The long-term effects of Ritalin and Concerta
Doctors should not prescribe Ritalin and Concerta to children with ADHD, says Fernand Haesbrouck
On the Psy.nl site, ?about mental health and addiction?, I found the following ( quite disturbing) article on the effects of medication in ADHD and ADD symptoms. For your information, I thought it would be useful to post this here on the blog, as most psychologists and psychiatrists are silent on this. However, I do believe that in some cases medication can be quite good. I am not in favour of it myself, but I also know how many people have been struggling heavily for years and are stuck with all the consequences. In that case, perhaps medication outweighs the disadvantages. I do always say: 'try as many other things as possible too, medication is really not the only thing that can help' :) Many people managed to turn ADD and ADHD into their strengths.
I myself tried Ritalin and Concerta for a while in the past, but the disadvantages outweighed the benefits for me. Among other things, I suffered from a lot of weight loss while I am already slim, I was hardly hungry anymore and suffered from anxiety, insomnia, palpitations and headaches. So not a success for me. But how do you feel about medication in ADD and ADHD and does it help you or your child or partner tremendously perhaps? You can leave your comment at the bottom of the article.
The article:
?Ritalin can make children psychotic?
?Arctors should not prescribe Ritalin and Concerta to children with ADHD, says Belgian pharmacist Fernand Haesbrouck of the St Amandus Psychiatric Centre in Beernem. He is on a crusade against ADHD medication. His book ?ADHD medication: Medical megablunder? in the Netherlands.
What is the megablunder?
?Every year, thousands of ADHD children are prescribed Ritalin and Concerta. The active ingredient in these is methylphenidate, which is chemically an amphetamine-like product. With long-term use, it can make children psychotic. Many children taking Ritalin for at least a year and a half are also taking antipsychotics. Medics think their psychotic symptoms are a symptom of the ADHD condition. Nonsense, they are a side effect of the drugs.?
How do you get there?
?It is well known, but "never underestimate the power of denial". Belgian pharmacist Paul Janssen tested the anti-psychotic drug Haldol on rats 50 years ago. Before administering the drug, he injected the critters with amphetamines to make them psychotic.
More recently, the US Food and Drug Administration recognised in February 2007 that methylphenidate has psychotic effects and can even be lethal with long-term use. I also know from my own experience that the substance can induce psychosis. In my hospital, I regularly run into professional psychotic cyclists. The doping ? also an amphetamine-like product ? that we ban them from, we increasingly prescribe to our children. In the last four years, the number of admissions of addicted, psychotic methylphenidate patients in Belgian hospitals has increased sixfold. The Netherlands has been warned.?
Yet research shows that those tools work
Short-term. Little is known about the mechanism of action of the substance methylphenidate; its beneficial effects are evidence-based. People marvel at the paradoxical effects of Ritalin and Concerta: although they are stimulants, they calm ADHD children down. The explanation is that they increase the production of adrenaline. However, the children do not become calmer; it sharpens their focus. They may seem manageable and perform better, but their heads rattle like never before. Prolonged use not infrequently leads to outbursts of aggression. Maradonna initially played better football with dope, but his career ended prematurely. He too suffered from psychoses.?
So are medics so naive?
?The pharmaceutical industry once pushed drugs forward as the panacea. Everyone wanted to believe that and now they are staring blind. According to the book Psychiatrists for Sale, by authors Van der eycken and Van Deth, as many as 58 of the 64 chairs at the medical faculty in Leuven, are funded by the pharmaceutical industry. What myths are being perpetuated there, one wonders.
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Source: Psy.co.uk (Website on mental health and addiction)
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P.s: How do you feel about medication in ADD and ADHD? Do you or your partner or child experience annoying side effects or maybe it actually helps you a lot? I am curious.
Would you rather try a natural remedy? Then read about LTO3. This is a 100% natural remedy that greatly benefits a lot of people with ADD and ADHD.
Dear Janette,
What a story. But how nice that LTO3 is now doing its job. I recognise it from my own daughter. I am very curious to see how it continues. Peace of mind is very important, they perform better at school and feel better. Talking to each other is also important, only a medication or LTO3 works for feelings. Emotionally, guidance is and will continue to be needed at times. Will you let us know how things progress?
Warm greetings,
Annemieke
Hello I am janette mother of 2 children both add and the rest of the labels.
I have never been an advocate but concerta gave my son what he asked for peace of mind and school wanted concentration and it brought both.
Before I started it, I asked the supervisor of the medication what the long-term effect was, they had no answer to that so I dove in.
To make long story shorter there is nothing written about it, so I gave my children it only during the week and not on weekends.
Think my son is now 4 years on it from 33 Mg to 55 Mg.
I had him I grade 5 on my doorstep once and that he said to me "mum I don't need it anymore".
As a mother, it destroys you and only because we didn't realise he was different from any other child.
Lately he is now 13 I notice that with medication concerta, down he shows no emotion at all.
I find this frightening I also spoke to him about it he was eating badly, tremendous worrying and unable to sleep.....
Seeing him becoming increasingly gloomy, I started a conversation with him and suggested to him to lto3 to start using and have been doing so for a week now.
He comes home happy he is hungry he is becoming a nice child again. Concentration is not quite top yet but he needs to find a way in that too.
My daughter is now in Cito so we are giving her a break from the concerta for now but if all this continues she will switch to this in secondary school as well, which also has side-effects of her stools being very bad, so time for her to stop as well.
I hope to be able to tell you more if development continues like this.
Good luck with the site...