Friday, June 26, 2009

Stimulants and Sudden Cardiac Death

Now the FDA wants to shoot holes in a study that, yes, has limitations, but is the FDA pushing the limitations aspect of the study as a way to possibly politically cover themselves when they have approved these medicines for treatment in the most susceptible of populations - our children.


It must be said that these medications can be life-changing (for the better) for many individuals-improving their overall functioning and quality of life; but that they are over-used, over-prescribed and misused/abused is undoubtable.

Read below, an article that discusses the FDA's reservations with the recent study in the Archives of Psychiatry (one of the nation's leading medical/psychiatric journals), that discloses an increase in the incidence of sudden death in individuals taking stimulants.


FDA questions heart risk findings on ADHD drugs

The FDA said the study published on Monday in the American Journal of Psychiatry found there may be an association between use of stimulant medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and sudden cardiac death in healthy children.

"Because of the study's limitations, parents should not stop a child's stimulant medication based on the study," an FDA statement said.

Stimulant medications used to treat ADHD include Novartis AG's Ritalin and Shire PLC's Adderall and Vyvanse.

See/read the article HERE

No comments:

Post a Comment