subject: Safe ADHD Medications - Do They Exist And What Are The Safer Options? [print this page] Safe ADHD Medications - Do They Exist And What Are The Safer Options?
If you think that safe ADHD medications are a given, then think again. Any medication will have side effects and we know that there are several which are associated with the so called safe ADHD meds. For example there are about 30% of children who just cannot bear the side effects. These range from the usual stunted growth problems, sleep challenges and also loss of appetite. While there are side effects, it cannot be denied that these meds can actually help to reduce the hyperactivity, restlessness and the impulsivity.
Then there are the long term health risks which nobody seems too sure about. But alarming stories of sudden deaths from the so called safe ADHD meds such as Ritalin, or liver failure from Cylert are not urban myths, I can tell you!
There is also the well established medical fact now that after three years or so on these drugs, the effects begin to wear off so that hyperactivity and impulsivity are no longer under control. That also means that unless behavior modification has been introduced, the child is back to square one.
The other aspect of the safe ADHD medications is that there is the whole area of conflict of interest of the pharmaceutical companies. This was recently emphasised by Marcia Angell who is a former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine and at present teaches medical ethics at Harvard.
She has stated quite clearly that the link between the companies and the medical research they set up is far too close and incestuous. There is an inevitable conflict of interest. That may be one reason why we cannot find any real research into the long term risks of these drugs.
Biofeedback is regarded as one of the promising alternatives to the so called safe ADHD medications. Here the emphasis is on the child using the biofeedback on the activity of his brainwaves to actually improve concentration, lessen impulsivity and also reduce hyperactivity. There have been successful cases using this treatment. The only drawbacks are that it is rather expensive and more research certainly needs to be done before this is accepted as a mainstream type of treatment.
Understandably parents are wary of new fangled things like this and want to rely on safer options and especially those which are not associated with drug abuse.
The best answer, in my opinion is to first make sure that there are structures and routines set up in the home so that behavior changes are facilitated and that there is a loving supportive atmosphere.
Then there are much more promising options to the so called safe ADHD medications. For example homeopathy is considered perfectly safe as there are no side effects at all and certainly no long term health risks. Why not check this one out. It could be the answer for your child and could turn your home into a much more relaxed place with a much happier child.
