Stimulant Drug Dangers – The Tragic Story of Richard Fee

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Earlier this week, the New York Times featured a long article on Richard Fee who hanged himself after becoming addicted to Adderall and other psychostimulant drugs. It is no surprise that there were over a thousand comments on that article.

 Richard did not suffer from ADHD but was prescribed these meds because he was determined to get into medical school and he found that the stimulants helped him to study. Through clever lying and careless medical personnel, he was able to support his habit.

But he became addicted and displayed increasingly aggressive behavior, moodiness, psychosis, and became delusional.  In spite of his parents pleading with doctors not to prescribe him these meds, it was too late.  The final result was a tragic suicide.

When we talk of stimulant drug danger like the above heartbreaking case, we should not forget that when these drugs are properly prescribed after correct diagnosis, they can change the lives of many  ADHD children and adults for the better and help them cope.

But what happens when young college students take them without prescription?  These meds can be addictive for those who do not really need them. There are many health risks and psychological dangers which can ruin lives. These meds are easily available on college campuses and can be bought for between $5 and $10. There is no need to fake ADHD symptoms. 

                                DON'T DO DRUGS - MAY HAVE SIDE EFFECTS!

ADHD drug update

Guess which segment of the population is now taking these meds on an ever increasing basis?  They are young adults in the 20 – 39 age group and they had 14 million prescriptions filled for their ADHD in 2011.  That is an increase of 250% compared to four years ago!  We can explain this partially by saying that there is a growing awareness of ADHD and that people feel less inhibited about their condition.

But that whopping number also contains those students who are faking their symptoms to get an unfair advantage. Many of them are getting prescriptions by filling out questionnaires dishonestly and also with the connivance of obliging doctors. These are the ones who are taking the drugs legally. Those who are getting them on campuses illegally are committing a felony.  In either case, they seem to be completely unaware of the medical and psychological dangers.

Moral of the story? We should be alert to stimulant drug dangers. We should also look carefully at a more comprehensive treatment program and other alternative ADHD treatments. 

College Students Snorting ADHD Drugs

 

Learning The Truth About Problems With Psychostimulants.

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Ask any medical authority or pediatric association about the limitations and side effects of stimulants for ADHD and they will all agree that they are not the complete answer to the ADHD problem. The reality, though, is very different. Doctors are still prescribing these stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall as if they were the only answer to the problem. In effect, they are really only a very partial answer and they should be used sparingly, if at all.

The problems with psychostimulants are many and varied. It is estimated that about 30% of children will be unable to tolerate the side effects. These include :-

• weight loss due to loss of appetite
• stunted growth
• heart problems
• sleep challenges
• mood swings
• irritability

As these medications are stimulants, the whole nervous system, heart and brain are all very artificially stimulated and the effects are sometimes very far reaching. It is not surprising really but the strange thing is that the paradoxical effect they have on the child’s attention span and hyperactivity.

Although they are stimulating the brain, the effects are a calming down and hyperactivity is certainly less noticeable.  The alarming fact is that they may alleviate the effects of this mental condition but they never really cure or even treat it in any permanent way. The other factor is that their effects over the long term on a child’s brain are simply unknown. There is also another disturbing fact in that the effects of the drugs tend to wear off after three years.

It is at this point that many parents realize that the really effective treatment has escaped them or that they were not told. The answer to all their problems with psychostimulants can be solved by simply using behavior modification, green time and exercise plus watching diet carefully. More and more research is now pointing to the fact that ADHD alternative therapy such as ADHD homeopathic remedies are just so much safer, more effective and create no problems at all.