The MTA Study

As parents, we want our children to navigate through the teen years without abusing alcohol or drugs. Many are concerned that children with ADHD who take stimulant medications such as Ritalin might be predisposed to drug abuse later. A study published in the August 1999 online edition of Pediatrics turned this concern upside down. Children with ADHD who were not treated with stimulants such as Ritalin were three times more likely to abuse alcohol and other drugs as teenagers than similar children who had been treated!

Methylphenidate is a medication prescribed for individuals (usually children) who have an abnormally high level of activity or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 3 to 5 percent of the general population has the disorder, which is characterized by agitated behavior and an inability to focus on tasks. Methylphenidate also is occasionally prescribed for treating narcolepsy.

Health Effects
Methylphenidate is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant. It has effects similar to, but more potent than, caffeine and less potent than amphetamines. It has a notably calming effect on hyperactive children and a “focusing” effect on those with ADHD.

Recent research1 at Brookhaven National Laboratory may begin to explain how methylphenidate helps people with ADHD. The researchers used positron emission tomography (PET - a noninvasive brain scan) to confirm that administering normal therapeutic doses of methylphenidate to healthy, adult men increased their dopamine levels. The researchers speculate that methylphenidate amplifies the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter, thereby improving attention and focus in individuals who have dopamine signals that are weak, such as individuals with ADHD.

When taken as prescribed, methylphenidate is a valuable medicine. Research shows that people with ADHD do not become addicted to stimulant medications when taken in the form prescribed and at treatment dosages.2 Another study found that ADHD boys treated with stimulants such as methylphenidate are significantly less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol when they are older than are non-treated ADHD boys.3

[size=24][/size]HELLO? AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS THE DEFINITION OF THE WORD ABUSE?[size=12][/size]

I know I’m not the only one who has read all this research.
I know I’m not the only one who knows the participants of the studies these people are siting given near 10 time the amount of ritalin even the worst case of ADHD needs!
I know I’m not the only one who knows the differnce between theraputic levels and abusive levels.

Dinner time, I’ll pop in after bedtime stories!

Hugs!

Rebel Mom In one of your previous post you said 4-12 percent on children were ADHD now you are saying 4-5 percent.

Instead of attacking me why not just disprove the fact I present. I am not afraid to be proven wrong but I really question your valididty.

I personally think that stimulants have their place my only problem is that they are being too widely prescribed.

There is no need to get personal and attack me but that seems to be what you are here for. If you are really sincere than I appologize but so far you actions and patterns are quite trollish.

If I may appeal to your sense of decency and ask you to remember this: This forum is for parents and their various problems they are having with their children schools ect… At least tone it down if you are for real and wait a few minute before you start typing. If you are what I suspect you to be kindly go away and troll some KKK group and leave these folks alone. Please!

[color=red]YET MORE TRUTH[/color]
Treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with Ritalin and other stimulant medications may help protect children against substance abuse in later life, researchers report.
“While some clinicians have expressed concern about giving stimulants to children with ADHD because they fear it might increase the risk that these children will abuse stimulants and other drugs when they get older, this study shows exactly the opposite,” explained Dr. Alan Leshner, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which helped fund the study. The report is published in the August issue of Pediatrics.

Experts estimate that between 3% to 5% of children are affected by ADHD, which is characterized by a short attention span and excessive fidgeting. Treatment with Ritalin or other medications can reduce children’s symptoms, resulting in improvements in grades as well as interpersonal relationships.

Some experts have expressed concern, however, that use of ADHD stimulants might encourage later substance abuse. In their investigation, Dr. Joseph Biederman and colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, compared rates of drug and/or alcohol use among three groups of boys over 15 years of age. One group of 56 boys had undergone ADHD drug therapy for at least 4 years, a second group of 19 boys were diagnosed with the disorder but had never received medication, and a third group of 137 boys were unaffected by ADHD.

According to the researchers, children who received Ritalin or other drugs to control ADHD symptoms were at an 85% lower risk of substance abuse compared with ADHD children who went without medication.

These results mirror previous findings from studies conducted in adults. Those studies found that adults receiving drug therapy for ADHD symptoms had lower rates of substance abuse compared with their untreated peers.

The results of the Boston study “have extraordinary public health implications and should reassure the families of children receiving these therapies,” said Biederman in a statement from Massachusetts General Hospital. He speculated that “children with ADHD who are medically treated will have fewer problems resulting from their disorder and more successful lives, probably giving them fewer reasons to experiment with substance abuse.”

Biederman and his colleagues caution, however, that only a large, follow-up study that includes a diverse patient population can confirm these early findings.

SOURCE: Pediatrics 1999;104. Article appeared on Yahoo Daily News

Several other studies have been conducted. Results continue to indicate that stimulant therapy is associated with a reduced risk of substance abuse problems. Research Review Report. [size=18][/size][color=red][/color]

Carrie, I didn’t see Rebelmom attacking you personally. All I saw was her posting researched information that DID contradict your post. If anyone was attacking anyone, it is you for even suggesting that the parents here don’t spend enough time nor care about their children.

:roll:

You are personally attacking rebelmom by describing her as trollish and
and telling her to troll some KKK group. Maybe, you should go and preach to those KKK group.

Just because someone else was able to refute your postings does not give you the right to insult them. Like you said, this board is for parents that need help. I don’t see you helping but just scaring.

Give us a break, we see right through you.

Thanks Mayleng. And Carrie, I want to thank you for giving me all these opportunities to share to the readers the truth. Without lies to compare them to, truth cannot be fully appreciated.

Try this one on for size, Carrie my boy;

Stimulant-Drug Abuse in Schools
Overstated, Study Says

By Lisa Fine

With a spike in the use of stimulant drugs to treat children with attention disorders in recent years, many principals and teachers have feared that abuse of such drugs at schools would become widespread. Students’ sales of their prescription pills and thefts of such drugs by other students have been concerns for some schools.

But the first federal survey to look at the prevalence of abuse of stimulant drugs in schools—primarily methylphenidate, known commonly under the brand name Ritalin, used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder—paints a less worrisome picture.
Middle school and high school principals around the country report having seen few instances of theft or abuse of stimulant drugs used to treat attention disorders, according to the report last month by the investigative arm of Congress. Most schools have procedures for storing and distributing such pills to minimize the risk of drug theft, the General Accounting Office says. (“Thefts of Drugs Prompt Schools to Tighten Up,” March 28, 2001.)

The Sept. 14 report says that 8 percent of principals surveyed said that stimulant drugs were abused or stolen at their schools in the 2000-01 school year. Most of those principals said they only knew of one incident at their schools.

The survey shows that administrators have taken measures to ensure security in how the medicines are stored and distributed. Medications are kept locked in 96 percent of the schools, and students are observed while taking their medications. Almost 90 percent of the principals responding reported that their schools receive state or local guidance on the administration of drugs.

An average of 2 percent of students are administered attention-disorder medications, the survey found.

Advocates for children with ADHD said they were pleased the report showed that the drugs were being handled responsibly.

“It reassures parents and caregivers that stimulant medications are completely safe when appropriately administered,” said E. Clarke Ross, the chief executive officer of the group Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, based in Landover, Md. “It undermines the alarmist scare tactics used by fringe groups who consistently ignore the science-based, evidence-based practices used to treat ADHD,” Mr. Ross argued

Carrie, this is a personal attack and you brought it on yourself. Everyone knows that you are the latest reincarnation from the Ball Theatrical Club. You might just as well switch your username now because your are about to be escorted off the stage yet again! Terry

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