Pharmaceutical companies must be having a field day. A recent study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania found no support for the belief that ADHD medication like Ritalin and Adderall increased the risk of cardiovascular complications among patients. After reviewing the records of more than 241,000 children and adolescents on the drugs from five different states, Dr. Sean Hennessy and his team of researchers concluded that taking medication for ADHD did not increase the chance of heart disease or cardiac arrest among younger folk. In other words, this study effectively declared ADHD as safe for children.  But is it really as harmless as the study claims?

Many experts, including myself, remain skeptical about Dr. Hennessy’s findings. In the scope of pharmacological studies, Dr. Hennessy’s research is considered very small, and the findings may not be scientifically significant as a result. The study also does not encompass the long-term effects of drug use, as it used records from as late as 2007 for its data.

As I’ve pointed out in the past, Ritalin, Adderall and other similar drugs have consistently been found to increase blood pressure in patients taking them, as well as raise the patients’ heart rate. Both side effects could potentially lead to more harmful complications in the cardiovascular systems of those who take the medication. It is possible that early exposure to these conditions, as is the case when children take anti-ADHD medication, can significantly increase the odds of heart problems developing over time. As a result, further research is needed to confirm whether or not using these drugs will raise the chances that patients will suffer heart attacks or cardiovascular disease at an earlier age than the average.

Dr. Steven Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic is one of numerous experts who warn against the study giving parents and pharmacists false reassurance. He argues that any medication that increased both the patient’s heart rate and blood pressure was consistently found to cause long-term cardiovascular damage, and that there is no reason to think popular ADHD medications are any different. Like Dr. Nissen, I advise parents to take Dr. Hennessy’s studies with a grain of salt, and to consider the long-term health of their children before anything else.

If ADHD medications like Ritalin are chemically similar to substances like cocaine and amphetamines, does that mean they are addictive? Technically, the answer is no.  Although both Ritalin (methylphenidate) and cocaine stimulate the production of dopamine, Ritalin takes longer to metabolize while cocaine works instantly. For pleasure-seeking recreational users who want the immediate gratification of stimulants, this makes all the difference in the world.  The effects of cocaine wear off faster than Ritalin, causing the user to crave for more drugs to sustain the high. Based on this major difference, experts conclude that ADHD medications metabolize too slowly to be habit-forming – as long as kids and teens take their pills as instructed by their doctor, that is.

But as it turns out, not all teens that use ADHD medications take them as prescribed.  In fact, many of them might not even have ADHD. According to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics, the number of teens who overdosed on ADHD medications rose 76% over the last seven years.

Researchers looked at data gathered by American Association of Poison Control Centers, which was based on calls from 13- to 19-year olds between the years 1998 and 2005. Throughout this time, nationwide calls for ADHD drug misuse increased from 330 to 581 yearly.  Around 42% of affected teens experienced moderate to severe side-effects such as aggression, seizures, personality changes, and psychosis. Most had to be rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, while four of these cases resulted in death.

Indeed, abuse of Ritalin and other prescription drugs is a phenomenon college guidance counselors struggle with every year.  From the point of view of a teenager, the short-term side effects of ADHD medications are very desirable. Not only does Ritalin suppress appetite and cause weight loss; the drugs help students stay up all night while they frantically finish papers or study for exams. It’s common practice for teens to crush the tablets and snort the medicine as though it were cocaine; this makes the methylphenidate metabolize faster. Unfortunately, ADHD medications do have a strong potential for abuse if they are taken this way.

The study’s authors did not have information as to whether the abusers were diagnosed with ADHD or not. However, anecdotal evidence and previous research suggests that many of these teens did not have ADHD. According to a study by the University of Miami, students who were prescribed ADHD medications were least enthusiastic about taking them. On the other hand, non-prescribed students were more eager to use these drugs, which can be obtained from ADHD peers who are more than happy to sell or trade extra pills. It’s not uncommon for teens without ADHD to fake the symptoms so that they can obtain a prescription from a doctor.

Even though there are only hundreds of overdose cases compared to the millions of children who take Ritalin and other stimulants, the rising numbers are consistent and reflect a major increase in teenage substance abuse problems.  If your child or teen is taking medications for ADHD, make sure that you’re aware of where the pills are stored, how many there are, and who has access to these drugs.  Better yet, keep them in a place where your child can’t sneak them out.  Watch out for signs of abuse, which include difficulty focusing and increased agitation. You may also want to consider trying a non-medical approach to manage ADHD, especially if your child no longer shows improvements after years of taking medication.

While stimulant medications have helped some children reduce their hyperactivity and inattention, we cannot ignore the fact that a number of children need a more comprehensive treatment for ADHD. Not only do ADHD medications fail to work in the long run, but they also carry serious long-term side effects. Unfortunately, it’s a lot easier to get children and parents to agree to use stimulant drugs. According to a study published in Pediatrics, one in 20 American children received free drug samples from their doctors a year. As for those who decided to take prescription medications that year, almost one in 10 received a free sample. However, the study points out that these free samples may be unsafe.

These conclusions were drawn based on data from 10,295 children and adults in the2004 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Four of the fifteen most distributed drug samples were identified by the United States Food and Drug Administration as having serious safety concerns. Among the top four were are Adderall (amphetamine/dextroamphetamine), Strattera (atomoxetine), and Ritalin (methylphenidate) – stimulant medications used to treat ADHD. These stimulants belong to the same drug family as cocaine and pose the same long-term risks as this drug. While they are not addictive by themselves, free samples don’t usually come with clear instructions on how to take them, giving them lots of potential for abuse or recreational use.

Some physicians argue that free drug samples are a cost-effective way to provide medications to those who could not otherwise afford them. However, the study’s findings indicate that most of these free samples never reach their intended market. Only 16% of those who got free samples had no health insurance, and less than a third of these children came from families with low incomes (less than $38,000 a year for a family of four).

Another concern worth noting is that free samples tend to be for new medications that have just been introduced to the market. These new drugs have been released even though their safety profile has yet to be fully studied. And with stimulant ADHD medications, you can’t be too careful about their short-term and long-term side effects.

Treating ADHD with medication seems like the most convenient and practical approach to this disorder and free samples only encourage the casual use of these drugs. But we have to remember that medications alone are not enough to address the full spectrum of ADHD’s causes. In the long run, a comprehensive and holistic approach to ADHD management can circumvent the side effects of stimulants while providing results that last.

There are many effective natural alternative treatments for children with ADHD. Why should you take the risk to have your child experience serious side-effects and unknown long-terms effect.

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The researchers have found that children taking Ritalin and other psychostimulants had a 7 times greater risk of suffering from suddent unexplained death !

Don’t take the risk with your child. Look into natural ADHD alternatives.

Dr. Pauli