barbsy
|
adhd and ritalin. in todays sun newspaper.STORY
THESE are the Ritalin kids – children who were prescribed the controversial drug to help manage Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Conservative leader David Cameron wants to reduce the number of kids given medication for hyperactivity.
But Andrea Bilbow, from the ADHD support group ADDISS believes not enough children are given the drugs. She says: “Recent figures suggest that nearly 400,000 children are prescribed these drugs every year.
“But this is the number of prescriptions written, including those for adults, and many are repeat prescriptions.
“The reason prescriptions have risen in the past ten years is because more and more people are getting diagnosed. Surely that is a step in the right direction.” About one in 20 children — mostly boys — have ADHD, with official figures in the UK at 342,000. It is a genetic condition which causes behavioural and learning problems such as being persistently impulsive, inattentive and defiant.
Worried about your child?
ADHD is quite common, and as many as one in 20 children suffer from it.
Here are the tell-tale signs to discover if your child has the condition:
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF ADHD? Constant fidgeting and restlessness, not sitting in the same seat for any length of time, running or climbing inappropriately, talking too much, always playing loudly, unable to wait for a turn in activities, interrupting, not listening, frequently losing things, being disorganised, being forgetful and easily distracted. But most disruptive kids do not have the disorder.
SO WHAT ELSE COULD IT BE? Kids play up when they are bored, tired or excited. Hunger can also trigger disruptive behaviour. Hearing problems can also cause behavioural problems as it affects their learning.
AM I JUST A BAD PARENT? No. ADHD is genetic – not down to your handling. But poor parenting can also lead to bad behaviour.
Talk with your child’s doctor. Diagnosis can only be made using information about your child’s behaviour from several people, such as parents and teachers. The doctor may have checklists to fill out and may refer your child to an educational psychologist.
Andrea believes an additional 300,000 children remain undiagnosed. She says: “Left untreated, ADHD can lead to psychiatric problems and in severe cases these kids end up in the justice system at an enormous cost to the state. For many families, Ritalin gives them a chance at having a normal life.”
But some argue it’s being handed out too readily to children simply for being boisterous.
Ritalin, one of the brand names for drugs containing methylphenidate, is a nervous system stimulant, affecting chemicals in the brain that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control. It can leave some children feeling lethargic, depressed or withdrawn. It is also used to to treat daytime drowsiness in people with narcolepsy.
Ritalin has been linked to heart problems and three patients have died over the past 12months, according to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.
So is the controversial drug worth prescribing? Here, ANDREA HAMMETT talks to three mums who made the difficult decision to put their child on medication.
James, 7, from Norwich
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
sufferer ... James from Norwich
MUM Helen Grout was shocked when James was diagnosed with ADHD.
The 34 year old says: “He had always been difficult to control but I was upset when we got the diagnosis.
“I worried about the effect this label would have on James and the rest of his life. But it was also a relief to know there was a genetic reason for his problems and that it wasn’t my fault.”
A Ritalin-like drug was suggested to help treat James, who has dyspraxia, sometimes called “the clumsy condition”.
Helen, a project manager and mum of three, says: “I was reluctant at first because I’d heard of it turning kids into zombies. But I decided that a low-dose medication, along with behavioural therapy, would give James his best chance to do well.”
And so far it seems to be helping. Helen, who is married to university lecturer Vic, 44, adds: “Every day he used to get into some kind of trouble at school.
“But after a month of treatment he was getting smiley faces in his home-school book.”
It’s not just James’s school work that has benefited.
The Grouts are now able to enjoy more family days out, which used to get cut short because of an “incident” with James.
“I’m not saying he’s perfect now – he’s still a seven-year-old boy – but life has become a lot less stressful.
“It’s like the medication has given him that split-second to think about what he does before acting on impulse. It means he has a choice about his behaviour, something the rest of us take for granted.”
Jordan, 10, from Gateshead
Four of the alternatives
FOR some children medication is vital but good results have also been seen with:
FISH OILS: Many studies have linked fish oils with helping children with ADHD. In the largest clinical trial of its kind, a placebo-controlled experiment of 132 children aged between seven and 12 with ADHD symptoms found that after 30 weeks half the kids taking Equazen’s “eye q” omega-3 and omega-6 supplement saw a reduction in inattention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
PINE EXTRACT: A German study claims that an extract from pine tree bark could provide a useful treatment for hyperactive children. After one month children with ADHD saw improved behaviour.
ADDITIVE-FREE DIET: Colourings E100 to E180 such as E102 (tartrazine) in coloured drinks and sweets have been linked to hyperactivity, so reduce these. Also, limit fizzy drinks with caffeine.
DORE CLINICS: Offer an educational programme which claims to improve symptoms of dyslexia, ADHD and dyspraxia, which affects co-ordination. Former Wales rugby captain Scott Quinnell, who suffers from dyslexia, learnt to read and write with the programme. Go to dore.co.uk or call 0870 880 6060. To contact ADDISS go to addiss.co.uk or call 020 8952 2800.
WHEN Jordan Foster was diagnosed with ADHD aged five, mum Chris’s first reaction was relief.
Chris, 43, says: “Nobody wants to label their child, especially when they’re so young, but it was a relief to know his behaviour wasn’t because we were bad parents.”
With two older sons, Andrew, 18, and George, 12, she knew that Jordan’s persistent inability to concentrate or sit still wasn’t simply him being a boisterous boy.
She adds: “He never slept through the night and his reckless behaviour – constantly climbing out of windows and over gates – put him in danger.
“At school, other children were afraid of him because he was so reckless. This made it really hard for him to make friends.”
Chris, a counsellor married to Frank, 49, an electrician, says: “We couldn’t keep going the way we were. We could never go out as a family. Our marriage was close to breaking point.
“After the diagnosis I tried every ‘special diet for special kids’ on the market but, much as I wanted them to, they didn’t seem to work.”
So when Jordan was six, the Fosters took the difficult decision to put him on a low dose of Ritalin.
Just two weeks later the “boisterous boy” was sleeping through the night and able to concentrate on tasks for 15 to 20 minutes.
Chris says: “We didn’t want to take the drug therapy but it has transformed his life – and ours.
“He is now doing well at school and is making friends for the first time. And it has given him the chance to learn other strategies to help him cope with his ADHD.”
To the people who say kids shouldn’t be given these chill pills, Chris adds: “Parents of ADHD children have a hard enough time as it is – people should try living with Jordan for just one week without Ritalin and they’d know what it’s like.”
Chris also believes more money should be spent on special schools, where children like Jordan can learn other strategies to cope with their condition.
She says: “Ritalin has given Jordan the chance to learn boundaries and develop a routine – and these will all stand him in good stead in the future when we hope he’ll be able to come off drugs.”
Daniel, 13, from King's Lynn
Ritalin user ... Daniel from King's Lynn
HAYLEY FLETCHER wishes she had known about fish oils when son Daniel was first diagnosed with ADHD at the age of two-and-a-half.
His extreme behaviour, which had caused a broken arm and cracked teeth, meant the full-time mum agreed to put him on Ritalin when he was just five.
It helped modify his behaviour a bit but he needed increasingly strong doses.
Hayley, 33, from King’s Lynn in Norfolk, says: “He was taking it four times a day but he was still like a little tornado most of the time.
“It also suppressed his appetite so much that I could only get him to eat late at night when the drug had worn off – before dosing him up again before bed.”
By the time he was ten he was out of mainstream school and attending a special school for boys with emotional and behavioural problems. A change of medication, which had the same active ingredient as Ritalin but is slow-release, improved the situation a bit.
But it was the skills he was learning at the new school and starting the Equazen “eye q” fish oil trial in March last year that led to Hayley seeing a real improvement.
She says: “Within a month his appetite was back and he was able to sit and eat meals at regular times of the day.”
Hayley, who is married to lorry driver Andrew, 44, is so impressed with the results that she is hoping to wean him off medication altogether.
Hayley also looked at other areas of Daniel’s diet, reducing the number of E numbers and man-made chemicals in his food. Additives don’t cause ADHD, but can exacerbate hyperactive behaviour so it’s a good idea to try to limit them.
She says: “Getting him off the drugs would be a dream come true. He has been on some form of medication since the age of five – and no mother wants that.”
If Daniel isn’t able to come off the drugs a further problem lies ahead. When he reaches 16 he will no longer be eligible for free medication – and it’s what happens to kids after 16 that Andrea Bilbow feels is the real issue.
Hayley adds: “I don’t know what the future holds for Daniel, we just have to take each day as it comes.”
|
pixie
|
I am really split on my thinking with ADHD. I feel so much for the kids and parents living with this but often wonder if the child has the right DX.
ADHD is so like ASD in many cases and some practitioners even put ADHD on the Autistic Spectrum.
I also don't like the idea of giving young children such strong mind altering drugs if there could be an alternative such as diet modification or dietry suppliments to help them instead.
My youngest daughter (21) has the dx ADHD amongst her many other dx's. It still affects her now but she tends to channel her energy into all the physical outdoor sports she does instead.
If she's ever bored that's when it seems to really effect her most.
Like I say I'm split on how I feel but I don't tend to live with a young child with severe ADHD at the moment and may well be all for the drugs if I did.
|
barbsy
|
one of my sons dx is adhd alongside his asd and everything else, great ormond street where he was diagnosed recommended ritalin a couple of years ago but i have so far refused it. adhd is a neurological condition which is unaffected by changes in diet. i think there is a massive difference between children with some distruptive behaviour and hyperactivity compared to children who really do suffer with adhd which is also genetic. my son has taken fish oils which many people have no belief in but from experience i know for a fact they helped with his concentration and he has taken them for a couple of years or more now.i tried various diets and cutting out some additives which made no difference whatsoever. what i do worry about is that asd and adhd are totally different although of course some children may have both as in my sons case, but i even with him i often wonder about the dx he had made.at the end of the day the right school and the right help with social and communation/behaviour must be far far better than all these drugs and their side effects.although in my daughters case she has taken medicatioin but she was seriously violent and thats a whole different ball game.
|
pixie
|
I think your right that there is sometimes confusion about ADHD, hyperactivity and disruptive behaviour. A lot of people just lump them altogether but I think they are mostly people that don't live with ADHD on a daily basis.
I know when you live with ADHD you can see the difference very clearly.
There are some profesionals saying that they believe ADHD is on the Spectrum. If they are right or not I don't know but it is strange how the Spectrum seems to be growing wider to accomodate lots more.
Our kids need understanding and love and someone to be there no matter what they do or how they behave.
Having said all that my daughter is also on drugs for her violent behaviour so I know how the need is there.
|
barbsy
|
this is a very interesting debate isnt it.. blimey i just cannot get of the pc today, its like a drug in itself. lol.
|
pixie
|
It is a bit addictive isn't it. 
|
|
|
|