If you have a child whos taking ADHD medication, and you have a cat, you'll want to store the medication as far out of feline reach as possible. The National Animal Poison Control Center has found that the ADHD drug Adderall has become one of the most common household causes of feline poisoning:

Most poisoning cases that the ASPCA's center learns about involve dogs, [Sharon] Gwaltney-Brant says, because they're fairly indiscriminate about what theyll eat.

Not cats. Out of curiosity, they might sample a pill or capsule -- but seldom finish it, she says. As soon as they bite in and discover its bland or even objectionable flavor, they tend to walk away.

Except when it comes to Adderall XR. Cats not only bite in but readily finish every bit. [Source: Science News]

Vets don't know what makes the medication so enticing to felines, but just one 20-milligram capsule can be deadly to a curious kitten. Signs of medication poisoning include distressed meowing, anxiety, agitation, pacing and disorientation. A cat that's exhibiting these signs needs to be taken to a vet immediately.

Labels: dangers, safety, adderall

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Health Canada recently released a statement warning of potential psychotic reactions to ADHD medications. The public advisory also said that patient and labeling information will be changed to reflect "the potential for psychiatric adverse affects."

The new safety concerns come four months after Health Canada warned ADHD drugs can carry rare heart risks, including a risk of sudden death.

That public advisory cautioned that any child or adult with high blood pressure, heart disease or heart abnormalities, hardening of the arteries or an overactive thyroid gland should not use Ritalin or seven other medications. (Source: Canwest News Service)

The same drugs are mentioned in this new advisory: Ritalin and Ritalin SR, Adderall XR, Attenade, Biphentin, Concerta, Dexedrine and Strattera. Heath Canada expects label changes to be complete by December, Canwest News reported.

Labels: medications, dangers, Canada, warnings

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Independence Day may have already come and gone -- but that doesn't mean that children won't still have the desire (and occasionally the opportunity) to experiment with firecrackers, sparklers, and other types of legal and illegal fireworks.

For kids with ADHD, this can be an especially dangerous endeavor, as Erika Lyn Smith reported in an article on BellaOnline:

Impulsivity, which is part of being a child, is increased in children and adults living with ADHD ... and is a concern for higher risk of injury. ADD and ADHD people tend to find themselves caught up in the moment and will often do or say things out of character when impulsivity takes over which increases the risk of self-injury.

Parents have the responsibility to protect children from gross obvious dangers to a childs health and wellbeing. That means teaching children not to play with fire, and not only when it is convenient but when necessary.

Parents of children with ADHD should exercise particular caution with fireworks. Keep an eye on sparklers. Make sure you're safely distant from larger fireworks displays, and if you're setting off smaller fireworks at home, only let adults light them.

Labels: dangers, parenting, fireworks

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A new study that was released in the American Journal of Psychiatry has caused concern among officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, who are worried that parents will take their kids off ADHD medication without warning -- and without considering the risks. The study found that kids who take ADHD medication were six to seven times more likely to die suddenly for unexplained reasons than their peers.

The study was partially funded by [the] Food and Drug Administration, but agency experts said its methods -- which relied on interviews with parents years after a childs death -- may have caused errors. The agency urges parents to discuss safety concerns with their doctor, but to keep children on the treatments. (Source: The Associated Press)

The FDA also said that it is in the process of collecting larger amounts of data for a more in-depth study of the benefits and dangers of ADHD medications, though it gave no timeline for when that study might be completed.

Labels: medications, dangers, research

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In September, the School Board of Portsmouth, Virginia issued a memo warning parents of the "dangers" of ADHD medication. The memo went on to say that parents who accept their children have ADHD are admitting that their children are mentally ill.

"The School Board will consider sending parents new information about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder that would be drastically different from... [the] controversial memo it issued in September."

The new memo comes in the wake of a litany of comments from national ADHD organizations calling for the School Board to address the medical facts of ADHD in children and adolescents.

Pine Ridge Academy and other alternative boarding schools can help children with special needs like ADHD. Visit PineRidgeAcademy.com to learn more.

Labels: medications, dangers, mental_health

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In a letter to the syndicated health advice columnist Dr. Peter H. Gott, a cosmetic dentist advanced the theory that many children with ADHD are actually suffering from upper airway obstructions -- and that surgery to remove the tonsils and adenoids can clear the obstruction and cure the ADHD.

Dr. Gott was not shy in expressing his opposition to this concept:

I believe it is not only unethical, but it is irresponsible to be telling everyone that surgery can cure ADHD. Not all children who have ADHD have a breathing/sleeping disorder. Not all children with both conditions will experience a cure or even improvement from either or both following surgery.

I am not discounting the fact that sleeping and breathing issues are much more common in children with ADHD and vice versa, but I am saying it is too early in the game to be saying this one solution is the end all as far as treatment options are concerned.

Though a study at the University of Michigan appears to show some support for the surgical option, Dr. Gott emphasized that one small study with less-than-decisive results is hardly the foundation upon which to base a wide-ranging recommendation.

"In the end, while some children did improve following surgery, this was a very small test," Dr. Gott wrote. "It also shows that not all children will improve after having surgery (though most did show improvement in their sleeping disorders)."

Labels: dangers, health

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