ADHD drugs send thousands to hospital ERs

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Fri, 26 May 2006 22:37:30 -0000

[sSRI-Research] ADHD drugs send thousands to hospital ERs

 

 

 

 

 

 

ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN RESEARCH PROTECTION (AHRP)

Promoting Openness, Full Disclosure, and Accountability

http://www.ahrp.org/cms/

 

FYI

 

The American Psychiatric Association and child psychiatrists in

particular are on a collision course: Their toxic " therapeutic "

arsenal is posing a serious public health hazard. The psychotropic

drugs they prescribe with almost wanton abandon are undermining the

physical and mental health of the American public--children in

particular at high risk of abusive, forced prescribing practices of

mental health professionals.

 

The Associated Press reports that the U.S. Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention has issued a report estimating that nearly

3,100 people prescribed psychostimulants--such as, Ritalin, Concerta

and Adderall-- landed in hospital emergency rooms! The evidence from

clinical practice confirms the concerns raised by cardiologists on the

basis of clinical trial data.

 

These drugs are causing children and adults to suffer severe adverse

side-effects, including cardiac problems, chest pain, stroke, high

blood pressure and rapid heart beat.

 

The CDC report confirms earlier evidence that children who are

prescribed psychoactive drugs--such as stimulants or antidepressants

are at increased risk of suffering severe adverse drug effects

requiring emergency hospitalization. [1, 2]

 

This position taken by responsible cardiologists such as Dr. Steven

Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic, are validated. Dr. Nissen is in the

forefront for protecting children and the elderly from cardiac-related

drug hazards. Dr. Nissen has put his professional prestige on the

line--advocating for black box warnings on the labels of ADHD

psychostimulant drugs--so that doctors and parents are forewarned

about the drugs' hazards.

 

But psychiatry's leadership opposes such warnings, demonstrating a

disconnect with the public whose trust they betray. Dr. Nissen

notes, they " seem to ignore a fundamental fact that increasing heart

rate and blood pressure by the administration of powerful cardiac

stimulants is inherently risky "

 

A new Wall Street Journal-Harris poll shows the American public is

far more concerned about drug safety issues than they are concerned

about bringing innovative medicines to market by a 58-21 margin.

(That's a slight increase than the 54-23 margin of two years ago).

But the FDA is preoccupied with industry's main interest. [3]

 

Thomas Anders, M.D. of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent

Psychiatry, Steven Sharfstein, M.D. of the American Psychiatric

Association; and Marsha D. Rappley, M.D. Michigan State University;

John W. Moore, M.D. UCLA Medical Center expressed their opposition to

black box warnings about the cardiac risk associated with

psychostimulants in letters to the New England Journal of Medicine.

 

The Associated press quotes Dr. Tolga Taneli, a child and adolescent

psychiatrist at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in

Newark, who said:

 

" The numbers (of side effects) are puny compared to the numbers of

stimulant prescriptions per year. I'm not alarmed. "

 

There, in a nutshell the cultural norm within which American child

psychiatrists practice is exposed.

 

Protect your chidlren from today's medical preditors.

 

 

Notes:

 

1. Since the increased use of psychotropic drugs, physicians have

observed that children are increasingly being admitted to psychiatric

hospitals. See: American Psychiatric Association. Position

Statement: Psychiatric Hospitalization of Children and Adolescents.

APA Document Reference No.890004. Online at:

http://www.psych.org/edu/other_res/lib_archives/archives/890004.pdf

 

2. A 2001 retrospective review of 533 psychiatric hospital

admissions over a 14 month period found that 8.1% were admitted due to

antidepressant-induced mania or psychosis. In 70% of those admissions,

SSRIs induced these extreme symptoms. See:

Preda A, Maclein R, Mazure C, Bowers M. Anti-depressant associated

mania and psychosis resulting in psychiatric admissions. Journal of

Clinical Psychiatry, 2001. 62:30-33

 

See also ER-SSRI: http://www.ahrp.org/infomail/0403/15.php

 

3. See: Americans Growing Less Confident In FDA's Job on Safety, Poll

Shows THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE May 24, 2006,

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114831296787359612.html

 

 

Contact: Vera Hassner Sharav

212-595-8974l

veracare

 

 

 

http://news./s/ap/20060525/ap_on_he_me/adhd_drugs;_ylt==AswbL4

V.od90 jOVdkgXNj3Cs0NUE;_ylu==X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ

 

May 24, 2006

 

Study: ADHD drugs send thousands to ERs

 

By LINDA A. JOHNSON,

Associated Press Writer

 

Accidental overdoses and side effects from attention deficit drugs

likely send thousands of children and adults to emergency rooms,

according to the first national estimates of the problem.

 

Scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

estimated problems with the stimulant drugs drive nearly 3,100 people

to ERs each year. Nearly two-thirds - overdoses and accidental use -

could be prevented by parents locking the pills away, the researchers say.

 

Other patients had side effects, including potential cardiac problems

such as chest pain, stroke, high blood pressure and fast heart rate.

 

Concerns over those effects have led some doctors to urge the Food

and Drug Administration to require a " black box, " its most serious

warning, on package inserts for drugs such as Ritalin, Concerta and

Adderall. Yet even doctors advising the FDA don't agree on whether

that's warranted.

 

The issue was discussed in a series of letters in Thursday's New

England Journal of Medicine, including some from doctors worried about

the dangers of not treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

 

" The numbers (of side effects) are puny compared to the numbers of

stimulant prescriptions per year, " said Dr. Tolga Taneli, a child and

adolescent psychiatrist at University of Medicine and Dentistry of

New Jersey in Newark. " I'm not alarmed. "

 

An estimated 3.3 million Americans who are 19 or younger and nearly

1.5 million ages 20 and older are taking ADHD medicines. Ritalin is

made by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. of East Hanover, N.J.; Concerta

by Johnson & Johnson of New Brunswick, N.J., and Adderall by Shire US

Inc. of Newport, Ky.

 

Twenty-five deaths linked to ADHD drugs, 19 involving children, were

reported to FDA from 1999 through 2003. Fifty-four other cases of

serious heart problems, including heart attacks and strokes, were

also reported. Some of the patients had prior heart problems.

 

Still, there hasn't been a clear estimate of the scope of side

effects. The CDC report, while not a rigorous scientific study,

attempts to provide that by using a new hospital surveillance network.

 

From August 2003 through December 2005, the researchers counted 188

ER visits for problems with the drugs at the 64 hospitals in the

network, a representative sample of ERs monitored to spot drug side

effects.

 

Doctors linked use of stimulant ADHD drugs to 73 patients with side

effects or allergic reactions. Another 115 accidentally swallowed

ADHD pills, including a month-old baby, or took too much.

 

" These are cases where a young child took someone else's medication

or they took too much of their own, " CDC epidemiologist Dr. Adam Cohen

said of the second group.

 

Nearly 1 in 5 patients was admitted to the hospital, 1 in 5 needed

stomach pumping or treatment with medicines, and 1 in 7 had cardiac

symptoms. Sixteen percent of the side effects involved interaction

with another drug.

 

Besides cardiac problems, common symptoms included abdominal pain,

rashes and spasms, pain or weakness in muscles, according to Cohen.

No patients died.

 

Extrapolating to all U.S. hospitals, the researchers estimated 3,075

ER visits occur each year.

 

In another letter in the journal, the heads of the American

Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Child and

Adolescent Psychiatry wrote they are concerned a black box warning

would discourage use of ADHD drugs, raising patients' risks of

academic failure, substance abuse and other problems.

 

This past February, an FDA drug safety advisory panel voted 8-7 for a

black box warning. The next month, another FDA panel instead

recommended data on cardiac and other risks go in a new " highlights "

section the agency plans to add to the top of drug inserts.

 

Dr. Marsha Rappley, pediatrics professor at Michigan State

University, and two other doctors on the advisory panels believe the

vote for a black box was premature.

 

She said studies show the drugs raise blood pressure and pulse rates

a bit, but it's unknown whether that would harm children taking them

for years, and that cardiac risks may be higher for adults.

 

Dr. Steven Nissen, cardiology chief at the Cleveland Clinic, who had

pressed for a black box warning at the FDA panel meeting, said ADHD

drugs are powerful stimulants and inherently risky. Nissen and other

doctors say the drugs are being prescribed to some who don't need

them.

 

This week, the FDA said it is " working diligently " on " labeling

changes that we feel accurately reflect the available data and the

advice of the committees. " The agency declined interview requests.

 

___

 

On the Net: http://www.nejm.org

 

American and Academy of Pediatrics ADHD site:

http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/adhd.cfm

 

Copyright C 2006 The Associated Press.

 

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