Study Links Children Who Take ADHD Medication With Heart Attacks

NY Daily News----

If your child has ADHD, a new federally funded study that links ADHD drugs like Ritalin to an increased risk of sudden cardiac death may be making you crazy.

But mental health experts say the research is not conclusive enough for parents to necessarily take their children and teenagers off their medication.

The FDA is saying that the study has its limitations and should not necessarily change the way the stimulant drugs are used, according to WebMD.

The study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the FDA, identified 564 children and teenagers who had died suddenly for unexplained reasons, and who had no structural heart defects.

Researchers also looked at 564 young people who had died as passengers in car accidents, many of whose deaths were later attributed to undiagnosed cardiac problems.

The researchers concluded that the odds of using a stimulant like Ritalin were six to seven times higher among the children who had died suddenly of unexplained causes than among those who died in auto accidents.

The study, which will appear in The American Journal of Psychiatry, does not prove that ADHD drugs cause cardiac deaths but they highlight the importance of screening kids and teens for heart problems before putting them on a stimulant medication, says Charlotte Armstrong, a NIMH spokesperson.

"One of the concerns is that there need to be improvements in screening for cardiac abnormalities in young people before putting them on medications like Ritalin," she says.

She also stressed the need for more studies.

"The bigger the numbers they can look at, the better," Armstrong says.

Dr. Ramon Solhkhah, director of the Child and Family Institute of St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital, says that while medication is the "gold standard of treatment for moderate to severe ADHD," some kids may benefit from non-drug therapies.

"There are definitely some behavioral and lifestyle changes that could be beneficial," he says. "These include cognitive behavioral therapy, certain organizational skills, more individual attention in the classroom and life coaches who can get kids organized."

Chiropractor Gerard Clum notes that many young people with ADHD can benefit from chiropractic techniques.

"A number of case reports have been published with chiropractic care and there has been a positive resolution in the severity of symptoms," he says.

And Dr. Robert Melillo, author of "Disconnected Kids," recommends not just behavioral modification, but careful attention to diet and nutrition.

"ADHD medications can help with symptoms," he says. "But there are a lot of alternatives out there that address the underlying problem."

Sources: NY Daily News, Wikipedia, Wego Health.com