Spotlight on ADHD drugs

[hoptis]

Judge condemns ADHD explosion
By Janet Fife-Yeomans
April 26, 2007 12:00

Judge Paul Conlon has slammed doctors for creating a generation of Ritalin kids now committing crimes.

A NSW judge has slammed doctors for creating a generation of Ritalin kids now committing violent crimes and coming before the courts.

Judge Paul Conlon said attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was the most over-diagnosed condition in the community, with "naughty kids whacked" on to drugs like the powerful stimulant Ritalin.

Last year there were more than 264,000 prescriptions for Ritalin issued in Australia – compared to just 11,114 prescriptions written in 1992.

Has Ritalin or a similar ADHD prescription affected your child? Tell us your experience in the Feedback section at the bottom of this story.

Judge Conlon said he was worried because the effect on the mental health of children who were given powerful drugs they didn't need was unknown.

"I have huge concerns. The tide of cases is amazing," said Judge Conlon, a former Crown prosecutor and now judge in the NSW District Court.

"I am starting to lose count of (the number of) offenders coming before the courts who were diagnosed at a very young age with ADHD for which they were 'medicated'."

With Australia's ADHD rates among the highest in the world and 32,000 NSW school children now on medication for it, the judge's comments will renew controversy about the use of Ritalin.

Judge Conlon spoke to The Daily Telegraph after jailing for 15 months for assault and an act of indecency a 20-year-old man who was prescribed Ritalin at the age of six.

A report by consultant psychiatrist Dr Yolande Lucire tendered to the court said the man showed characteristics of borderline personality disorder when he was taken off the drug at the age of 16 by Juvenile Justice officers.

Dr Lucire told the court: "We know (Ritalin) causes brain injury and permanent personality change." The man had also become addicted to drugs including methamphetamine.

Judge Conlon said another offender appearing before him had said he felt suicidal on ADHD medication and those feelings only subsided when he stopped taking it.

Another told the judge the "fog" lifted when he quit the medication. Yet another said he had been taking Ritalin for years and felt depressed but when he came off it "he felt on top of the world and that his life was back on track".

Judge Conlon said he was also seeing signs that children prescribed psycho-stimulant drugs like Ritalin went on to develop addiction to drugs like methamphetamines.

"My own research indicates that ADHD is perhaps the most over-diagnosed condition in today's society," he said.

He urged health professionals whom he knew had concerns to become more vocal.

Daily Telegraph

 

[hoptis]

Exercise safe ADHD alternative
By Janet Fife-Yeomans
April 26, 2007 12:00

Kristina Ulrich has tackled her ADHD with exercise rather than stimulant drugs such as Ritalin.

KRISTINA Ulrich loves reading Lemony Snicket books, giggling, going to school and birthday parties with friends.

As she hugged her daughter, Yolante Ulrich said she is relieved the family did not go back to the paediatrician who told them drugs like Ritalin were the only solution when Kristina was diagnosed with ADHD.

Kristina, 12, has been cured with the Dore Program, a drug-free exercise regime attracting interest among doctors. "Every time I pick up a newspaper and read about children being medicated for ADHD, I cringe," said Mrs Ulrich, 46.

As a registered nurse, she knew the side effects of ADHD medication. Stimulants like Ritalin cause insomnia, so sleeping tablets need to be used.

Kristina was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and ADHD in 2000.

The Dore Program works on the theory that the cerebellum, which controls balance, eye co-ordination and motor neurone movement, operates differently in ADHD sufferers.

Exercises give the cerebellum a "work out".

Daily Telegraph

 

[hoptis]

Test could cut ADHD
By Zoe Taylor and Janet Fife-Yeomans
April 26, 2007 12:00

A NEW biological test to positively diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has been developed by Sydney doctors.

The groundbreaking computer-based test has won Government funding and could lead to a cut in the number of children and adults diagnosed with the controversial disorder.

The diagnosis of ADHD has soared in Australia over the past decade with Medicare figures revealing 264,296 prescriptions of Ritalin were issued in 2006, a massive leap from 116,320 just 10 years ago and 11,114 in 1992.

If adopted, the new computer test would replace the traditional method of identifying ADHD, based on a simple check-list of symptoms including difficulty in concentrating and following instructions.

For 32,000 of the state's schoolchildren, taking Ritalin or a similar drug has become a daily ritual, with as many as one in 25 under the age of 14 popping the pills.

The Daily Telegraph revealed last year that children in the state's battler areas are given drugs for ADHD at a rate of up to 10 times that of affluent areas.

Medicare figures show the highest level is in the state's Central West where one script was issued for every 17 children.

In the Hawkesbury area in Sydney's northwest there was one script for every 25.8 children. In contrast, children in Northern Sydney get one script for every 291.5 children.

Some parents are demanding that Ritalin be prescribed, according to Dr Michael Cohn, a senior staff specialist in paediatrics at The Children's Hospital, Westmead.

Dr Cohn, who has developed the new diagnostic test, also admitted that ADHD may be being over-diagnosed by GPs.

ADHD is said to be a biological condition thought to be caused by an imbalance of some of the brain's neurotransmitters, which send signals between nerve cells.

For the past decade, Dr Cohn and colleagues at the Centre for Research into Adolescent Health and the Brain Dynamics Centre, both at Westmead, have been developing the sophisticated new test.

It uses software to combine the results of on-screen problem-solving tasks with recordings of electrical activity in specific parts of the brain and uses a point-scoring system to confirm or refute a diagnosis of ADHD.

So far more than 4000 "normal" children and 400 with ADHD have sat the test, which takes about 45 minutes to complete.

In experiments so far, nine out of 10 children tested who were suspected of having ADHD had the diagnosis confirmed by the new test.

A $500,000 National Health and Medical Research Council grant will fund a two-year trial of the use of the test.

Daily Telegraph

 

[lil angel15]

Call for ADHD drug inquiry
By Janet Fife-Yeomans and Bruce McDougall
April 27, 2007 12:00

THE GOVERNMENT must hold a national inquiry into the ADHD epidemic and the long-term effects of giving powerful stimulants like Ritalin to thousands of children, Opposition federal health spokeswoman Nicola Roxon said yesterday.

The inquiry would address the community's "clear" concern that Australia has one of the world's highest rates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, she said.
The calls came as Prime Minister John Howard revealed he too was worried about reports of the over-prescription of the powerful stimulant.

He left open the possibility of a national inquiry into the ADHD epidemic, which has seen a 25-fold increase in prescriptions for Ritalin over the past 15 years.

Mr Howard told The Daily Telegraph exclusively that he was awaiting the outcome of a government-funded review of clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and appropriate treatment of ADHD by the Royal College of Physicians.

"I am very worried about reports of the over-prescription of Ritalin," he said.

"The Government is taking action on a range of fronts to tackle the issue."

His comments followed criticism from NSW District Court judge Paul Conlon, who said he was seeing a generation of Ritalin kids before him in the courts.

Judge Conlon said he believed ADHD was the most over-diagnosed condition in the community, with "naughty kids whacked" on to drugs.

Mr Howard said the listing of the new drug, Strattera, on the PBS from June 1 was part of the solution because, unlike Ritalin and other current drugs, it was not a stimulant.

Ms Roxon said any inquiry should be along the lines of one into ADHD in Western Australia three years ago.

It should address the community's "clear" concern that Australia has one of the world's highest rates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, she said.

That study found a staggering 98 per cent of psycho-stimulants prescribed in the state were for treating the condition and the training of paeditricians was lacking when it came to diagnosis and treatment of ADHD.

"We don't want children being medicated if they don't need to be and we want to make sure children who need support and assistance can get it, so we must get the balance right," Ms Roxon said.

As doctors defended the use of medication to treat ADHD, parents contacted The Daily Telegraph and talkback radio accusing teachers of fuelling the number of students taking Ritalin by implying they had ADHD.

The claim was rejected by the Public Schools Principals' Forum.

Chairwoman Cheryl McBride said parents were contacted when serious concerns were held about a student and a pattern emerged of aberrant behaviour.

"I have no doubt that some children hugely benefit from taking some medication to address this problem," she said.

"But I do believe they are small in number and there has been a tendency for diagnosis to be extended into areas where it shouldn't."

Australian Medical Association vice-president Dr Choong-Siew Yong said they had been pressing the Government to urgently fund the National health and Medical Research Council to develop new clinical guidelines for over a year. However he did not back a "full-blown inquiry".

He said the consequences of not treating severe ADHD were much more severe than using medication.

Forensic neuropsychologist Dr Susan Pulman said up to 25 per cent of prisoners in the state's jails had been diagnosed at some stage with ADHD.

Daily Telegraph

 

[Calochilus]

ADHD furfy

Herald Sun

8( http://i.bluelight.ru/s/uhoh.gif
8(

Regarding the claim that 30% of ADHD diagnoses in Australia are wrong , it seems that all the news fit to print is not necessarily so. The following is a direct communication from Prof Robert Spitzer himself

“An article in an Australian newspaper entitled ‘The Great ADHD Myth’ claimed that in the BBC 2 documentary, ‘The Trap’ I said that 20 to 30 per cent of the diagnoses of ADHD in children are mistakes. This has been repeated in several newspapers. I never made such a statement. Mistakes are made in all medical diagnoses but the extent to which this applies to ADHD is not known.”

Dr Spitzer repeated that he was less concerned by wrong diagnoses and possible side-effects from medications, than failing to prescribe them when needed, as failure to treat a disorder can often be very hard on the child and the family.
Interestingly, the bogus story was exposed as a furfy on ABC TV Media Watch but has not been corrected by a number of people who should no better.

 

[Calochilus]

Daily Telegraph

Dyr Yolandre Lucire and Judge Paul Conlon have put themselves out on a limb with their bold claims that ADHD is the most overdiagnosed disease in Australia. If this is based on his own research, then the inescapable conclusion is that Judge Conlon only reads the press releases from the CCHR, the Co$ and fellow travellers. The overwhelming bulk of evidence published would indicate the complete opposite. The absurd focus on the prescription of stimulant medications flies in the harsh face of economic reality, that alternatives to stimulant medications may not be as effective, are more expensive and almost impossible to access for a great many people. This is reflected in the statistics of stimulant usage. The higher the socio-economic indicator, the less likely a diagnosis of ADHD and the even less likely prescription of stimulants. Even this system has holes in it when a Psychiatrist can prescribe Ritalin but not give a diagnosis of ADHD, "here be loopholes" Interestingly, Dr Yolandre Lucire makes a great show on her website http://www.lucire.com.au/ regarding the veracity of evidence. So far, neither she nor the Judge can provide any peer-reviewed evidence to back their claims.

 

[lil angel15]

Top-level health alert on Ritalin
Exclusive by Joe Hildebrand
May 02, 2007 12:00

THE Iemma Government will launch an unprecedented statewide investigation into attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), amid warnings that doctors are creating a Ritalin generation.

Health Minister Reba Meagher has also called for a national inquiry into the issue, citing concerns among medical experts about the use of the controversial drug to treat ADHD.

The move follows accusations by Judge Paul Conlon, revealed by The Daily Telegraph, that doctors had created a generation of Ritalin children now committing violent crimes and coming before the courts.

Last year there were more than 264,000 Ritalin prescriptions issued in Australia compared with 11,114 in 1992.

Australia's diagnosis rate of ADHD is among the highest in the world and 32,000 NSW school children are now on medication for it.

"Community concern is escalating around prescriptions and use of these types of drugs to treat conduct disorders of children," Ms Meagher said.

In a speech to be delivered to the ALP Business Dialogue Health Policy Forum this morning, Ms Meagher will reveal that talks with health professionals had raised "significant debate" about the use of the drug.

"But it was clear in my discussions with stakeholders that significant debate in the clinical community exists about treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder," she said.

"I have therefore established a review committee to carefully consider current practice in NSW public health services."

Spearheaded by the Clinical Excellence Commission, the committee will:

 COLLATE evidence and practice in the treatment of ADHD;

 ADVISE on the current development of clinical guidelines for treatment of ADHD and on treatment with the prescription of dexamphetamine, methylphenidate and atomoxetine; and

 ENSURE current practice considers appropriate clinical guidelines.

The review committee will comprise some of the state's top clinicians, including Clinical Excellence Commission chief Professor Clifford Hughes.

It has been instructed to report to the minister within three months.

Ms Meagher also backed federal Labor health spokeswoman Nicola Roxon's call for a national inquiry.

"The availability and prescription of these drugs is largely a matter for the commonwealth so we believe this is best looked at at a national level," she said.

Daily Telegraph

 

[lil angel15]

NSW to review Ritalin use
May 02, 2007 12:00

THE NSW Government has commissioned a review into the use of the drug Ritalin, used to treat ADHD.

Health Minister Reba Meagher also reiterated a call for a national review into the use of Ritalin for troubled children.

The NSW review follows comments by a leading judge that doctors prescribing Ritalin had created a generation of young people now coming before the courts after committing violent crimes.

Ritalin is often used by doctors to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD.

Since 1992, the number of Ritalin prescriptions in NSW has risen from 11,114 to 264,000 last year. Health Minister Reba Meagher also reiterated a call for a national review into the use of Ritalin for troubled children.

The NSW review follows comments by a leading judge that doctors prescribing Ritalin had created a generation of young people now coming before the courts after committing violent crimes.

Ritalin is often used by doctors to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD.

Since 1992, the number of Ritalin prescriptions in NSW has risen from 11,114 to 264,000 last year.

Ms Meagher said the issue was of national importance and accused the Commonwealth of moving slowly.

"It is not suitable for the Commonwealth to go slow, requiring states to undertake their own actions," she said.

"NSW isn't alone here, Western Australia has also experienced similar concerns and has acted with their own upper house inquiry."

The NSW review is expected to deliver its finding in three months.

Ms Meagher said the issue was of national importance and accused the Commonwealth of moving slowly.

"It is not suitable for the Commonwealth to go slow, requiring states to undertake their own actions," she said.

"NSW isn't alone here, Western Australia has also experienced similar concerns and has acted with their own upper house inquiry."

The NSW review is expected to deliver its finding in three months.

Daily Telegraph

 

[Calochilus]

Daily Telegraph

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread ?
The NSW Minister for Health calling for investigation, why? The NHMRC already has one already underway and NSW Health study is in process of being updated. This is a publicity stunt that makes her sound good in media! As to the West Australian enquiry, it was subverted by C0$ mouthpiece, Martin Whitely who was officially reprimanded for his behaviour.
If the enquiry is to have any validity it will have to introduce the concept of evidence based medicine. It will also have to address the inequalities of opportunity for alternative interventions to stimulant medications. Maybe Dore will finallly put up or shut up and the neurofeedback people will admit which subset of ADHD is actually affected by their interventions.
It should also bring out the tiny numbers affected by foods and food additives. Being one of that subset myself, I know how important food intolerances can be , they are, however, not a broad brush fix.
With a bit of luck, there may even be a push for "truth in advertising" regarding ADHD which may dampen the enthusiasm of the snake oil salesmen and the camp-followers of the CCHR

 

[lil angel15]

Doctor shuts door on Dore
May 2, 2007 12:27 PM

The drug Ritalin has come under fire during the past week, but a Westmead doctor has defended its use on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Michael Kohn, a doctor in the Department of Adolescent Medicine at The Children's Hospital, Westmead, said nothing could manage the effects of ADHD as effectively as Ritalin.

''It's not a treatment as such but it's a stimulant that can enable a person to learn the strategies to control their behaviour,'' Dr Kohn said.

ADHD results in poor concentration and poor control of impulses.

Dr Kohn said people who live with ADHD not only have behavioural problems but also have difficulty processing information. No test can diagnose ADHD, he said, so detailed assessments were required.

At present, Dr Kohn is working with the Centre for Research into Adolescents' Health and the Brain Dynamics Centre, both at Westmead, to build upon research already conducted on ADHD and the methods for treating it. He said non-medication treatments, such as the Dore program, did not work.

A Dore Achievement Centre offering drug-free therapy for ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and Asperger's syndrome opened recently in Harris Park.

The Dore program uses exercise and mental tasks to contain the symptoms of ADHD.

''It's a way of modifying their behaviour but it's not very effective,'' Dr Kohn said.

''You can see that from the results  there is no scientific evidence to suggest it works.

''I see quite a number of patients coming to me after doing the Dore program  they found the approach appealing but the results disappointing.''

The medical services manager at Dore, Glynis Howard, said her patients were proof the program worked.

''We have approximately 300 referrals per week and 78 per cent of that is through word of mouth,'' Mrs Howard said. ''Medication masks the symptoms of ADHD.''

Research done in one of Dore's British schools showed the program didn't have a ''wash-out'' effect, she said.

Dr Kohn said many behavioural problems were being linked to ADHD, but stress, trauma, peer pressure and little family support could lead to behavioural problems.

Dr Kohn said he has studied children from Sydney's western and eastern suburbs and said the incidence of ADHD was not higher in any particular geographic area.

Parramatta Sun

 

[lil angel15]

Doctors reject NSW govt ADHD drug probe
May 2, 2007 - 5:44PM

A NSW government inquiry into the use of Ritalin on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been dismissed by doctors as a "knee-jerk response" to community concerns.

The main doctors' body, the Australian Medical Association (AMA), said it was concerned the government's announcement of a review into ADHD was a hasty reaction.

The inquiry was announced by Health Minister Reba Meagher and follows claims by a Sydney judge, Paul Conlon, that doctors are creating a "Ritalin generation" by over-prescribing the behaviour-modifying drug.

"The state can do their own (inquiry), but I just wonder about the value of it," AMA vice-president Choong-Siew Yong told AAP.

"I'm concerned that the NSW's inquiry is a knee-jerk response and it's kind of ignoring the fact that we do have a very good process in place federally."

But Ms Meagher said community concern had fuelled the need for a state inquiry.

She also accused of federal government of failing to share responsibility.

"It is not effective for states to individually undertake these reviews ... it is not suitable for the commonwealth to go slow," she told reporters.

"Everyone gets sick of blame-passing, so NSW will do its bit, but this is not an opportunity for (federal Health Minister Tony) Abbott to get off the hook."

But Mr Abbott said a review had been commissioned by the federal government in November last year.

"The (federal) government has funded Royal Australasian College of Physicians $135,000 to conduct this review, which should be finalised late this year," Mr Abbott said.

"Results from this review will be circulated to specialists and doctors to inform their treatment of ADHD."

A spokesman for Ms Meagher later said the health minister would continue to call for a national inquiry until full details of the inquiry had been released.

Dr Yong said the latest controversy surrounding treatment for ADHD had placed the blame unfairly on Ritalin, which he said was a highly effective treatment used in conjunction with counselling.

He attributed the rise in the number of Ritalin prescriptions from 11,114 in 1992 to 264,000 last year to a decrease in the drug's cost.

"Because it's now available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), it's a valid alternative to Dexamphetamine, which was the only psycho-stimulant on the PBS before," he said.

"That's why you see more prescriptions recorded because before it used to cost patients quite a lot of money to get Ritalin."

He said he hoped the federal government's inquiry would make it clearer for doctors to achieve a fair balance between educational treatments and the need for medication.

SMH

 

[lil angel15]

Tots' pills warning under fire
Natalie Tkaczuk Sikora and Carla Danaher
May 03, 2007 12:00am

AUSTRALIAN children are being over-diagnosed and over-medicated, a US psychologist says.

Dr Bob Jacobs claimed healthy children as young as nine months, and many preschoolers, had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and medicated unnecessarily.
But Dr Jacobs has been criticised for his views.

A group of angry parents picketed outside a conference he addressed in Queensland in 2004.

Monash University senior lecturer in psychological medicine George Halasz said dismissing ADHD completely was potentially dangerous.

Dr Jacobs said he feared doctors and parents were making healthy, active children -- who displayed symptoms associated with ADHD -- docile and obedient.

He said Australia and America were the two worst offenders for over-medicating and that US pharmaceutical companies were making $2 billion in profits peddling ADHD drugs.

About 10-12 per cent of school-age children had been diagnosed with the disease, yet no one had shown it existed, he said.

He said if the same children were tested by doctors in England only 1 per cent would be diagnosed.

"It's completely subjective -- this stuff is made up, there are no diagnostic tests," he told a National Youth Affairs Conference in Melbourne this week.

Dr Jacobs said it was natural for children to be joyful, spontaneous and excited.

He said it was unacceptable to drug children just so they behaved in a certain way.

Dr Jacobs, who is also a children's lawyer, praised an Australian judge who said doctors were creating a generation of Ritalin kids.

He applauded NSW judge Paul Conlon, who last week expressed concern about the number of offenders coming before his court who had been diagnosed with ADHD and were taking medication.

Dr Jacobs said medicating children, or labelling them with ADHD, was absolving kids of responsibility for their behaviour.

He said we were creating a society of children who went through their childhood in a drug-induced fog and then had one foot into substance abuse by the time they became adults.

Professor of child psychiatry at the Royal Children's Hospital Alasdair Vance said ADHD affected about 3 per cent of Australian children.

"It does exist when appropriately diagnosed," Prof Vance said.

Herald Sun

 

[lil angel15]

ADHD is born in classrooms
By Bruce McDougall
May 03, 2007 12:00

EDUCATION experts have traced the crisis over attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to the classroom - and not the doctor's surgery - as teachers seek a quick fix for misbehaving children.

A Sydney University researcher claimed yesterday schools were more responsible for the blowout in the number of children taking drugs for ADHD than doctors over-prescribing stimulants such as Ritalin.

Senior research associate in child and youth studies Linda Graham said chronic underfunding of schools had forced teachers to "label" children for their poor behaviours when their real problem may be a learning difficulty.

Teachers were diagnosing a "hyper" child with potential ADHD because schools did not have sufficient resources to find educational answers, she said.

Ms Graham said funds were so short in public schools that they felt pressured into seeking a medical option.

"ADHD is not a sympathetic diagnosis – these children do not get supported, they get managed," she said. "Often the only way for parents, then, is to dose them up with Ritalin.

"More research is needed into the pressure that schools and teachers place parents under to medicate their children and the motivating factor that fear of school failure has upon parents."

Sydney University's dean of education and social work Derrick Armstrong said the blowout in using ADHD was "out of control in Australia".

"Usage is growing here when in other parts of the world it's declining," he said. "Parents are going to doctors and saying there's a problem in school and doctors are prescribing the drugs without reference back to teachers and any understanding of the educational situation.

"I am really concerned about how there's no clear understanding of possible long-term effects of drug use on children."

Both the Iemma and the Howard Governments have announced inquiries into ADHD but Ms Graham attacked both as too restrictive because they appeared to be concentrated on medical issues.

"An inquiry should be carried out by an independent body or by a person such as (educationist) Tony Vinson," she said.

"I would argue that more research is needed into parent perspectives, why they might make the decision to medicate and, most importantly, whether they still would if their children were better resourced, supported and understood in school."

Professor Armstrong said any summit on the issue should include educators, parents and medical professionals.

Daily Telegraph

 

[lil angel15]

ADHD guru quits over Ritalin link
By Janet Fife-Yeomans

May 05, 2007 12:00

THE head of the Federal Government's ADHD review has stood down after The Saturday Daily Telegraph queried his links to two major ADHD drug companies.

Health Minister Tony Abbott yesterday said paediatrician Dr Daryl Efron had "done the honourable thing".

Mr Abbott said it was "not a good look" that Dr Efron was on the advisory boards of Novartis, which makes the controversial drug Ritalin, and Eli Lilly, maker of Strattera, which goes on to the PBS in July.

The move came as Mr Abbott joined Prime Minister John Howard in voicing concerns about the use of drugs to treat ADHD.

Mr Abbott said he "instinctively questioned" the long-term use of drugs for non-life threatening conditions.

He said while he had faith in Dr Efron's impartiality, it was important the public had confidence in the outcome of the first review in 10 years of the escalating diagnosis of ADHD and other treatment options.

The Royal College of Physicians committee will recommend new clinical guidelines for GPs and specialists, who have more than doubled prescription rates for Ritalin and the related drug, dexamphetamine – from 116,320 to 264,296 – in the past decade.

Mr Howard last week said he was worried about reports of over-prescription of Ritalin.

Dr Efron publicly supports the use of Ritalin in some circumstances to treat ADHD in children younger than the current cut-off age of six.

"I want to see new clinical guidelines but I stress it is up to the experts to carefully weigh all the issues," Mr Abbott said.

Dr Efron's decision to step down was welcomed by the Australian Childhood Foundation.

"It makes us more hopeful that there will be an examination of the whole range of issues around ADHD treatment rather than being focused on medication," foundation CEO Joe Tucci said.

"We are hoping the guidelines will provide practitioners with research about all the potential problems that can be called ADHD, like diet, trauma and family relationships at home."

The new chairman, Associate Professor David Forbes from the University of Western Australia school of paediatrics, could not be contacted yesterday. Dr Efron could also not be contacted.

Daily Telegraph

 

[lil angel15]

ADHD drugs
08 May 2007

ADHD drugs
EDITOR - While a fierce debate rages over the dramatic rise in prescriptions for "ADHD" with children as young as four, there is another side to the whole ADHD drug issue, 'street use' of these drugs.

In fact, a street name for Ritalin is the ‘poor man's cocaine' and there are stories of kids who have been prescribed these drugs, selling them to their friends and crushing and snorting the powder.

Ritalin and its generic sister Dexamphetamine are easy to get per one Australian who said, "its surprisingly easy to get Dexamphetamines by pretending you have ADD especially if someone who has been through the interview process coaches you with the right things to say."

There has been a ten-fold increase in prescriptions from 1993 to 2003, now reaching 250,000 prescriptions a year throughout Australia.

This is a dangerous trend, whatever the use is of the drug - why would people cheat to get prescribed a ‘ADHD drug'?

To illustrate, in 2000, the US drug enforcement agency revealed the results of studies on both animals and humans who were given cocaine and Ritalin - the test subjects could not tell the difference.

The drug enforcement administration concluded that, "They produce effects that are nearly identical."

And Australian statistics show it is used in the street for the same reason - all drugs are.

Seventeen percent of serious young offenders currently use heroin, cocaine/crack, street methadone, and morphine as well as illicit use of dexamphetamines and benzodiazepines and seven percent of all 14-year-olds have tried amphetamines or speed; this figure includes illicit use of Ritalin or dexamphetamines.

I hope more and more youths (and even adults) will get the truth on these drugs and consider a drug free life.

Humanitarian L Ron Hubbard pointed out, drugs rob life of the sensations and joys, which are the only reason for living anyhow.

I work as public officer of the Drug Free Ambassadors, an anti-drug educational charity started by the Church of Scientology.

People can see the Truth about Drugs booklets at www.drugsalvage.com.au and we hope millions will read them. It's an education worth having.

Bombala Times

 

[Calochilus]

re ADHD drugs


"None so blind as them that will not see"
Selective quotation from obscure sources cannot hide the fact that in peer-reviewed journals, it has been unequivocally found that appropriate medical treatment of ADHD (and this includes use of the stimulants, dexamphetamine and Ritalin) for an appropriate period (given that ADHD is marked by recognised developmental delays) results in a significantly lower risk of substance abuse disorders in adulthood.
If you want to be active in drug reform, you really need to look at the morbidity and mortality related to the use and misuse of paracetamol ( common painkiller found in Pana---- and similar OTC medications.
All that aside, the recognised problems in drug abuse are with a broad range of prescription medications and of course, these pale into insignificance behind alcohol and tobacco.
To quote L. Ron Hubbard as a "humanitarian " is stretching even my credulity. I suspect you need to emigrate to Xenu and find out what life is really like.

 

[sydkiwi]

Personally I blame the governement. Why? well for starters you can't disapline your kids anymore without getting prosecuted. When the "naughty" corners and time outs (nothing a quick smack in the old days wouldn't of fixed) don't seem to work who wouldn't march their kids to the doc and say they can't control their kids so they must be add/adhd?

 

[Calochilus]

Governments are reactive to changing circumstances. The current increase in observation of ADHD relates to the current documentation of so-called Autistic Spectrum Disorders of which ADHD is one of the less dramatic. It is simplistic to blame "The Government" until you have a theory of causation and an understanding of what powers Governments can exert to effect change in the path of causation. I actually agree with you but it would take far more than the meagre pages available here to tease it all out.

 

[lil angel15]

Crime risk with Ritalin
Kate Sikora
July 26, 2007 12:00am

CHILDREN who use Ritalin for a long period of time could be more at risk of delinquency and substance abuse, a study has found.

Doctors are suggesting children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) should take a break from medication after three years of use.

An American study - published in the Medical Observer _ has found that while drugs such as Ritalin can initially help sufferers, the benefit of prolonged use is in doubt.

Some children stay on medication until they reach 18, but researchers believe it may not protect them from all the symptoms.

Has your child been adversely affected by ADHD medication? Tell us your experience via feedback section below.

The US Multimodal Treatment Study of Children revealed the more days of prescribed medication, the more serious delinquency became.

In a cohort of 500 children with ADHD - followed for 36 months until they were 12 - researchers found 27 per cent were at a greater risk of committing crime, compared with 7 per cent among "normative" children.

Substance use also increased to 17 per cent in ADHD children - almost double the normal rate.

More than 30,000 children in Australia take Ritalin or a similar drug.

Jill Sewell, Associate Professor of the Royal Australian College of Physicians, said evidence suggested a break from medication was beneficial.

"Evidence shows that there is very clear benefit of taking medication for 12-18 months, but after three years it is not so clear," she said.

"Often in medications you do have to stop for a period of time to see if it is still effective."

Belrose mother Leanne Komaromi said she took her son Dominic off Ritalin after four months.

"It made him a completely different person - it shut him down," she said.

"It was like someone had drawn the blinds on him."

The nine-year-old now uses the Dore program, which relies on exercise to treat symptoms.

Daily Telegraph

 

[lil angel15]

Drug fight targets ADHD
Andrea Hayward
August 20, 2007 06:06am

THE WA Government aims to cut reliance on amphetamines in treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) under a multi-million-dollar program.

Studies show dexamphetamines account for a substantial amount of amphetamine use by young people in WA.

The state has the nation's highest rate of amphetamine usage overall, and the highest rate of prescriptions of amphetamines for children diagnosed with ADHD.

Premier Alan Carpenter announced $9 million would be pumped into treatment of ADHD and the associated use of dexamphetamine.

“The teams will include professionals from a range of disciplines including psychiatrists, paediatricians, clinical psychologists, clinical nurses, speech pathologists, occupational therapists and social workers,” Mr Carpenter said.

“While medication may still be required for severe cases of ADHD, this new approach will ensure that stimulant medication is not the first line of treatment.”

The move is one of 49 recommendations adopted after a summit meeting held last month to tackle the illicit amphetamine scourge in WA.

Mr Carpenter said there was evidence to link the use of dexamphetamines during childhood to the broader use and abuse of amphetamines in adulthood.

“There is some evidence and a strongly held view amphetamines for the treatment of ADHD leads and encourages the use of amphetamines more broadly and clearly, obviously, the abuse,” Mr Carpenter said.

Drug and Alcohol Office executive director Terry Murphy said the use of medication for ADHD patients was not wrong, but reliance on amphetamines in ADHD treatment was too heavy.

“Medication is not wrong per se. There will be some people for whom that is the optimum treatment, but here in Western Australia with the highest (rate) in the country, we think there is too heavy a reliance on that,” Mr Murphy said.

Mr Murphy said 6.5 per cent of WA high school students reported using amphetamines and 5.5 per cent reported using diverted dexamphetamines.

“There's a big overlap between those two figures,” Mr Murphy said.

A $16 million package has been earmarked to carry out recommendations to curb amphetamine use in WA, including tougher penalties for dealers who sell drugs around children or near licensed premises.

Under the changes, the sale of drugs to a child at or near a school or a public place where children are often present, will be considered an aggravated offence.

Perth Now