A very timely change of mind by one FDA staffer may have prompted an advisory panel to unanimously approve the first drug "treatment" -- in the form of a patch -- for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) last Friday.A FDA staff review released a day ahead of the advisory panel meeting said the methylphenidate transdermal system (MTS) prescribed for children ages 6-12 still had too many side effects, among them skin irritations and involuntary muscle spasms. Staffers were also concerned children might also share the patch with their classmates.
Twenty-four hours obviously made a big difference to FDA reviewer Dr. Robert Levin, who reversed his opinion about the patch the very next day, now saying the drug was safe enough to approve. In fact, the shift by the FDA researcher even surprised one of the drugmakers that developed the patch.
With all the problems associated with taking ADHD drugs -- among them liver damage and cancer -- why would anyone ever consider exposing their child to all those side effects and risks for the sake of convenience, especially when there are better, safer treatments like these:
Replace sugary soft drinks, milk and fruit drinks with clean water.
Rebalance their intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fats by giving them a high quality fish or cod liver oil daily.
Limit, with the plan of eliminating, grains and sugars from their daily diet.
Yahoo News December 1, 2005
CBS News December 2, 2005
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