American scientists conducting the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) has found that while drugs such as Ritalin and Concerta can work well in the short term they have no benefit long term and have been found to stunt growth.
The new research contradicts previous opinions on the effectiveness of ADHA drugs. The scientist who have been monitoring 600 children concluded in 1999 that medication worked better than behavioral therapy for ADHD. The conclusion led to changes in medical practices and increased prescription rates dramatically.
The report's co-author, Professor William Pelham, of the University of Buffalo, said: "I think we exaggerated the beneficial impact of medication in the first study. We had thought that children medicated longer would have better outcomes. That didn't happen to be the case. The children had a substantial decrease in their rate of growth, so they weren't growing as much as other kids in terms of both their height and their weight. And the second was that there were no beneficial effects - none. In the short run [medication] will help the child behave better, in the long run it won't. And that information should be made very clear to parents."
[Source: Guardian Unlimited]
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My name is Lance Burnet and i would like to show you my personal experience with Ritalin.
I am 56 years old. I have taken Ritalin for 30 years. I have been diagnosed with a mild form of narcolepsy. I use 4 (10 MG ) pills per day. The drug ahs worked wonders and eliminated the drowsiness and sleep attacks. My concern now is the length of time I have been on it. When taking a "drug holiday" it seems like my symptoms are worse.
I have experienced some of these side effects-
rebound effect when dosage wears off.
I hope this information will be useful to others,
Lance Burnet
Posted by: Ritalin Side Effects | December 9, 2008 4:31 AM | Permalink to Comment