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ADHD Drugs Linked to Sudden Death in Kids
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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 In the case of stimulant medications, he said, physicians should follow recently developed guidelines and take a thorough personal and family history before prescribing them. If any concerns arise, the child should be referred for an EKG (a heart rate test) or an evaluation by a pediatric cardiologist before medication is prescribed.
If your child has been on stimulants for awhile, there's probably no need for concern, Gould said. Parents should not abruptly stop their child's medications, the three experts agreed. If you are worried, call the prescribing doctor and discuss the potential risks and benefits of the medications, because often the benefits will outweigh the risks.
"The most important point is to make sure that everyone is well-educated and that a conscientious screening has been done," said Chaves-Gnecco.
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The FDA was quick to react to the publication of the study, saying that it was not definitive and cannot be used to change current practice. The agency recommended that doctors continue to follow the current safety warnings attached to these drugs.
"These drugs do pose a risk to children with underlying heart disease," Dr. Robert Temple, director of the FDA's Office of Drug Evaluation I, said during a Monday press conference. "So there is labeling that says you should be very careful and probably not use them in those people."
The question is do these drugs cause a problem to people without underlying heart disease, Temple said.
The problem with the new study is that it's not known for sure whether the people in the study were taking an amphetamine, Temple said.
To try to get definitive data on the risk of these drugs, the FDA said it's undertaking two studies that will look at the outcomes of people taking these medications.
More information
Learn more about stimulant medications for ADHD from the Nemours Foundation's KidsHealth Web site.
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Copyright © 2009 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
Last updated 6/15/2009
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SOURCES: Madelyn S. Gould, M.P.H., professor, clinical epidemiology in psychiatry, Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York City; Diego Chaves-Gnecco, M.D., developmental-behavioral pediatrician, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Penn.; Benedetto Vitiello, M.D., psychiatrist and chief, child and adolescent treatment intervention branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Md.; American Journal of Psychiatry online, June 15, 2009; June 15, 2009 teleconference with Gerald Dal Pan, M.D., director, Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Robert Temple, M.D., director, Office of Drug Evaluation I, CDER, FDA
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