ADHD Kids 10.5 Times More Likely to Fail When Drugged

by Heidi Stevenson

20 February 2010

An Australian study of children with ADHD found that those who had been drugged with stimulants, the standard medical treatment, were 10½ times more likely to have been identified as performing below age level in school. Further, children who consistently received stimulant medications had significantly higher diastolic (resting) blood pressure readings, averaging 10.79 mmHg higher than those who had never been drugged.

ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a growing diagnosis of children, for which the stimulant drugs, dextroamphetamine and methylphenidate, are routinely prescribed. Adults are also being diagnosed and given the same drugs, which are similar to illegal methamphetamine.

The study, titled "Raine ADHD Study: Long-term outcomes associated with stimulant medication in the treatment of ADHD in children" (MIC-ADHD), was financed by and produced for Western Australia's Department of Health.

Professor Lou Landau, Paediatrician & Principal Medical Advisor Department of Health, was Chair of MIC-ADHD. He stated:

We found that stimulant medication did not significantly improve a child's level of depression, self-perception or social functioning and they were more likely to be performing below their age level at school by a factor of 10.5 times.

Psychiatry's claims that stimulants benefit children by improving their self-perception or helping them focus on school work is shown to have been nothing more than posturing. As a result, millions of children have suffered, and as is clear from these results, their life potential has been blunted by worsening their school performance.

Known Adverse Effects of Stimulants

The study did not involve itself with the known adverse effects of the two drugs. They are, though, frightening:

Dextroamphetamine

Among common adverse effects are conduction disorder of the heart, which can cause sudden death from heart stoppage, irritability, insomnia, false sense of well-being, and nervousness.

Other adverse effects, either less frequent or rare, include anorexia, dyspnea (difficulty breathing), headaches, infections, tremors (indicative of neural damage), tachyarrhythmia (erratic heartbeat), urticaria, aggressive behavior, anaphylaxis, angioedema (severe swelling of deep layers of skin, potentially deadly), cerebrovascular accident (evasive term for a stroke), hallucinations, myocardial infarction (heart attack), psychosis, and seizures.

This is a partial list and does not include all potentially fatal disorders that can be caused by dextroamphetamine.

Methylphenidate

Among common adverse effects are anorexia, headaches, tacharrhythmia (erratic heartbeat), hypertension (high blood pressure), and xerostomia (dry mouth, a miserable condition that can destroy teeth).

Other adverse effects, either less frequent or rare, include abnormal hepatic function (liver damage), anaphylaxis, angioedema (severe swellling of deep layers of skin, potentially deadly), cerebrovascular accident (evasive term for a stroke), conduction disorder of the heart (can cause sudden death from heart stoppage), agitation, failure to grow, tics, hallucinations, migraines, mood changes, myocardial infarction (heart attack), psychosis, Raynaud's phenomenon (severe coldness of extremities), and seizures.

This is a partial list and does not include all potentially fatal disorders that can be caused by methylphenidate.

The Study

MIC-ADHD was based on an ongoing Western Australia study called Raine, which enrolled 2,868 women before the 18th week of pregnancy, and follows their children. Follow-ups are done at ages 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 14 and 17. At the time of MIC-ADHD, 131 children had been identified with ADHD and the 14^th years evaluations had been done.

Several issues known to affect children diagnosed with ADHD were examined, including:

• Externalizing Behavior (aggression, delinquency, other destructive behaviors)
• Depression
• Self Perception
• Social Functioning
• Teacher-rated Academic Performance
• Absenteeism
• Enjoyment of School
• Height and Weight
• Cardiovascular Function (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, resting heart rate)

In most of the concerns studied, there was little or no difference between drugged and undrugged ADHD children. However, two concerns, cardiovascular function and teacher-rated academic performance, were significantly affected, indicating significant lifetime risk for ADHD children who have been drugged.

The most concerning physical effect of drugging children diagnosed with ADHD is a significant increase in diastolic (resting) blood pressure. Diastolic blood pressure in never-drugged children averaged 55.79 mmHg, while consistently-drugged children averaged 66.58 mmhg, a difference of 10.79 mmHg. That is a 19.34% increase in diastolic pressure in children who are drugged with stimulants. Worse, the study documented that increased diastolic blood pressure persists after drugs have been stopped. The implications on cardiovascular health—especially in light of a push to continue drugging these children into adulthood—are significant.

The likelihood of a child who had ever been treated with stimulant drugs being identified by teachers as performing below their age group was increased by 10½ times. Notice that ongoing use of these drugs wasn't necessary, but only having been exposed to them at some point. These children's lives are far more likely to be blunted and limited by their poor school performance and by the labeling they've been given during their school years.

Implications

The results of this study are damning to both Big Pharma and a medical system that so readily pumps drugs into our children based on unsubstantiated claims from self-styled experts, who are paid handsomely by Big Pharma for their claims, and pseudoscience. There are no long term benefits to children from taking stimulants for ADHD, and the risks are severe. Whether common or not, how can any doctor justify prescribing these drugs to children on a wholesale basis?

There may be rare instances in which benefits may be seen—in the sense that anything is possible. Here are the facts that parents need to know before agreeing to allow their children to be drugged:

• They cannot expect to see any benefits for their children.
• They will most likely see their children's cardiovascular health damaged.
• Their school performance will probably be severely hampered.
• They are being exposed to extremely severe health risks.

Knowing all that, would you allow your child to be given these drugs?

Do you have an opinion about this? Click here to comment!