According to a new research, stimulant medications commonly prescribed to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are associated with an increased risk of sudden death. Photo Credit: AFPJune 23, 2009, (Sawf News) - According to a new research, stimulant medications commonly prescribed to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are associated with an increased risk of sudden death.
The number of deaths, however, is very small. Other side effects of ADHD medication include headaches, sleep disorders, and a blunted appetite.
As many as 2.5 million children in the United States take ADHD stimulant medications, say the researchers. Many teens and even some adults take them for non-approved uses, such as improving focus and enhancing performance at work or at school.
The study found that the children and teens taking ADHD stimulant medications were seven times more likely to die suddenly than their peers.
"What we found -- to our surprise -- is that even if you take out confounding factors, the association between stimulant use and sudden death was still significant," said study author Madelyn Gould, a professor of clinical epidemiology in psychiatry at Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute in New York City. "I'm confident the association is real and significant, but it's very rare. I don't want our findings to change prescribing patterns or for a parent to change their willingness to use stimulant medications if they're called for, but physicians should monitor patients with any new medication you give a young person."
Gould also confirmed that after ruling out factors such as a history of known cardiac problems; known causes of death, such as asthma or an accidental death; and other conditions, such as sickle cell anemia or cerebral palsy, only 10 sudden, unexplained deaths in children were recorded who were taking stimulant medications.
"Stimulants do increase blood pressure, and there have been reports of them changing heart rates," noted Gould.
Though the findings show a very small number of sudden deaths, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has directed physicians to carefully factor in family history of heart problems or sudden deaths and perform a thorough physical exam before starting youngsters on ADHD medications. If any concerns arise, the child should be referred for an EKG (a heart rate test) or an evaluation by a pediatric cardiologist before medication is prescribed.
According to another report, stimulant drugs stunt children's growth. Children who never took stimulants were three quarters of an inch taller and 6 pounds heavier on average than children who took medication for three years.
If your child is on these drugs and there isn’t any problem then there is no need to worry. Parents should not stop a child’s medication abruptly just because these drugs pose greater risk to children who have some kind of heart disease.
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