Unnecessary and accidental use of ADHD drugs increases over 60%, study suggests

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/05/21/health/adhd-medication-exposure-study/index.html

This is a must read article published by CNN.

(CNN)Exposure to common medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has increased by more than 60% in US children and adolescents, according to a new study.

The study, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, looked at all calls to US poison control centers for unintentional or intentional exposure to ADHD medications between 2000 and 2014 among children and adolescents. The researchers found that the number of calls increased from 7,018 in 2000 to 11,486 in 2014 — a 64% increase.
According to the study’s authors, “exposure” refers to the unnecessary ingestion, inhalation or absorption of these medications.
“What we found is that, overall, during that 15 years, there was about a 60% increase in the number of individuals exposed and calls reported to poison control centers regarding these medications,” said Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy of the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and a leading author on the study.
The new research comes one day after Oliver North, the National Rifle Association incoming president, suggested on “Fox News Sunday” that the drug Ritalin — which is commonly used to treat ADHD — is partially responsible for the recent increase in gun violence in the US.
Of the approximately 156,000 calls received by poison control centers during the study period, approximately 82% were considered unintentional exposures, and 18% were considered intentional.
There were three exposure-related deaths.
“The finding that was most surprising was the proportion, and the severity, of the exposures among the adolescents that were due to intentional exposure. We had three deaths, and all three were in the teenage group,” Smith said.
The researchers also found that the frequency of these exposures increased by 71% between 2000 and 2011 before dropping 6.2% between 2011 and 2014.
It is unclear why rates of exposure began to decline in 2011, according to Smith.
“During the early 2000s, there were a number of FDA warnings that came out” describing the potential adverse effects of these medications, Smith said. “But you would expect that to have affected numbers during the early 2000s. We saw it change later, and we don’t know why. That would be a fascinating area for future research,” Smith said.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a neurobehavioral condition characterized by an ongoing pattern of inattention, hyperactivity and/or impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
ADHD is among the most common behavioral disorder among children or adolescents, according to Dr. Caleb Alexander, co-director of the Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness at Johns Hopkins, who was not involved in the new study.
“It’s one of the most common disorders diagnosed in children, and the rates of diagnosis have increased a lot over the past two decades,” Alexander said.
“It’s been diagnosed more frequently in recent years than historically, but there are unlikely to be large baseline changes in the prevalence of this disorder. The changes in diagnosis are probably more from evolving thresholds for diagnosis than true changes in the population,” he added.
ADHD diagnoses among children in the United States more than doubled between 2005 and 2014, according to a 2017 study. Approximately 14% of all children in the US were diagnosed with the disorder in 2014, compared with 6.8% in 2005.
The researchers in the new study looked at exposure to four common medications used to treat ADHD: methylphenidate (e.g. Ritalin), amphetamine (e.g. Adderall), atomoxetine and modafinil. Approximately 46% of the exposures were due to methylphenidate and 45% to amphetamine.
The medications are considered stimulants with overexposure symptoms including agitation, tremor, increased heart rate, confusion and seizures, according to the Mayo Clinic.
It is unclear why these medications are so effective in treating ADHD. However, models suggest that they function by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is responsible for complex cognitive behaviors such as decision making and social control. Approximately 80% of those who use these medications see improvements in ADHD symptoms, according to a 2013 study.
The increase in exposures “probably follows the increase in diagnoses,” Smith said. “We know that these medications are highly effective in the treatment of ADHD. And as the number of diagnoses goes up, so follows the number of prescriptions.”
The researchers in the new study also compared exposure to ADHD medications among three age groups: 0 to 5 years, 6 to 12 years and 13 to19 years. They found the reasons behind the exposures differed substantially among these groups.
In the youngest group, the majority of cases were due to unintentional exposure from exploratory behaviors; for children between 6 and 12, most exposures were due to therapeutic errors or accidentally taking multiple pills; and among children 13 to 19, more than 50% were due to intentional overexposure.
“These are stimulants, and they’re used by teens for various reasons,” Smith said. “Students, for example, might take it to get through a final exam. But like other stimulants, they might also take it because it gives them a high.”
Of the nearly 150,000 calls to US poison control centers, approximately 10% resulted in serious medical outcomes, including prolonged and sustained symptoms of vomiting, agitation, increased heart rate, high blood pressure or even death.
The study looked only at calls to US poison control centers and did not include those individuals who went directly to the hospital or who contacted a health care provider directly, so the actual number of exposures is probably much higher, according to Alexander.
“It’s important to note here that poison control data provide an important but very incomplete measure of nonmedical stimulant use,” Alexander said. “The vast majority of nonmedical use is not ultimately reported to poison control centers. If you think of all the college kids out there misusing these medications, most are not calling 911 or the poison control centers.”
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To prevent intentional or unintentional overexposure to these medications, Alexander also suggests that parents store them in a safe place and dispose of any unused medications.
“Unfortunately, just as with opioids, these medicines are far too accessible in bathrooms and bedrooms and kitchen cabinets all over the country,” Alexander said. “There are increasing numbers of pharmacies and hospitals and health systems that are building take-back programs for individuals seeking to dispose of these medicines. So I think we’ll see more of these in the coming years.”

The Big South African ADD/ADHD Con(nners)

You have come to this website because you may be wondering if your child has been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD using assessment tools such as the Conners Rating Scale (CBRS) or Copeland Symptom Checklist etc.

If you have been given this form (see below) to fill in – you have probably been misled or worse deliberately lied to.  This version of the questionnaire has no valid diagnostic use and it is an illegal version.

Let me make my position clear.  I am against the unnecessary use of medication in the treatment of “concentration ” issues.  The diagnosis of ADD/ADHD is a subjective one.  When the experts lie – they need to be called out and yes, sanity needs to be brought back to what is becoming a wholesale industry of potentially long-term medication of our children.  There are three schools of thought –

  1. Parents who medicate
  2. Parents who won’t  and
  3. Parents who don’t know what to do.

I have spoken to enough parents to understand that they see the benefits of medicating their children and I respect this personal choice of theirs.  However, I do question the ethics of medicating children as young as 6  and when do they ever come off the meds?  This becomes the “new normal” for them.

If you have been given a copy of the form below for you or your child’s teacher to fill in – you have probably been misled by your healthcare practitioner.  Drop us an email conned@addnormal.org.za or fill in the form below and tell us your story.

David Nefdt-Epstein

This is the most common “fake” Conners Assessment being used (there are variations – if you are not certain, send us an email and we will try to assist.

 

 

 

The great Conners scam in South Africa. Has your child been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD using an illegitimate Conners’ Assessment / Rating Scale? If so please read this and share.

The Conners Rating Scale or Conners’ Assessment is frequently used to assist in the subjective clinical diagnosis to determine if your child has ADD/ADHD. However, in South Africa there are a few versions which are being used BUT there is only one correct way to administer the Conners’ Assessment – using a legally obtained version from an authorised reseller of the Conners Assessment pack, such as JVR Psychometrics (https://jvrafricagroup.co.za/catalogue/assessment/conners-3/), Pearson (https://www.pearsonclinical.com/…/conners-3rd-edition-conne…) or from the copyright holders directly (https://www.mhs.com/MHS-Assessment?prodname=conners3)

How to identify if you have been given an illegal test:

1. If you have been given the attached 37 point questionnaire – in my opinion, you are a potential victim of medical malpractice. Not only is this version (and other similar ones) a direct breach of the MHS (www.mhs.com) copyright, but they serve NO DIAGNOSTIC purpose whatsoever.   It is not the full authorised Conners’ Assessment.

2. There is no copyright notice indicating that copyright belongs to Multi-Health Systems Inc. (www.mhs.com)

3. Be highly suspicious if you as the parent/ guardian have not been given a form to complete, especially divorced parents.

Sadly, the very same people who are asked to fill in this illegitimate forms – the teachers themselves – are clueless (or complicit), because if they knew what they were doing, they would refuse to fill in these illegitimate forms or advise parents accordingly.

The correct Conners’ Assessment comprises of either a ‘Long Form Version’ or a more concise ‘Short Form Version’. If you are using a legal Conners’ Assessment it will clearly state what version you are using.

There are 3 sets of questionnaire in a Connors’ Assessment (CBRS) Pack :
– 1 for Teachers (Long Form and Short Form Versions ) ,
– 1 for Parents (Long Form and Short Form Versions ) and;
– 1 for your child if they are old enough to self-assess.

What to do?

You have the right of recourse against your medical practitioner through a complaint to The Healthcare Professionals Council of South Africa (HPCSA).

But let us know too so that we can place pressure on them to act.   If you suspect that you your child has been “diagnosed” using the illegitimate Conners Assessment ask your doctor the following questions:

  1. What is the version of Conners Assessment are you using?
  2. Is the version legal? i.e. It has been paid for and is licensed
  3. Most importantly, you should demand, an official Conners’ Report which will have what are known as “T-scores” in it.

 

PS please respect copyright, the image we use on this site is from TrendyCovers.com