Heart History and ADHD Medications
Sudden cardiac death occurs in about 600 children per year in the United States. The most common cause is an inherited disorder called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.Medications used to treat ADHD should not be prescribed for children and adolescents with structural heart defects. A thorough health history should always be taken by the physician before prescribing any medication. Before prescribing medications for ADHD, make sure that your doctor or your child's doctor asks about a history of:
- Chest discomfort.
- Severe shortness of breath, especially with exercise.
- Fainting spells or unexplained dizziness.
- High blood pressure.
- Unexplained deaths in family members below age 30, a family history of heart attacks prior to the age 50 in men or 60 in women, or a family history of congenital heart disorders.
Related Topics:
- WebMD Video: Interactive Metronome: Therapy for ADHD
- WebMD Video: Drug-Free Behavioral Therapy for ADHD
13 Comments:
Dear Doctor:
My daughter is attention deficit but is not hyperactive. The medications she is prescribed make her very tired. Are there any medicines for attention deficit without the hyperactivity?
Mom in Indiana
Dear Dr. For the past 5, almost 6 years we have been struggling with our 11 year old son. He has been on every ADD medication, several different counslers and Doctor's and he is getting no better, developing additional symptoms and tearing my family apart. We have trouble with school, other children, you name it, we have a problem. I want to start over and began again with him to re-test and re diganiose. We are located in Alabama but are willing to travel anywhere - any suggestions on where to get started?
my friends grandfather's who was researcher for utmb did a study riatlin that showed it killed all the sertoin in your brain,dosent kill really just makes it produce less.i toke this medication ,so make a long story short the government paid him off to not release this study .your child will never be the same.im not. i dont ever smile or laugh .im not depressed by any means just emotionally dead on the inside .
Dear Dr, I have very close freinds that have an extremely hyperactive naughty 5 year old. I have never met a child as bad as he is at this age. He delibaretly destroys other childrens or adults things, hes very jealous of other peoples things even though he is not deprived of much. He has an extremely short attention span and just can't stop moving for a minute. I am very worried as he has just started school and I have read about children with ADD having so many problems at school. Does he sound like he might have ADD? It has got to a point where our group of friends don't trust or like having him over at their place or hanging out with their children. Hes even been yelled at by a complete stranger in a waiting room because of his htpercativity and his teacher has also commented on it. The parents just don't seem to click that hes got some sort of problem. Everyone else can clearly see it.
Concerned friend, Australia
Hello, Ill make this real simple but its complex! Diagnosed as ADD when 5 1/2; dosed on ritalin 35 to 40 Mg daily till I was 12 1/2 because of school and severe act outs, disturbing others stuck in special classes ( Special ED for Behavioral Problems; Lists goes on, 30 now I suffer from ADD/ADHD a Mood Disorder and Severe OCD on the contamination level.. ADD/ADAH is severe with combined types, Moods pretty horible as well.....
Starting late when I was 29 going crazy from alll the anxietys from each disorder I seeked help.. Went to AMEN clinic in reston VA paid 3200.00 for extensive testing, Pet scans etc that revieled the Mood disorder, 3 types ADD/ADHD, OCD.. I was not satisfied so We went to Johns Hopkins OCD/Mood Disorder specialists Dr I wont say and he didnt believe in the ADD pet scans or knew anything about it, Now the OCD and Mood Disorder he was excellent on but we got the Bi Polar w/ rapidcycling thrown at us.. Bottom line I have taken everything Med wise for Bi Polar ( Lithium- I felt changes from first dose 300 to 600 to 900 and I got stranger then Made me completely manic hyper for three months at 1800 Mg ) Depikote 250 Mg Made me completely psychotic Violent etc etc.. Tried it twice 8 months apart, same deal each time couldnt make it at 500 and stay on it; completely Insain...... They all said ( Dr.s ) I should not feel a thing until theraputic range they tell me with the Lithium and Depikote.... Trileptal calmed at 75 but as soon as increse to 300 same situation....... Lamictal 25 for 2 weeks ( made me a complete slob, completely out of it possibly made violent...... Anti psychotics tried ( Zyprexa 2.5 ) Made me a complete Freak with a Masked face and confusion, violent pure Psychotic behavior.... Seraquil ( 25 to 100 ) Same deal violent, paranoid, delusional...... Halodal 2.5 to 5 Mg ( Same deal but less intense as newer drugs mentioned above.. Resperadol 0.5 to 3 Mg the higher the dose incresed confusion, Violent Out of it Psychotic..
Geodon 40 2 x a day with increse to 80 2x a day.. Heart palpitaions, Extremely Hyper, suicidal, Reved Up.... All these meds mentioned Reved me up by the way......
So now I said screw the Bi Polar diagnoses and start from scratch without past history at another ADD/ADHD clinic to get another opinion without confusion, Started concerta 18 Mg ER and finally it has calmed me to a point for the ADD/ADHD, Prob will get titrated to next level to see how much more it will help with..The Dr started me off slow to make sure of safty just incase it did the opposite which it did not! Im getting positive outcome with this so far with some bad symptoms decreasing and some good symptoms like Slowed Down more in Brain but not enough prob because dose is so small, and getting better rest to a point like when I wake up I feel rested instead of low energy, Minor increase on focus and minor increase on concentration.. Its been 5 days so far and No serious side effects..I still pace and cannot sit down, to even eat with my wife and child! From wake to sleep Im moving and standing... My sleep hours are flopped to sleep during the day and up late at night due to racing thoughts, negitive thoughts, stuck thoughts etc etc etc.. We think Im finally on the right track with the ADD/ADHD first...... I pretty much know what disorder is doing what and the Mood swings throughout the ADD/ADHD and I know when it happens... Mood is no worse before new ADD med or AFter so its not effecting it...
I have been having these episodes of Complete Fear and Doom like I just witnessed a terrible accident and cant get over it, These have been happening for almost 2 years documented and they come out of No where, I freeze and have trouble breathing or breathing deep I mean, going Into a stare with comple Fear,Dooming thoughts, extreme severe Anxiety and they last up to even 3 to 5 hours 3 to 4 times a week.... Are these panic attacks?????
This will all take CBT without a doubt!!! I must get stable first...! I have socical phobias as well but the Klonopin 4 Mg a day helps with that Im allready taking.. 75 mg effexor which was left this way from a prior Dr because he thought it was reving me up at 225 while I was on the Lithium 1800 for the supposing Bi Polar..
Bi Polar symptoms: some of them are the same as ADD/ADHD but for me the ADD/ADHD symptoms stick out WAY Further and theres more of them for that matter.. New Dr didnt change a thing with current meds which is a Huge relief and smart..... Im hopeful Now but I keep having these serious Panic situations..... Whats your thoughts....
throw away the ADHD meds that are made to treat a fake illness that was made up by the "powers that be". Try Alphabiotics, try Kinesiology, read up on Omega-3s and Cod Liver oil. Stop poisoning your children
There are ritalin-alternatives like phosphatidylserine and carnitine used to help ADD. Go find out more!
ADD and ADHD? Where is the proof they exit? Dr Elrod-Erickson of MIT disproved this garbage as a hoax by the pharmacutical companies 5 years ago? To believe in this with zero proof to support this is the medical equivelant of believing in Santa Claus. Unlike Dr Erickson you are bought and paid for by the pharmacutical industry who are only interestested in profit margins and have absolutely no intrest in curing any disease. How do I know this? I am a biochemist who quit grad school when I seen just how the medical field works? Why aren't there any studies in herbs and natural remedies? Because they can't be patented and you people will be out of a job which is why you took an oath, to save life at all cost but that is not what you practice. Ritalin and Vioxx are prime examples of how profits are more important than "saving lives" is, you do know what saving lives is don't you? It was the oath you pledged when you got you license. Until you start "practicing what you preach" I as a research pathologist will never have an ounce of resect for you as a human being, you as a doctor, or you as an expert because you are a puppit for people like Fred Crawford and the criminals who run companies like Merck, Park-Davis, Eli-Lilly... You know, they are the people who give you a kick back every time you write a prescription and send you on a paid vacation when you meet their quota.
Why can't you people just be parents? Why do you need doped up zombie kids? Every child is hyper and if you can't handle it, maybe you don't need kids.
anonymous,
I suppose in your world REAL parents would let their children suffer from diabetes rather than give them insulin shots, too.
Factoid #1: ADHD meds don't make zombie kids
Factoid #2: Most parents don't just shove stimulant meds down their kids' throats for giggles. The decision is usually made after they've exhausted the other remedies and are tired of people eyeing them from across the room and calling them bad parents because their kid is bouncing off the walls. Again.
Gimme a break.
I have a 9 yr old son that was diagnosed with severe ADHD when he was 6 i have tried several medications, and have put him on the Daytrana patch a few months ago. It seems to work well when he keeps it on, however recently he has started being very violent towards other people and i dont know what to do about it i love my boy but i am afraid he is going to seriously injure one of my other children. He does not even seem to care about hurting someone the only thing that bothers him about the pain he causes other people is whether or not he is going to get in trouble for it. I am at the ends of my rope. Please help
For those of you with questions about your specific situation, please visit Dr. Sogn's ADHD message board and post your question there. Thank you!
Dear Dr. my son has had adhd since he was 4 he is now 8 we tried addarall,concerta daytrana and none of it worked he was recently perscribed strattera its only been 2 days.Is their a reason why none of these other meds worked?Also is it bad to try almost every med? I really need a third opinion
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