Concerns and Thoughts About ADHD Prescription Drugs and the Potential Long Term Consequences To Your Child

Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 2:34 am

You have probably, at one point or another, stopped to ponder the number of ADHD prescription drugs and their side effects. Of course, the most well known are Adderall and Ritalin. However, there are others too.

The list of side effects that come with any drug, including ADHD drugs can be rather long. Here is a tip: the next time you pick up ANY drug at your local pharmacy, ask the pharmacist to print out a list of side effects for you. You might be VERY surprised! Some of the side effects can even be quite serious.

ADHD drugs usually fall into one of three categories:

1. Long acting stimulant

2. Short or Intermediate acting stimulant

3. Not a Stimulant.

The long acting drugs will include drugs similar to Ritalin LA, Metadate CD, Focalin XR, Daytrana, Concerta, Adderal XR, and Vyvanse. These drugs can affect your child for up twelve hours! As such, they are only taken once-per-day. In the case of Ritalin LA or Adderal XR, they come in a capsule form that you can open and sprinkle onto food. Daytrana is a patch that the child can wear just like a ‘quit smoking’ transdermal.

The short and intermediate drug prescriptions for ADHD include Ritalin, Adderall, Dexedrine and Dextrostat, as well as Methylin ER. These drugs are sort of out-of-style as they need to be taken more than once per day. On the other hand, they are not available in generic forms which can be less costly.

Non stimulant ADHD drugs, the most well known being Strattera, are not prescribed as often as the stimulant drugs are. However, in the case of a child who suffers anxiety in conjunction with his ADHD issues, the doctor might prescribe Strattera. Drugs like this may also be an option for children who do not do well with the stimulant drugs.

The side effects for the stimulant drugs can often include headaches, stomach aches, sleeplessness (insomnia), eating disorders, withdrawing socially, vomiting and, with that, nausea. This is not the end of the list, just some highlights! As a parent, you might see the outward signs of the side effects such as your child being dull or even a bit less-responsive or the appearance of being in a trance!

The non-stimulants, like Strattera can have similar side effects too. Allergic reactions can also be a concern. As a parent, you certainly want the best for your child and that is why you both may benefit from considering an all natural alternative remedy.

One of the most alarming suspicions of researchers is the appearance of a greater risk of depression in adulthood for children who were prescribed ADHD prescription drugs. When you consider the side effects along with this long term potential danger, you might conclude that the risk is too great. The good news is that there are alternative remedies available that do not appear to have these side effects.

To recap, ADHD prescription drugs have a number of possible side effects. You, as a parent, definitely want your child to have a happy, successful and fulfilling life but you also want to deal with the symptoms of ADHD at the same time. Homeopathic remedies could offer a viable alternative. If ADHD can be treated safely with a more natural remedy, you might conclude that to be a better alternative than prescription drugs.

However, there are times when prescription drugs are necessary, you will have to balance rationality with your own personal research!

Scott Starsky has learned about ADHD natural remedy alternatives and thinks that you should consider the information that is out there about them too.

*This article is for information purposes only and does not intend to render advice, diagnosis or treatment for any health condition whatsoever. If you have or think you might have a health issue of any type, visit your doctor for advice diagnosis and treatment. The USFDA has not evaluated statements about any products in this article or on this site.