Ritalin - Side Effects for Child

My dr has recommended that my son take 5 mg of Ritalin in afternoon to help him focus with homework.  Anyone have any experience with side effects in child and taking this?  

[margypops]

Food supplement treatment of ADHD may be of equal efficacy to Ritalin, All children especially those with learnin g difficulties,benefit from a Multiple vitamin-mineralsupplement with anti oxidants ,B Complex and Vit C   fish oil has also shown to be useful..this was shown in recent studies by experts.

[allmymarbles]

You don say how old old your child is. The very young may take a while to settle down. This is not abnormal. There are also children who won't do their homework for reasons other than focus. That is not abnormal either - just annoying for parent and teacher. If you are merely displeased that your child is not an enthusiastic student, Ritalin is not the answer.

[margypops]

You may want to see if you can get a hold of a copy of the August 'Pediatrics' magazine ,there is an article regarding ADHD drugs given to children ,calls to poison centers are up 75% in the last 8 years and most come from affects of the drugs given for ADHD even the drug enforcement agency has issued a Warning.Read 'The Cociane of the Playground' and see for your self.

[margypops]

I am also puzzled why any Doctor would want to give a child a drug like Ritalin simply for him to focus, this is exactly the problem that is mentioned in the above post ..

[Sandman2]

You might have slightly misread the article you mentioned.  It looks like most of the calls were because Teens were misusing stimulant drugs.  I quote

"According to the study, which is to appear in the August issue of Pediatrics magazine:

    * The poison control center is now getting 581 calls annually from parents, ER doctors and others on how to deal with stimulant medication abuse.
    * 42% of teens abusing this medication had moderate to severe side effects. Many needed ER or other medical treatment.
    * 19% of teens have abused some type of prescription medication (including but not limited to ADHD medications)

Although information from the study did not include whether the teens abusing the medication had ADHD and had been prescribed the medication, some information indicated that at least some of the teens had not been diagnosed.



This study does not indicate that parents should stop giving teens ADHD medication if they have been diagnosed and prescribed stimulant medication. It does, however, mean parents should be vigilant in making sure the medications are taken as prescribed and by the person (and only that person) they have been prescribed for.

[margypops]

I suggest that you google 'The Cocaine of the Playground " for your self ....it is for all age groups not just teens ..Good Luck

[allmymarbles]

First I agree with margypops. Also, if you think of Ritalin as a form of speed, which it is, you will think twice before giving this drug to your child. An MD degree does confer smarts.

[allmymarbles]

Correction to my last entry. The last sentence should read, "An MD degree does NOT confer smarts."

[margypops]

Carelli check out the related discussions in the box, in case you think I misread ....