The American Academy of Pediatrics has renewed the debate over heart tests for kids on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder medication by announcing a new policy that most kids don't need a special cardiac screening.

"The pediatricians' group says advice earlier this year from the American Heart Association recommending EKGs was overzealous because these rare deaths are more common in the general population than among children on stimulants."

Approximately four million U.S. children have been diagnosed with ADHD, and about half of these children are being treated with stimulant medication. The academy agrees that children should get a thorough physical exam and their family history should be checked for heart problems, but feels EKGs are unnecessary in most cases. Source: Chicago Sun-Times

Labels: pediatricians, heart_test, stimulants

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One of the most common treatments for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is stimulant medication. But it seems counterproductive to treat hyperactivity symptoms with stimulants, so why do they work?

"In all of our brains, there is a portion that deals with matters of impulse suppression and control. It is this center that gives us the ability to focus on things that don't interest us... to be patient... and to remember... But for those with ADHD, there is, for some reason, a shortage of electrical activity in these portions of the brain."

Stimulant medication works because it increases activity in the part of the brain that controls impulses, helping someone with ADHD to focus, becoming less fidgety and more patient. Source: Associated Content

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Stimulant medications like Ritalin have long been used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Though Ritalin is known to be effective, only recently has the medical community begun to understand how it works.

"In a paper published online this week in Biological Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison psychology researchers David Devilbiss and Craig Berridge report that Ritalin fine-tunes the functioning of neurons in the prefrontal cortex - a brain region involved in attention, decision-making and impulse control - while having few effects outside it."

This is good news for parents who worry that Ritalin could be damaging to other parts of the brain.. While high doses of the medication could still pose problems, clinically accurate (low) doses are proving to be safe and effective. Source: MediLexicon News

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Last week, the American Heart Association released a statement recommending that children with ADHD be given a heart test before they're prescribed any stimulant medication like Ritalin. The statement came after the AHA concluded a study which found that stimulant medication can increase cardiac risks in children with existing conditions.

"Pediatric cardiologist Darshak Sanghavi from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester said he doesn't fully agree with the AHA recommendation... '(With the AHA announcement) people have brought up this worry that ADHD medications such as Ritalin and Adderall increase the risk of heart problems,' he said Thursday in a phone interview."

While Ritalin and Adderall won't cause heart problems, they can aggravate existing heart issues, which is why the AHA released its statement. Source: Sentinel and Enterprise

Labels: medications, heart_test, stimulants

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Professor Joseph Rey from Sydney University has warned that results of recent studies show that neither doctors nor parents should rely on stimulant medication as the primary means of treating ADHD in children. His comments come in the wake of a US study that found little or no long-term difference between kids with ADHD who were treated with stimulant medication verses those who received behavioral therapy treatment.

"Prof Rey said the results of the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) study should change attitudes to ADHD treatment. 'While results of one study rarely justify drastic changes of practice, the findings underscore the complexity of ADHD, show that stimulant drugs are far from being a silver bullet and that there is much we do not yet know,' Prof Rey wrote in the latest Medical Journal of Australia."

Prescribing rates for stimulant drugs have increased nearly ten-fold in the past ten years as ADD and ADHD have become more widely common, but a growing number of doctors and professors are beginning to question medication's long-term benefits. Read more at TheWest.com.au.

Instead of stimulants, what about removing disractions like TV and video games. Stone Mountain School, a therapeutic boarding school for boys, is set in a rustic part of North Carolina that allows boys with ADHD to concentrate on their actions, behaviors, and academics.

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Strattera was first introduced in 2003 as an ADHD medication. It acts, not as a stimulant, but an inhibitor that prevents the "re-uptake" or re-absorption of a chemical which is thought to aid with impulse control, organization and attention.

"Do not take Strattera with any other medications, even over-the-counter medications! You must talk with your doctor first! Talk to the Pharmacist too. Our reports indicate that there may be serious problems taking anti-depressants with Strattera. In fact, our reports indicate that there can be serious problems taking even Benadryl with Strattera."

It takes about 4 to 6 weeks for Strattera to work well. That's much slower than stimulants, which work in about 20 minutes. Clinical trials have shown Strattera to work well in reducing symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsiveness and inattention.

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Ridha Joober, MD, and Reut Gruber, PHD, both of Douglas Mental Health University Institute at McGill University in Montreal, Canada have completed a first-of-its-kind study on sleep patterns of children with ADHD. They found that the medication methylphenidate helps improve the quality of sleep in ADHD-diagnosed children with poor sleep patterns.

''Children with low sleep efficiency might improve performance following the administration of MPH as it increases their arousal level to a moderate level, which is presumed to facilitate vigilance performance,' wrote Joober and Gruber."

The study focused on 37 children between six and 12 years old, who were divided into two groups based on their sleep patterns. Joober and Gruber believe more testing is in order, but that the initial results are promising. Sleep problems are common in children diagnosed with ADHD. Read more at Huliq.com.

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Shire Plc is expecting to receive approval from the FDA for a new extended-release drug used to treat ADHD. The drug is called Intuniv, and Shire hasn't yet announced an expected release date.

"Britain's third-biggest drugmaker said it had received an 'approvable letter' from the U.S. medicines regulator for Intuniv, formerly known as Conexyn, signaling it will approve a new drug pending further information."

Shire didn't say what additional information the FDA has requested. Intuniv is a non-stimulant treatment for ADHD that is believed to have little or no risk for potential abuse or dependence.

Read more at BabyCenter.com.

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A group of researchers from Australia have conducted a breakthrough study that may help explain what causes things like ADHD and schizophrenia. The study was published today in Science and shows that there are complex interactions taking place between two areas of the brain when an object catches the eye.

"It seems that a high part of the brain... stimulates activity in a lower area responsible for processing visual information... This interaction between the two areas helps to select those signals from the visual world which should be processed further..."

The research team hope this is a first step toward better understanding how different parts of the brain work together to influence attention. Read more at News.com.au.

Outdoor programs and outdoor therapy can help kids struggling with behavioral problems. Learn more about ways you can help your child have a productive summer at Wilderness-Programs-Info.com.

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University of Illinois researchers will be conducting a 10-week study on two of the most popular stimulant medications used to treat ADHD. The study will focus on the medications effects on sleep and overall mood.

"According to [Dr. Mark] Stein, short-term studies have found that ADHD patients often experience success with stimulant medications, but they discontinue treatment prematurely, perhaps due to common side effects that include sleep problems, decreased appetite and mood swings."

Patients in the study will range from ages 10 to 17, and will be monitored on a weekly basis. Some patients will receive medication, while others will receive placebos. Read more at News-Medical.com.

New Leaf Academy is private boarding schools for girls ages ten to fourteen with ADHD, non-verbal learning disorder, and emotional or behavioral issues.

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Prime Therapeutics, a pharmacy benefit manager, recently conducted a study on the medication Strattera® to determine its effectiveness in treating ADHD in children. It found that children who are prescribed Strattera® in the initial stage of treatment are over 4 times more likely to switch to a different kind of medication than a child who's prescribed a stimulant.

"'We believe that children who start on Strattera® are more likely to change therapies because they are experiencing side effects or the drug is not working effectively,' said Patrick Gleason, PhD, Director of Pharmacy and Medical Integration at Prime. 'Because stimulants have been around longer and are available in generic forms, physicians and medical care providers have a lot more experience with them."

In addition, Strattera® has some unique safety concerns which, when combined with the lower effectiveness, may mean that stimulants are a better choice. Read more PRNewswire.com.

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