Essay about Adhd in Children

Ritalin, the most common drug prescribed for ADHD, has many side effects. It can cause a variety of symptoms including nervousness, insomnia, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, palpitations, headaches, high blood pressure and heart rate, skin rashes, abdominal pain, weight loss, digestive problems, toxic psychosis, psychotic episodes, drug dependence, and anxiety (Bailey 3). These drugs also cause food cravings (mainly sweets), hinder allergies, psychosis and pre-existing tics. Long-term effects of Ritalin consist of

In the United States, 9.5 percent of children between the ages of 3 and 17 were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD (Morris 1). ADHD is defined as a constant issue with hyperactivity, lack of focus, inability to control behavior, or a combination of these (Berger 1). In order to quell the difficulties caused by ADHD, parents will usually resort to sending their child to a physician to prescribe a specific medication. These medications serve a great purpose, but also include numerous unwanted side effects. As of 2010, 48 percent of 325 surveyed patients reported side effects caused by ADHD medications, the most frequent being loss of appetite, sleep problems and mood swings. About 21 percent of these side effects

With some help from the Rxlist.com, some of the more common types of drugs are: Adderall, Ritalin, Concerta, Focalin, Daytrana, Metadate, Methylin and Dexedrine. Along with this list of medications, comes a list of side effects – a long list of side effects. As summarized from Lautieri’s article, the list of short term side effects includes: nervousness, agitation, anxiety, insomnia, stomach pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea, dizziness, palpitations, headache, vision problems, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, sweating, skin rash, psychosis, numbness, tingling, or cold feeling in hands or feet. As with all drugs, it is uncommon not to have side effects; but with methylphenidate, the worry is focused on the long-term side effects. These are side effects that will affect a person for the rest of their life due to a drug they’ve been taking since childhood, even if they’ve stopped taking it. These long-term side effects will include: disorientation and apathy, delusions, hallucinations and other signs of a psychotic disorder, frequent seizure activity, anorexia and marked weight loss, alternating bouts of mania and depression, overall slow growth rate and thoughts of suicide. Additionally, a continuous Ritalin prescription can result in a number of social and personal changes that will significantly diminish the patient’s quality of life. Some of these changes will include: profound mood changes, compulsion to seek drugs, decreased performance at work or school, or impaired judgment and changes in priorities. If one wanted to stop their prescription of Methylphenidate, they would experience multiple symptoms of withdrawal. Some of the withdrawal symptoms will include: fatigue, nightmares, bouts of insomnia alternating with long periods of heavy sleep, weight gain, muscle twitching and

Ritalin is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for ADHD. With it, there are associated physical side effects such as nausea, weight loss, sleep problems, tics, growth suppression, and heart disease. These are just some of the immediate effects. Another concern with Ritalin is the potential long term effects that have a larger effect on the child’s psychological health. According to Pozzi, Ritalin can lower the self-esteem and reduces the creativity in growing children because after

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first licensed methylphenidate hydrochloride in 1955 for treating what was formerly known as hyperactivity, attention-deficit disorder or ADD. The drug was commonly prescribed in the 1990s when the diagnosis of ADHD became better known and accepted. In 2000, Janssen Pharmaceuticals received approval from the FDA to market Concerta, an extended-release form of Ritalin. Approximately two-thirds of 6.4 million children presently diagnosed have been prescribed drugs like Ritalin or Adderall (another common CNS stimulant).

There are so many truths about Ritalin, how much it actually harms the body overtime then do well. According to the booklet “The Truth About Ritalin Abuse” by drugfreeworld.org, the long-term effects of Ritalin are permanent damage to blood vessels of the heart and brain, high blood pressure leading to heart attacks, strokes and even death. But it does not stop there; strong psychological dependence becomes long term as well. Every one of a dozen children treated with methylphenidate experienced genetic abnormalities associated with an increased risk of cancer. The long-term effects are staggering but the emotional effects are just as bad. For

The brand name for Ritalin is methylphenidate, a drug that stimulates the central nervous system. Its primary use is to stimulate the brain and improve concentration, therefore helping the child control impulsive behaviour and overactivity (Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne 2010).

An online article posted on the Scientific American Mind’s website. The focus of this article is about the function and effects of stimulant medications such as Ritalin and Adderall on the human body. Because children with ADHD are hyperactive and impulsive, stimulant medication is prescribed because it stimulates parts of the brain that are responsible for attention and self-control (Higgins, 2009). According to the article, studies conducted on animals have shown that the active ingredient in these medicines, which is methylphenidate, puts the user at a higher risk for depression and anxiety in adulthood due to the function of the drugs on the brain. Due to this, the article supports the notion that doctors should be cautious when prescribing

Whoever consumes stimulants triggers hostility, aggressiveness, anxiety, paranoia, and depression. Depending on the person, their mood may transition from time to time. Stimulants for ADD/ADHD should not be taken by people with heart conditions, hypertension, hyperthyroidism, anxiety, glaucoma, or a past of drug abuse. Stimulant abuse is the main reason why stimulants should not be consumed by just any person of choice without a review of their medical history. Medications seem to be non-effective in the beginning. According to Strattera, “side effects of Strattera include: upset stomach, decreased appetite, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, tiredness, and mood swings.” The main concern is the connection between Strattera and the brain. It has been shown in scientific study that Strattera causes the person to have suicidal thoughts. Non-stimulants are next in line if Stimulants have not proven to be efficient or has severe side effects. The Methylphenidate Stimulants class contains the following drugs: Focalin, Methylin, Ritalin, Metadate ER, Methylin ER, Ritalin SR, Metadate CD, Ritalin LA, Concerta, Quillivant XR, Focalin XR, and Daytrana patch. The short-acting drugs of this class are Focalin, Methylin, and Ritalin. Because these medications are short-acting, frequent dosage is essential to manipulate the symptoms of ADHD. Focalin only lasts in a person’s system for 4-6 hours. Methylin and Ritalin only last for 3-4 hours. They all have the common side effects of appetite loss, weight loss, difficulty sleeping, and irritability. There is a high concern that if children and adolescents consume Ritalin, their brain may abnormally develop. The intermediate-acting medications of this class include Metadate ER, Methylin ER, Ritalin SR, Metadate CD, and Ritalin LA. Metadate ER and Methylin ER last for 6-8 hours, while Ritalin SR lasts for 4-8 hours. Metadate CD and Ritalin LA last a

Ritalin also known as its generic name methylphenidate is a schedule II substance that is approved by the FDA to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. Ritalin has been around since the 40s; and this drug was not always used to treat ADHD but for other disorders such as low mood. Kids who appear to have ADHD has been a huge concern for parents, friends, and teachers. Once the child shows signs of jitteriness they are brought to the doctor, and the doctor is real quick to determine that the child has ADHD and starts prescribing them stimulants such Ritalin.

The Food and Drug Administration approved Ritalin in 1961 for the use of treatment of childhood behavioral issues. The most common side effects have been insomnia, decreased appetite, stomachache, headache and jitteriness. However, there have been concerns of long term health effects such as liver cancer, heart attacks, violence and substance abuse (Lombardo,

Indeed, many infeasible suggestions have been made in an attempt to solve the problem of overdiagnosis. It has been suggested that in order to combat this problem, a reliable test for ADHD should be developed (Power, 2013). While this idea would effectively stop the problem, developing a test quickly is not feasible. Copious amounts of research is still needed in order to form a valid test. Because ADHD is a neurological disorder, there are many stigmas surrounding it that suggest it is not a true disorder. Due to this, many believe no treatment is needed. These people suggest that children diagnosed with ADHD should not take any kind of medication and that those children currently taking Ritalin should be completely taken off of it. This suggestion

Ritalin has some side effects. Some are more common than some of the other ones.They say that there is not a definite reason on why it has the side effect that it has. If the child takes other medications the doctor needs to know to make sure that it will not affect the child when taking ritalin with other medications. A few side effects are trouble sleeping, headache, stomach ache, and more (Ritalin Side Effects).

According to Prasad et al. (2012), ADHD has a significant impact on children’s behavior in the classroom, experience of school life, and daily functioning. The symptoms of ADHD cause disruptions at school and in academic achievement, which are a few of the most intense and general difficulties children with ADHD face. The understanding of the effects of pharmacological treatment for children with ADHD on academic achievement and learning is not fully understood. This randomized study compared the effects of drug treatment for children diagnosed with ADHD and the effects of not using drug treatment for children diagnosed with ADHD within the classroom environment. Within the total of 2,110 participants, drug treatment benefited up to 15% of children in the amount of school work that they completed. However, drugs less consistently improved children’s accuracy in specific types of academic assignments, such as arithmetic. Up to 14%, more children spent time “on task” and improved their behavior in the classroom. In conclusion to this study, findings determined that pharmacological treatment for children with ADHD has the potential to improve their

One of the greatest issues with stimulant drugs is how effective they are for what they’re intended to do. The students experimenting with these stimulant drugs without a prescription tend to have varying motivations or explanations for their use but whatever the reasoning, the drugs tend work. The most common reason for use without a prescription by college students is to earn better