\doc\web\99\07\adhd.txt \From: Nanny714@aol.com Date sent: Sat, 1 May 1999 21:12:11 EDT Subject: [education-consumers] Re:Request for Test information on Ritalin To: "ClearingHouse" Copies to: WitchyPooy@aol.com, Gary.M.DeGasta@dartmouth.edu, ZorroFRR@aol.com Send reply to: Nanny714@aol.com ===================================================================== Understand research from a consumer-friendly perspective: RESEARCH AND INNOVATION: LET THE BUYER BEWARE by Stone & Clements. Now available at the ClearingHouse Website ===================================================================== [I apologize to those of you who aren't interested but I cannot sit back and let myths be perpetuated about ADHD and its treatment anymore than I can sit back and let myths be perpetuated about the wonders of the progressive education fads which have infected our schools. In both instances, the myths perpetuated need to be exposed as they are harmful to children.] Marlene, I suggest that you contact a local Chadd chapter if you're truly interested in becoming knowledgable. It is a parent-based organizations and most parents are extremely well informed about ADHD and its treatment as nothing less than their childs future well being is at stake. There are a number of chapters in PA. I've included the web site below. I included the two studies on desipramine by Biederaman as it's often prescribed for ADHD children when Ritalin is an inappropriate treatment. I also want to add that ADHD children are "at risk" simply by virtue of their brain chemistry. Knowing your child is "at risk" is very frightening for parents. It leads parents in their passionate desire to help their child to become highly motivated in their quest for accurate, up-to-date information on treatments with known efficacy . I will tell you that if you go on a mission and attempt to discredit the treatment of ADHD children with Ritalin, you will run into a solid wall of extremely well informed parents armed with factual knowledge about this disorder and its treatment. The group of scientists who research and treat this disorder as their lifes work will be standing right beside them for they know too well the struggles and challenges these families face. I remind you again that the decision as to whether to treat with medication is between the childs doctor and the parents. : http://www.chadd.org/ 5. Is Ritalin safe? Hundreds of studies on thousands of children have been conducted regarding the effects of psychostimulant medications, making them among the most studied medications in pharmacological history. Relatively few long-term side effects have been identified. Most problems related to these medications are mild and short-term. The most common side effects are reduction in appetite and difficulty sleeping. Infrequently, children experience "stimulant rebound" – a negative mood or an increase in activity when medication is losing its effect. This tends to occur in younger children, and is usually seen as a short-acting medication wears off (frequently just as the child arrives home from school.) These side effects are usually managed by changing the dose and the scheduling for short-acting medications, or by changing to a prolonged-release formulation. There may be an initial, slight effect on height and weight gain, but studies suggest that ultimate height and weight is rarely affected. Some studies suggest that children with AD/HD reach puberty later than their peers. However, for any child who seems to be lagging behind his or her peers, height and weight should be closely monitored. A relatively uncommon side effect of psychostimulant medications may be the unmasking of latent tics – the medical term for involuntary motor movements, such as eye-blinking, shrugging and clearing of the throat. Psychostimulant medications can facilitate the emergence of a tic disorder in susceptible individuals. Often, but not always, the tic will disappear when the medication is stopped. For many mid-teenagers, vocal tics (throat clearing, sniffing, or coughing beyond what is normal) or motor tics (blinking, facial grimacing, shrugging, head-turning) will occur as a time-limited phenomenon concurrent with AD/HD. The medications may bring them to notice earlier, or make them more prominent than they would be without medication, but they eventually go away in the latter part of the teenage years, even while the individual is still on medication. 6. Are there any drug-free treatments for AD/HD? Most experts recommend a multimodal treatment approach for AD/HD, consisting of a mix of interventions. Drug-free interventions that have been shown to be effective include educational interventions, behavior modification, parent training, and counseling in anger-management. In an effort to seek help for AD/HD, people may turn to treatments that some claim to work but have not been shown to be effective using rigorous scientific standards. To make sure that treatments are safe and effective, avoid controversial treatments and ask how suggested treatments have been evaluated. END ===================================================================== EDUCATION CONSUMERS CLEARINGHOUSE networking and information for parents and taxpayers on the internet Subscriptions & Archives: http://education-consumers.com or You are currently subscribed to education-consumers as: arthurhu@halcyon.com TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Send a blank email to leave-education-consumers-989462S@lists.dundee.net