Help ADHD Vs Stroke

[Kygie]

Has anyone heard anything about ritalin causing strokes. My 4 year old is on Ritalin and can now function again but now my mum has just told me if anything happens to him i will be held responsible coz i am the one who allowed my son to be put on the miedication.
I am at my wits end, We have tried everything and nothing has worked til now
I so dont know what to do

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Pulling my hair out!!!!!!
:banghead:

[will&samsmum]

Hi......I don't know about the drug you are talking about but what your mother has said is absolutely rubbish and very mean. My son has a rare brain condition and complex epilepsy and is on heaps of medication....some medication can cause kidney's to fail, low bone density, teeth and gum problems and many other posibilities but he has to be on the medication. You are doing the total right thing and maybe just to put you at peace of mind you should take these concerns to your Doctor. How does your mother know this information???? Is she a Doctor, Chemist or Legal Advisor for the medical profession or is she just expressing her personal dislike for the drug???? Many people have expressed their opinions to me about William being on medication and frankly I wish he was not on it but sometimes you just have to put them on medication to help them grow and develop. I support your decision as a mum and think if you have any concerns please see a professional. You have enough worry without outside people putting thoughts of guilt into your head. Big cuddles to you and your family.

[Ana Gram]

What they are currently reporting is that around 400 adverse reactions have been found and that is dating back to 1980. So 400 adverse reations in over 20 years.... Either ignore her comments or tell her to pull her head in and keep working on her medical degree so she can comment with authority.

[Elfin]

I heard this today on John Laws so it is probably where your Mum got it from/. Think about it, is he a reliable source. He hates Ritalin, but probably never had to live with a child with ADHD. He has gone on about it before. So I don't think anything on his show is going to be very balanced.

I would talk to your Doctor and Pharmacist about your concerns. John Laws was probably talking about a couple of children that had a serious reaction to Ritalin but this can happen with anything even immunisation yet most people still get this done. I can't take what he and people on his show too seriously!!

[Chickadee]

I noticed a news article about this today. Your mum may have read the headline and not much else. I only skimmed it but my impression was that there was little need to worry unless there is a family history or other pre-existing heart-related problems.

Two news article links below. The ninemsn one is pretty thin :( The CBC one (Canadian site) is a bit more in-depth.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=62843
http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2006/03/22/adhd-warnings060322.html

[veve]

they talked about this on sunrise this morning

but there wasn't a fact sheet from this morning... I'l look again later in the week..

- there have only been 400 incidents in a LOOONG time

- there are really scary sideeffects to the most mediations including the contraceptive pill!!!! but we nearly ALL take it - with minimal dramams..

.... and as the Dr on sunrise said- even paracetamol has side effects... as long as your munchkin is MONITORED regularly by doctors... as all mediation should be... there should be minimal issues

:hugs: to you --- you are his mummy ... you KNOW what he needs...

xxx

[reAllytee]

Everything has a side effect so maybe you should warn her about that !
Life has side effects !
Seriously she needs to be told the "real" truth so either showing her the real reports or the likes would be the best thing to do.
My nephew has been on ritalin for the last 4yrs or so he is now 10yrs of age & the doctor didnt put him on this for fun & they tried many other methods before going to this alternative just as im sure you did too ! They are looking at taking him off it soon have tried in the last year but it wasnt successful so will look again at the end of this year.
Some people have no idea how hard it is to make the decision its soooo hard !
If this is whats working for you then go with it ! This isnt something that they stay on forever remember this ! This is just to help a small child function & perform to their full potential while they cant control themselves so to speak.
Please please dont get stressed over this you are doing whats right for your child !!!
Good luck :hugs:

[Kygie]

Thank you all so much
Its nice to have some positive feedback to what was such a hard decision.
Hearing about John laws was great. My nan and pop are addicted to him and apparently they rang my mum today so now I understand why she is in such a panic. I think people who are not dealing with a child like my son have no idea of the repurcussions. I hate him being on the medication but I hate the thought of him being a social outcast unable to have relationships and unable to concentrate long enough to say goodmorning to his teacher let alone learn a lesson.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR It makes us mums so bloody scared!!!!!
I know im responsible but am i responsible if i take him of the tablets and he throws a toy at my 12 month old in frustration and kills her...coz he is very violent of the meds
thanks so much for the rant and so much for the support
:)

[abo84]

I have a little cousin on the same medication for the same reason, it was really sad to see everyone getting made at him for being naughty, and his mum had the same trouble with other people saying the same thing, but she told me a few months ago, that evrything has side affects and many other people take it with out probs, but she said its worth it for her son to lead a normal happy life, not that she is happy about giving it to him, but she did try everything else she could find and it was the only thing that worked.

But just go with what you believe is best, its your son, and you only have his best interests at heart, therefore you wont do the wrong thing.:hugs:

[mumoftwoboys2005]

Hi, My DS#1 was on Ritalin for a long time for ADHD and ODD and he has just been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome and it never gave him any side-effects. He is now on a new one called Strattera (this has only been on the market for about 6 months, it's not on the PBS and costs around $140 for 28 tablets) My boy is on 2 of these tablets a day so it's costing me a fortune and I can't get anything back. :mad:

Remember, you are his Mum and you know what's best for him. If you can see a change in his behaviour when he has his medication, then so be it. Tell everyone else to mind their own business and when they think they have a better solution, you will be quite willing to hear it. Like others have said, it is only if he has a pre-existing condition that these medications are likely to cause any problems.

:hugs: :hugs: to you. You are doing a great job.

[mumof03]

Thank you all so much
Its nice to have some positive feedback to what was such a hard decision.
Hearing about John laws was great. My nan and pop are addicted to him and apparently they rang my mum today so now I understand why she is in such a panic. I think people who are not dealing with a child like my son have no idea of the repurcussions. I hate him being on the medication but I hate the thought of him being a social outcast unable to have relationships and unable to concentrate long enough to say goodmorning to his teacher let alone learn a lesson.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR It makes us mums so bloody scared!!!!!
I know im responsible but am i responsible if i take him of the tablets and he throws a toy at my 12 month old in frustration and kills her...coz he is very violent of the meds
thanks so much for the rant and so much for the support
:)


Kygie, there is light at the end of the tunnel. My son was diagnosed with ADD/ODD at 6 years. He spent 4 years on Ritalin. The older he got, the more medication he needed. I hated him being on such a strong drug, but it was the only thing that seemed to work and allow him an education. When he was 10 I did a lot of research into other ways I could help, so I could get him off the drug. It worked. He has now been off medication for nearly 3 years, and is doing. Most children who develop ADD, ADHD, ODD etc will grow out of it with help. Only a small percentage continue with it into adulthood, usually those who have not been treated for it as a child.

As I said, I have researched the illness and other ways to help treat it, at great lenth, so if you would like any information on how I treated my son, just pm me. It is too long to go into detail via these posts.

[mumof03]

Hi, My DS#1 was on Ritalin for a long time for ADHD and ODD and he has just been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome and it never gave him any side-effects. He is now on a new one called Strattera (this has only been on the market for about 6 months, it's not on the PBS and costs around $140 for 28 tablets) My boy is on 2 of these tablets a day so it's costing me a fortune and I can't get anything back. :mad:

Remember, you are his Mum and you know what's best for him. If you can see a change in his behaviour when he has his medication, then so be it. Tell everyone else to mind their own business and when they think they have a better solution, you will be quite willing to hear it. Like others have said, it is only if he has a pre-existing condition that these medications are likely to cause any problems.

:hugs: :hugs: to you. You are doing a great job.

Mumoftwoboys, my little brother has been diagnosed with aspergers also. He has been on medication for about 2-3 years now. My mum pays about $140 also, but that is for 4 months worth of tablets. He is on 1 tablet per day. 1/2 morning and night. She spent about 5 years trying to get him diagnosed and I watched the struggle she had with him, so I know exactly what you go through.

May I ask, does your son show any interest in Maths? I ask because people with aspergers syndrome are usually math wiz's. My little brother for example. If you tell him the year of your birth, he can tell in a split second exactly how old you are. It is amazing.

There are also a lot of schools who will give extra "special" classes to kids with special abilities. My brother does his normal Maths work for each class within a few minutes, so he is set extra "special" work for him to do in Math class so it keeps him mind stimulated. He is now in grade 8, but he is doing year 12 maths.

Sorry for getting off topic, I just wanted to share some information, on a subject that is not very well known.

[jessgray]

my 2 younger sisters both have ADD and were on Ritalin and they had no problems at all. i know many people my age with ADD and ADHD and they are on ritalin and they havent had a stroke its the first i had heard of it being linked to strokes. maybe let your mum look after your DS when he is off ritalin :laughing:

[M O P]

I was watching on Media Watch or a similar show that the study all the news was reporting that the medication causes strokes was quiet dodgey anyway.
It wasn't undertaken by a medical group or scientific team but by a church group in the US who are totally against the medication. It was quiet biased and really not that accurate.
The story I watched was saying why weren't responsible news programs reporting that with the headlines.

[Maghan]

Two of my kids take Dexamphetamine (the other ADD medication aside from Ritalin) and Straterra and although there are reported side effects, we haven't seen any, except for the bad teeth. Because Dex reduces the amount of saliva they produce it weakens the body's ability to fight decay.

I would much rather take the chance with this medication, than have them grow up with no social skills, having learnt nothing at school only to be a burden on society.