For years now, children who used to be considered “hyperactive” or “disobedient” have been labeled with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. With the official diagnosis came the rush to medicate ADHD children. Many questioned the prescriptions from the very beginning. Would the benefits of the medication outweigh the already known side effects?

Now, a new study shows a possible link between drugs prescribed for ADHD and cardiac arrest. This could explain some of the previously unexplained deaths of children and teenagers on the medication. It also raises the questions associated with prescription medicine and drug companies.

This recent study raises eyebrows as to the prescription and use of drugs for ADHD. However, the side effects of Ritalin, which is most prescribed for ADHD, has been known to have many negative side effects even before this revelation that it may be linked to death. Some of the already established side effects of Ritalin include:

• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Nervousness
• Insomnia
• Drowsiness
• Abdominal Pain
• Loss of Appetite
• Weight Loss

Keep in mind this is what may happen when a child takes medication because he or she is deemed to have a short attention span. It seems ironic that medication that could make the person taking it drowsy and nauseous is better than working with a child to help him or her manage the hyperactivity. It doesn’t seem to pass the common sense test. That’s not to say that there isn’t a place for medication, even Ritalin for children. But I believe that studies like this one add to the growing distrust parents have of the relationship between physicians and drug companies. Although I am a parent whose baby has seen her fair share of doctors and medical care and who is so grateful for that care, I have seen time and time again that no one thinks or cares more about my child than I do. And if a doctor or medical professional suggests a test or a drug, I find myself more likely to ask questions about the cost and benefit of their proposal.

Recently, one doctor suggested surgery for our preemie baby. When we questioned the need to perform the procedure and the timing of the procedure, he backed down and conferred with a senior surgeon on his team only to have the senior surgeon make the same argument against taking her to the Operating Room that we did. It doesn’t always require a medical degree to be able to care for our children; care and common sense go a long way. More parents need to do just that.

Now that a study reveals such devastating effects of medication for ADHD, it’s another reminder for parents to ask the questions and resist the temptation to medicate their children as an immediate reaction to the medical community’s “recommendations”.

Drowsiness is one thing; cardiac arrest is another. My heart goes out to the families who suffered a great loss in order for us to find out the effects of such a widely used medication.

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(Original photo by John Lewis, used under Creative Commons license.)