ADHD Drug Warnings Come Too Late For Many

It hard to imagine how sales could go higher. In 2005, according to Research and Markets, the value of the ADHD market was $2.6 billion and is now the 9th largest segment of the CNS market by sales with growth of 8% year-on-year.

Attorney, Barry Turner, a lecturer in law and medical ethics at Leeds Law School in the UK, warns about of dangers of "pathologising" children's behavior. He says psychiatric drugs have a disinhibitory effect on children and those who grow up disinhibited become psychopathic.

"Psychopaths," he explains, "are unable to benefit from guilt, fear or empathy and pray on victims without inhibition."

“ADHD drugs are creating a generation of psychopaths,” he warns, “not because it is real, but because children are being brainwashed into believing they are sick."

"It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy,” Mr Turner says.

By disrupting the brain development of small children, he explains, drug makers are manufacturing a small army of “artificial psychopaths.”

When testifying at the hearing, FDA scientist, Dr Mosholder, told the advisors what all parents deserve to know. "There are no pathognomonic physical or laboratory findings," he said, "and there is no psychological testing that can make the diagnosis for certain."

The panel was informed that children are being stigmatized for life by being wrongfully diagnosed and put on drugs. Sue Parry, a school-based occupational therapist from New Mexico, testified that parents are not aware of the future harm that may result from an ADHD diagnosis, as described by Dr William Carey who states:

“The label may be stigmatizing and harmful in the long term in ways that are only dimply appreciated today. The diagnosis of brain malfunction, which seems so useful and comforting today, may at a later time come back to plague the person.

“We have not yet had sufficient time to observe fully the possible consequences it may have for education opportunities, employment, the military service or security clearances. Labels stick firmly, especially when they involve neurological disability.”

Allen Jones, speaking on behalf of the Alliance for Human Research Protection, told the advisors that the FDA should instruct the pharmaceutical industry to advise the FDA of all adverse events that have been reported on the drugs immediately, and demand that all clinical trials be turned over so that independent researchers can review them.

"We don't have the luxury of time to wait for the future trials," he said, “children are dying.”

Having lost her son to the side effects of Zyprexa before a warning was added to its label, Ellen Liversridge, testified on behalf of parents who lost children. “I grieve particularly today,” she said, “for the 51 dead of ADHD drugs that were announced by the FDA.”

“I guess my up-front message, front and center,” she told the panel, “is that you know that these drugs can cause serious side effects and death, including sudden death, hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, and possibly bipolar disorder.”

“This being the case,” she stated, “I urge you to recommend that these drugs have an appropriate black box warning placed on the label starting immediately.”

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