Do NOT use the new ADHD drug!
Intuniv – a new and different once-daily ADHD drug – just got approved by the FDA for use in children as young as 6. BIG mistake! This is drug is being marketed as the 'kinder, gentler' ADHD drug because it's not a controlled substance and it's not addictive. But what it is... is very dangerous for your child.
Here are nine very good reasons you should NOT give your child this drug:
- It's only been tested for effectiveness in two short trials: one 8-week and one 9-week. No one knows if it will work after that. But everyone knows that ADHD is not an 8-week issue.
- The two long-term safety trials lasted an average of 10 months.
- Common adverse events, happening even at the lowest possible dose, include abdominal pain, sedation, dizziness, dry mouth, constipation, hypotension (very low blood pressure), loss of appetite, sedation, and somnolence (extreme sleepiness)
- Children taking Intuniv are also at risk for bradycardia (dangerously slow heart rate) and syncope (fainting)
- 12% of subjects (on Intuniv) dropped out of the trials because of adverse events, three times as many as in the placebo group
- In the short-term studies, a full 38% of patients suffered from excessive daytime sleepiness
- In the long-term studies, 45% of the patients suffered from extreme sleepiness, 26% reported headaches, and 15% complained of fatigue
- Some patients also reported psychiatric disorders, like anxiety, agitation, depression, and nightmares
- Less common adverse reactions reported by patients included sinus arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), atrioventricular block (a disruption in the impulse that regulates the heart), chest pain, increased urinary frequency, asthma, and elevated liver enzymes
-- Michele
No comments:
Post a Comment