ADHD drugs can lead to cardiac arrest

If you have a child on ADHD drugs, or one who is about to be put on ADHD drugs, you should read this.

A review by The Food and Drug Administration of its databases found reports of 19 sudden deaths in children treated with ADHD drugs and 26 reports of other problems including strokes and fast heart rates between 1999 and 2003.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommended this week that all children with ADHD, for whom drugs are necessary, should have their hearts checked before taking the drugs. Stimulant drugs can increase blood pressure and heart rate. For most children, that isn’t a problem. But in those with heart conditions, it could make them more vulnerable to sudden cardiac arrest or other heart problems. So, the AHA is now recommending a thorough exam, including a family history and an EKG, before children are put on the drugs to make sure that they don’t have any undiagnosed heart issues.

This doesn’t just apply to children who are about to start taking ADHD drugs, but also those who are already taking them. With careful monitoring, even children with heart conditions can take the drugs.

A screening of 1,000 children at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia showed that 2% of the children had some kind of heart problem. Whilst that may seem like a small percentage, it isn’t small to the families concerned.

An ADHD advocacy group called CHADD said parents should monitor their child’s reaction to all medications. EKG screening “will bring an even further measure of safety to what is already a safe clinical treatment approach,” the group said. But the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry recently updated its treatment guidelines for ADHD, and did not recommend routine EKGs. They worry that the added step in the process to get drugs for their children might deter people from seeking treatment because it’s an added expense and hassle.

The AACAP noted that the heart association doesn’t recommended EKG screening for young athletes to prevent sudden death. The group has said it wasn’t feasible or cost-effective to screen all student athletes. Well, duh. There are a hell of a lot more student athletes than there are children with ADHD. What a stupid reason to argue about the necessity to keep children safe from potential harm from a PHARMACEUTICAL!!!

Personally, I would have thought that parents would want to do what’s best for their child, not worry about the extra strain it might put on them?

A spokeswoman for Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., which makes Ritalin, said the company had not seen the latest heart association statement and could not comment, but she pointed out that the label does suggest patients be evaluated for heart problems.

Well, at least there’s that.