Doctor Prescribed Speed for Kids

Got an interesting call this evening from a fifteen-year-old boy who asked, "Why is taking ADD drugs bad?" 

I asked why he wanted to know this, and if he was on one of these drugs.  He said he was, and his parents wanted him to wean off.  Hmmm....

I asked the lad why he had chosen to call me, and how he found me in the first place.  Expecting him to say, "From your informative blog, sir," I was somewhat surprised when he said he found me in the Yellow Pages.  Doh! 

Tucking my chest back in, I informed him that I am not a medical doctor, I am a chiropractor, so I can't give him medical advice; but I certainly know enough about various drugs, ADHD meds included, to give him some general, if not pertinent information.

So I asked him which drug he was on, and why his parents wanted him off it.  He said he was taking Concerta (a lighter version of Ritalin).  His parents were concerned because it made him tired all the time and non-functional when he wasn't on it.  Basically, he said he was sleeping more than usual when not on the drug.

I asked him what it was like when he was actually on the drug, and he said it made him lose his appetite and his stomach hurt.  I told him what he was describing was very much like what people who take methamphetamine experience.  In fact, I said, ADD and ADHD drugs are essentially speed; his parents and he were observing the side effects that come along with a speed trip.  The sleeping all the time is called "the crash," and his loss of appetite (upset stomach) was his body's reaction to taking a speed-like drug.

I told him that the rationale behind giving speed to a child labeled ADHD was to help the child focus, and indeed, one of the effects of any stimulant--meth and coke included--is a heightened concentration when taken at low to moderate levels.  The problem, I explained, is that these effects are relatively short-lived, and ultimately, tolerance and withdrawals set in.

Further, I told him, the body has to neutralize the drug, which it does through the liver; and it also needs to filter out and remove the drug from the body, which is carried out by the kidneys.  So when taken over a long period or in high quantities, any drug (even those prescribed by a doctor) can cause stress internally, leading to illness and disease.

This is why his parents were concerned, I explained.  But more importantly, why was he still on the drug if his parents didn't want him to be?  Where was his doctor in all of this?  He said that he just saw his doctor today, and the doctor wanted to give him his Med Card.

"What's that?" I asked, naively.

"For medical marijuana." 

"Your doctor wants you to have that...why?"

"Because I have high blood pressure."

"Where did you find this doctor?  And do your parents know about this?" 

"I just moved here and I went into this place, and there was a medical doctor there."

"OK, listen; you need to go see a real doctor, not just one that's out to make money.  I know that no responsible doctor is going to give a fifteen-year-old kid a prescription for medical marijuana.  You need to go to a real doctor, with your parents in tow, tell him/her about your high blood pressure, your Concerta meds, your parents concerns, and go from there."  I also let him know that I was not telling him to get off the doctor prescribed speed; that wasn't my place.  But, I said, your parents know what's best for you, so listen to them.  OK kid, I've got a patient waiting...call me anytime.

"You should be a real doctor," he said.

Thanks kid, I'll think about it.

Part 2 tomorrow.

Teens Overdosing on Ritalin Skyrocketing

Here we go again: The numbers of teenagers overdosing on ADHD drugs has risen 76% over the last eight years. The American Association of Poison Control Centers reports that the number of calls for all cases of ADHD drug misuse involving 13- to 19-year-olds went from 317 calls per year in 1998 to 581 in 2005. Holy moley! Is anyone else disturbed by this as much as I am?

I report in my book, The Six Keys to Optimal Health, that Ritalin and other ADHD drugs are some of the most commonly abused among teens. ADHD drugs are classified as Schedule 2 along with opium, morphine, cocaine, methadone and methamphetamine--that is, they have some medicinal purpose but are highly addictive and have a high potential for abuse. Ritalin and the other ADHD drugs (Adderall and Vyvanse) are the only schedule 2's that can be obtained through a prescription. See the problem yet?

ADHD drugs are a form of amphetamines (schedule 3 drugs, which have less potential for abuse and dependency than schedule 2's), yet they have been classified as even more dangerous than the amphetamines. 8-12% of all American children are diagnosed with ADHD. Sales for ADHD drugs totaled about $4.8 billion in 2008, according to data from IMS Health. Do you see the problem yet?

Although the history of ADHD is long in development, it was not classified as a medical disorder until 1987. And then in 1996 the first medication to treat this new medical disorder, Adderal, was approved by the FDA. Now do you see it?..now?..now?

Amphetamines cause abuse, dependence, addiction, tolerance, and overdose. They are illegal to posses in the general public without a prescription for just these reasons, yet Americans are willfully feeding it to their children because some crack science says it's good for them. Kids that have overactive minds and personalities are tagged with some BS label called ADHD, and their parents are told, "if left untreated, the persistent and pervasive effects of ADHD symptoms can insidiously and severely interfere with one's ability to get the most out of education, fulfill one's potential in the workplace, establish and maintain interpersonal relationships, and maintain a generally positive sense of self." And the kids are given speed. And 581 are ODing every year. Are you seeing the problem yet?

Those of you that really think the American health care crisis has to do with medical insurance should pull your heads out of your asses.

Driving Under the Influence

Driving under the influence is a crime, but some researchers think we should make an exception...for the ADHD driver. Doh! According to research recently present to the American Psychiatric Association, adults with ADHD are more prone to auto accidents. So to combat this phenomenon, researcher recommend ADHD drivers to be cranked out on speed. Nice.

The study showed that adult ADHD drivers had significantly more auto collisions than the general public and received more citations. ADHD teens and adults have also been shown to be nearly twice as likely to having their licenses suspended. According to UC Berkeley psychologist Nadine Lambert, Ph.D., "People with ADHD have serious difficulties planning ahead, following through, and staying on task—things you need to do to drive safely.

Apparently ADHD drivers are more likely to be convicted of speeding, not obeying signs and signals, following too closely, improper passing, and not following road markings. Additionally they're somewhat more likely than non-ADHDers to participate in reckless driving, drunk driving, and poor lane placement.

So what's the solution? Give 'em speed. Now that's responsibility in the psychiatric research profession--recommend drugging our drivers, yeah! I'm never for the drugging solution, especially when it comes to mental health. Instead of encouraging our unfocused fellow citizens to develop good driving skills, we resort to the simple solution--drugs. I'm not anti-drug, but giving legalized speed, and that's essentially what these ADHD drugs like Ritalin are, is foolish. It's not going to make one a more attentive driver. Why don't we just put a kilo of coke in their trunk--that'll make them pay attention--guaranteed. But no one would seriously suggest that because it's nonsensical. And so is drugging our drivers.

I deal with a lot of auto accident victims in my Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood chiropractic office. Accidents caused by people under the influence are some of the worst I see. If the general public is considered impaired even under the influence of cold medications, why recommend speed for ADHDers? The use of drugs to treat mental "disorders" will remain somewhat controversial for years to come; but let's hope cranking out our ADHD drivers won't cause more problems than they fix.

Academia on Speed

Who are the biggest up-and-coming speed freaks of the 21st century? Academics!

Yes, our nation's literati are doing legal speed to boost brain power. Or so they say. According to a recent report, the production and supply of "brain-boosting" stimulants like Ritalin or Provigil has increased 300% between 1995-2006. But not all people use these easy to get drugs for intellectual prowess. Some, no doubt, use it simply to get high.

This latest drug abuse trend has some in health care worried--and rightly so. When altered states of consciousness become tolerated, even desired, in our institutions of higher learning, there is cause for concern. Primarily because most controlled substances have the potential for abuse and a high risk of addiction--the last thing we need in our universities, seeing how much power academia yields in politics and public opinion.

The concern has been sparked by a recent commentary in the journal Nature on Sunday that argues for use of the drugs in healthy adults as a legitimate way of improving brain power, much like education, the Internet or other helpful tools. Doesn't this echo Timothy Leary's turn on, tune in, and drop out ethos of the 1960s? Damn if things don't come back full circle. The problem is that these pharmaceuticals have a much higher probability of leading to dependence than Leary's LSD. And as you know if you've ever been dependent, drugs have a way of running one's life.

So, increased brain power or not, I wouldn't recommend playing this dope game. But if you must, just remember...I told you so.