Parents warned over the dangers of Ritalin
THE “good behaviour” drug Ritalin should not be used where possible and never given to under-fives, according to the latest health guidelines.
Parents and teachers should instead be trained to deal with children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, say experts.[>
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But charities say that without more funding for alterative treaments, doctors will keep prescribing drugs to sufferers.[>
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They also criticised the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for failing to recommend a change of diet after studies found a link between food additives and hyperactivity.[>
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The condition, which causes difficulty in concentrating and impulsive behaviour, affects up to three per cent of school-age children in Britain and about two per cent of adults.[>
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Methylphenidate – or better known as the stimulant Ritalin – is given to control the symptoms and some fear it is being used as a means of control. Children may also be given amphetamine – also a stimulant – or Strattera (atomoxetene), similar to an anti-depressant.[>
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The guidelines from the health advice body NICE warn such drugs should only be offered to youngsters with severe ADHD and used with other therapies.[>
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Charities supporting families affected by ADHD suggested the guidance was useless without more funding for alternatives. Andrea Bilbow, founder of the National Attention Deficit Disorder Information and Support Service, said: “You have to back it up with money and make sure the parenting programmes are ADHD specific.[>
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“Not all parents want to medicate their children and even the most severely affected will want more than just tablets.”[>
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Ritalin and comparable drugs stimulate the central nervous system. They have been linked to depression, drowsiness, epilepsy and high blood pressure. Some parents have claimed their children have been driven to suicide after being prescribed the drug.[>
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Prescriptions of stimulants to under-16s soared to almost 500,000 last year, double the number in 2003.[>
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Dr Tim Kendall, a consultant psychiatrist from Sheffield who helped draw up the advice, said: “Its easier to prescribe a drug when options like parent training programmes are not available.”[>
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A spokesman for the Department of Health said the guidelines would be considered in a review of child and adolescent mental health services, due out next month.[>
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A spokesman for Novartis, Ritalin’s Swiss manufacturer, said: “Its safety has been studied in more than 170 trials completed in more than 6,000 school-aged children.”[>
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Sally Bunday, founder of the Hyperactive Children’s Support Group, said NICE had ignored the role of good nutrition. She added: “It seems work on the benefits of changing a child’s diet and removing artificial additives has been dismissed.”[>
