Children Should Be Prescribed Medication

Ritalin, the most common drug prescribed for ADHD, has many side effects. It can cause a variety of symptoms including nervousness, insomnia, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, palpitations, headaches, high blood pressure and heart rate, skin rashes, abdominal pain, weight loss, digestive problems, toxic psychosis, psychotic episodes, drug dependence, and anxiety (Bailey 3). These drugs also cause food cravings (mainly sweets), hinder allergies, psychosis and pre-existing tics. Long-term effects of Ritalin consist of

The dangers and possible harmful effects that these medications hold for a young child will not help the parents feel too convinced about the usage of medication. As stated in Time this month, “We know that kids are not just little adults, they metabolize medications differently” (Kluger, et al). Parents might feel scared or reluctant to administer medication after hearing assertions about the dangers. Parents worry enough about their kids everyday without the use of a strong medication. The tendency to assume that doctors fear the usage of medication in children is overwhelming. It is more than clear to see why parents, or anyone affected by this disorder

When taken as prescribed, Ritalin is a valuable medicine. Research shows that people with ADHD do not become addicted to stimulant medications when taken at prescribed treatment dosages. However, because of Ritalin’s stimulant properties, in recent years high levels of abuse of Ritalin by people who are not prescribed, has been reported.

According to an article about the side effects of ADHD medication on Psych Central, the younger the child, the worse the side effects will be. Any child aged seven to nineteen are four to five times more likely to die of unexplained cardiac arrest due to the amounts of adderall and dexedrine in the ADHD medication. Among the many drugs used to treat the disorder, Ritalin is one of the most common. Although this medication is developing a negative reputation after the number of deaths found linked to this Stimulant. One story of a boy named Matthew, his last name is not released to the public, died at the age of 14 due to cardiac arrest caused by his ADHD medication, Methylphenidate, also known as Ritalin. Side effects from any behavior stimulant can cause side effects such as; panic attacks, insomnia, new or worsening depression/anxiety, violent mood swings, mania, etc. All of which are much worse when given to a younger child compared to an adult. The side effects of this medication whether it be needed or not can be very dangerous which is why many children should not be taking it unless it is drastically

to unnecessarily overprescribe medications to their pediatric patients. Of these prescription drugs, opioid pain killers, antibiotics, and psychiatric medications are the most commonly overprescribed in child care. For example, opioid prescriptions have increased 300 percent in the past seventeen years (Boerner 20), over 50 million unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions are written each year (Murray 266), and 6.4 million psychiatric prescriptions are given to children between the ages of four and seventeen each year (Johnson 19). The overprescribing of these medications leads to children experiencing unnecessary side effects, increases the chances of addictions, and encourages drug resistance. In this essay, I will be proposing that there should be a (i) government enforced set of extensive regulations and checklists that each patient must fulfill before receiving a prescription and (ii) governmental laws prohibiting careless prescribing by doctors and hold doctors more accountable for the prescriptions they write.

Although there are some reasons for children to take medications for their health, they should not be treated with antidepressants for many reasons. Many remember the trend in the 1960s and 1970s that inspired the film Valley of the Dolls. Housewives were taking Valium as if it were candy. Today, things have changed. The Antidrug commercials urge parents to get help and their children off drugs too. At the same time, parents are on the other hand urged to keep their children in check. In this pill popping society, children who misbehave are no longer tolerated. There is no more "boys will be boys" mentality anymore and children who misbehave and are disruptive are often recommended Ritalin or some other drug to make the Teachers day a bit

One of the greatest concerns of psychotropic drug use in children and adolescents is that this type of medication is overprescribed. According to a report by the Food and Drug Administration, as of September 2009, “more than 500,000 children and adolescents in America are now taking antipsychotic drugs.” (Wilson, 2010) 500,000 is definitely a large number, but considering the fact that approximately one in ten children in the United States suffer from various mental illnesses, this number is actually quite low. The main reason people believe this medication is overprescribed is because many parents are simply looking for an easy way to quell their child’s hyperactivity. “’Families sometimes feel the need for a quick fix,’ Dr. Gleason said. ‘That’s often the prescription pad. But I’m concerned that when a child sees someone who prescribes but doesn’t do therapy, they’re closing the door that can make longer-lasting change.’” (Wilson, 2010)

Pharmaceutical drug dependency is not a new craze sweeping the nation. Although it has progressed, it is something that has been a noticeable issue since the early twentieth century. For starters, there is a pill for everything; pregnancy, being over-weight, pain, sneezing, and much more. When you have a variety like that, it’s hard not to take the easy way out. The latest generations of prescription drugs compensate conditions such as depression, gynecological disorders, hyperactivity, impotence, sleeping problems and more. We are waist deep in a pill culture. According to Tennent, a reason for this up-rise in patients being so eager to take up prescription drugs is that new and more sophisticated drugs have reduced the severity of accompanying side-effects. (Tennent) However, this is a gamble and something one could not be sure of. There are medications prescribed for less

Garber, Stephen W., Ph.D, Marianne Daniels Garber, Ph.D, and Robyn Freedman Spizman. Beyond Ritalin. New York: Villard, 1996. p 56-59.

According to a report done by Consumer Union, “Many American children are likely to be taking stimulants for only mild disorders or even in the absence of ADHD” (Zwillich, 2005). WebMD has suggested on their informational website for people to get a second opinion when it comes to diagnosing ADHD, as this is a difficult diagnosis to make and cannot be done in a one time, short period doctor’s office visit. Some medical professionals have even agreed that the diagnosis of ADHD is more than a one-person diagnosis, therefore, the medications prescribed should not be given out on the initial

Tissot E, Cornette C, Limat S, et al. Observational study of potential risk factors of medication

Ritalin is currently prescribed to approximately six million people in the US. Of those six million, 75% of these are children, with boys receiving Ritalin about four times more often than girls. Ritalin is a drug that stimulates the central nervous system. It interacts with chemicals in the brain and nerves that give way to hyperactivity and impulse control. Not only is Ritalin used to treat ADD and ADHD, it is also used to treat a sleeping disorder called Narcolepsy, which is an uncontrollable desire to sleep, but there is another drug that given just as Ritalin, and it is called Adderall. Adderall is almost the exact same as Ritalin except it actually enters the cell and helps it produce more dopamine.

With all these reasons for these drugs doctors need to focus more on curing these side effects trying to help children not have any more weight gain, high cholesterol, high risk of type 2 diabetes, sleep disorders, heavy sedation, cardiac risks, loss of appetite, loss of growth, low blood pressure, headaches, nausea, irritability, irregular heartbeat and tics.. With the on the proper diagnosis because it is difficult to diagnose children with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. These disorders sometime overlap with symptoms of AD/ADHD and therefore are being prescribed to children with these problems. Insurance providers like Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP and pharmacies get reimbursed from these prescription and antipsychotic drugs. Children that are less fortunate and are on government programs are more likely to be prescribed these antipsychotic drugs than children with private insurance. Therapy sessions are a more effective alternative rather than antipsychotic drugs because parents, teachers and child are interacting and can work with child to progress his behavior instead of medicating these children immediately. It is a better choice or at least a first choice of method in therapy session rather than prescription antipsychotic

     If the term “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder”(ADHD) is mentioned, the first thing that comes to many people’s minds is a drug called Methylphenidate, commonly referred to as “Ritalin”. Most people know Ritalin is prescribed for ADHD, and they most likely know at least one person who is currently taking it. However, in the 1960s, Ritalin and many other amphetamines were recognized as abusive substances, so many new controls were introduced to more closely monitor the prescribing of these drugs. Despite these new restrictions, the abuse and over-prescribing of Ritalin has re-emerged from the shadows.

Contexts 10, the prescription of a new generation, discusses the increasing prevalence of psychostimulants, through the use of prescriptions and illegal methods. In the eight years between 1990 and 1998 the number of prescriptions of Ritalin increased a five-fold (Hartmann and Uggen, 2012). In addition, the use of unprescribed Ritalin and other psychostimulants has also increased, as up to 25 percent of college students per campus have reported using non prescribed psychostimulants (Hartmann and Uggen, 2012). Since, doctors and other medical professions across the world haven’t been able to create a concrete diagnoses process, it would be easy to blame the high prevalence of psychostimulants on unreliable diagnoses.