Attention finally paid to peril ADHD drugs pose to millions of kids –but not here
The stories are shocking…and heartbreaking.
A seven-year old tells her mother she wants to die and is going to ride her bike into a car. A teen asks how to write a will and then ends his life in his bedroom.
These children – and scores of others – all had one thing in common.
They were prescribed drugs for ADHD.
Now government officials are finally sounding the alarm. They’re preparing “stronger, clearer warnings” about suicide risks with ADHD meds before the unthinkable happens again.
The only problem? These government officials aren’t American – they’re Canadian.
And it looks like our FDA still won’t lift a finger to protect millions of kids.
Eyes wide shut
The ADHD hysteria has gotten out of control.
More than 3.5 million American children – including thousands who haven’t even turned three yet — are on ADHD drugs. And those drugs represent a clear and present danger for every one of these kids.
Canadian health authorities have gotten the message. Health Canada is now requiring ADHD drugs to carry warnings that they can trigger suicides and suicidal thoughts.
That follows a Toronto Star investigation that discovered 98 children, some as young as 6, had thoughts about killing themselves while taking these drugs.
And five did.
Only one of the nine drugs on Health Canada’s list, Strattera, was already mentioning the “chance” of suicidal thoughts and actions.
The other drugs include Adderall XR, Concerta, Biphentin, Intuniv XR, Dexedrine, Ritalin, Ritalin SR and Vyvanse.
If these drug names sound familiar, it’s because millions of American kids are taking them every day.
So why hasn’t the FDA acted? We know they follow news out of Health Canada closely. And they certainly saw the Toronto Star report – after all, some of the data the Star uncovered actually came from the FDA.
Turns out the FDA has known about the suicide risk with ADHD drugs for at least nine years. But they decided to side with billion-dollar drug companies instead of kids and grieving parents.
Back in 2006 an FDA advisory panel threw cold water on the idea of adding a prominent warning that kids might commit suicide, or even think about it, while popping ADHD pills.
The head of the agency’s division on psychiatric drugs said that his committee was “unimpressed” by reports of over 350 kids who had suicidal thoughts or behaviors while taking ADHD meds.
Unimpressed? Can you believe the arrogance? Those 350 reports are more than three times the number that got Canadian officials to act.
One of the 350 victims who failed to “impress” the FDA panel was Leanne, the 15-year-old daughter of Michigan mom Jacqueline Bessner.
Leanne took her own life at just 15, shortly after being prescribed Concerta. Through tears, her mother told the FDA panel that they were never told to be on the lookout for suicida
“Health Canada issues ‘stronger, clearer’ warnings about suicide risks linked to ADHD drugs” David Bruser, Jesse McLean, March 30, 2015, The Toronto Star, thestar.com
l behavior.
“There was no warning to us,” she said.
But in turning down a black box warning, one that would have finally used the word “suicide,” the chairman of the pediatrics committee said that such a notice would be “inappropriate” where kids are concerned.
“A black box,” he said, “is really meant for situation where the risk-benefit analysis would suggest you shouldn’t do something.”
Seriously? If that doesn’t describe this situation, I don’t know what does.
Just what would impress the FDA at this point is anyone’s guess. Millions of tots and teens are popping these extremely risky drugs. Parents are coming forward with heartbreaking stories and the FDA’s own data is being used to change policies in Canada.
And the only thing the FDA seems ready to do is pave the way for more ADHD drugs to hit the pharmacy shelf. It recently gave the go-ahead for drugmaker Shire to conduct a short-term safety study for a new super-long lasting version of its ADHD med Adderall.
That means another such pill may be hitting the market soon. One Shire is hoping to sell to kids as young as six.
Source:
“Health Canada issues ‘stronger, clearer’ warnings about suicide risks linked to ADHD drugs” David Bruser, Jesse McLean, March 30, 2015, The Toronto Star, thestar.com
