>what is going on in the schools. "

I'll play devil's advocate here and jump in on the other side. I understand

what both of you are saying but it is true that many active, rambunctious

children are " drugged " just for the sake of " tractability " . Ever see the

episode of " King of the Hill " when Bobby was given Ritalin? or when Bart

Simpson was? Many parents try hard but many, many others just take the " pill "

route and it IS wrong.

Beverle

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