PhytoScience - Article
Are ADHD drugs safe?
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic disorder that affects millions of American children, and it can persist into adulthood.
Problems generally associated with ADHD include inattention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior. They can affect nearly every aspect of life. Children and adults with ADHD often struggle with low self-esteem, troubled personal relationships and poor performance in school or at work.
The best treatment for ADHD is a matter of debate. Currently, psychostimulant drugs are the most commonly prescribed medications for treating ADHD. But although these drugs can relieve many symptoms, they don't cure ADHD, and they can sometimes cause troubling side effects.
ADHD kids should have hearts checked before being prescribed medication
The American Heart Association recommends children should be screened for heart problems with an electrocardiogram before getting drugs like Ritalin to treat hyperactivity and attention-deficit disorder.
Stimulant drugs can increase blood pressure and heart rate.
For most children, that is not a problem. But in those with heart conditions, it could make them more vulnerable to sudden cardiac arrest - an erratic heartbeat that causes the heart to stop pumping blood through the body and other heart problems.
About 2.5 million American children and 1.5 million adults take medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, according to government estimates.
Stimulant drugs, like Ritalin, Adderall and Concerta, help children with ADHD to stay focused and control their behaviour.
The medications already carry warnings of possible heart risks in those with heart defects or other heart problems, which some critics said were driven more by concerns of overuse of the drugs than their safety.
The heart group is now recommending a thorough exam, including a family history and an ECG, before children are put on the drugs to make sure they do not have any undiagnosed heart issues.
"We don't want to keep children who have this from being treated. We want to do it as safely as possible." said Dr. Victoria Vetter, a paediatric cardiologist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and head of the committee making the recommendation.
The label warnings were added after a review by the Food and Drug Administration of its databases found reports of 19 sudden deaths in children treated with ADHD drugs and 26 reports of other problems including strokes and fast heart rates between 1999 and 2003.
There were also reports of heart problems in adults; the committee did not look at adults.
An ECG can detect abnormal heart rhythms that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest. Children who are already on ADHD drugs should also be tested, Vetter said.
If problems are found, the child should be sent to a paediatric cardiologist. With careful monitoring, Vetter said, children with heart problems can take the medicines if needed.
She said a screening of about 1100 children found that about 2 percent of them had some kind of heart problem.
"We thought it was reasonable to include the electrocardiogram as a tool for the paediatrician, the psychiatrist so that this would help identify additional children who have heart disease," Vetter said.
But Dr. Steven Pliszka, a child psychiatrist at the University of Texas in San Antonio, said he was baffled by the ECG recommendation. He said there's no evidence that sudden death is a bigger problem for children taking stimulants than for children who aren't taking the drugs.
Pliszka said an ECG might deter people from seeking treatment because it's an added expense and hassle. Psychiatrists aren't likely to have an ECG machine, and paediatricians might not either, making patients go elsewhere to get the test, he said.
Complementary and alternative medicine
A range of dietary supplements and herbal medicines claim to offer new ways to prevent or treat diseases in general. Some supplements show promise and are slowly gaining acceptance in mainstream medicine. But the benefits and risks of many products and practices remain unproved in human clinical trials.
Unfortunately, the production of these products isn't well regulated, and the amount of active ingredient may vary from company to company, bottle to bottle or even pill to pill.
Take the necessary time to research a company that provides nutritional supplements. The goal is to find reputable products produced by trustworthy companies.
Mangosteen. Mangosteen has been demonstrated to exhibit potent anti-inflammatory and anti-depressant properties. Natural remedies that lower inflammation can be very beneficial in the prevention or treatment of disease. Mangosteen can be used as an effective adjunct with standard therapies to reduce many of the side effects and helps to speed up recovery. When indicated; mangosteen may be preferred over some medications that have adverse effects with prolonged usage. Mangosteen juice from the whole fruit puree, consumed daily, has successfully been used to treat some of the symptoms of ADHD and has demonstrated numerous additional benefits over other natural products.
Xanthones, which are unique to the mangosteen, as a class of phytonutrients are polyphenolic bioflavonoids. Over 60 research papers show anti-tumor, anti-proliferative, antimicrobial, antihistamine, anti-inflammatory, anti-depressant, antioxidant and gastrointestinal protective effects. Mangosteen has been used successfully for these conditions for centuries throughout Southeast Asia. More mangosteen research is needed, but current scientific studies have demonstrated promising results.