Long-Term Ritalin Use May Change Brain

The December 2003 issue of Biological Psychiatry reports on three animal studies that show long-term use of Ritalin may cause negative changes in brain response and behavior.

Ritalin is the drug of choice for the treatment of the dubious condition known as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

The first of the three studies found that low doses of Ritalin in rats caused changes in brain cells that made them more sensitive to the effects of cocaine (Ritalin and cocaine are similar in structure and action). The second study found that pre-adolescent rats given Ritalin increased behaviors that could indicate depression once they reached adulthood.

The final study found that adult rats given Ritalin as pre-adolescents were more sensitive to stressful situations and less responsive to natural rewards, such as those derived from sugar and sex. They also showed increased anxiety behaviors and elevated blood levels of stress hormones.

Dr. Daniel L. Coury of Columbus Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio says that children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a higher risk for serious injury. The researchers reviewed 8 years of injury data on more than 61,000 children ages 3 to 17 and found that those with ADHD were nearly 80% more likely to be involved in a serious accident resulting in hospitalization for trauma.

While the debate over the disorder`s epidemic status rages, some long-term data on whether the drugs are actually helping ADHD children, however, have begun to trickle in. A study by William Fankenberger and Christine Cannon at the Human Development Center at the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire published in 1999 found that 13 ADHD children on medication performed progressively worse over 4 years on standardized tests when compared with a group of 13 normal children with similar IQs and other characteristics. 

EVERYONE HAS ADD
Getting your body to function at its maximum potential, is the best way to express your true health and function.

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Children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a higher
risk for serious injury. The researchers reviewed 8 years of injury data on
more than 61,000 children ages 3 to 17 and found that those with ADHD
were nearly 80% more likely to be involved in a serious accident resulting in hospitalization for trauma.

While the debate over the disorder's epidemic status rages, some long-term
data on whether the drugs are actually helping ADHD children, however, have begun to trickle in. A study by William Fankenberger and Christine Cannon at
the Human Development Center at the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire published in 1999 found that 13 ADHD children on medication performed progressively worse over 4 years on standardized tests when compared with
a group of 13 normal children with similar IQs and other characteristics.

Source: Dr. Daniel L. Coury of Columbus Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

EVERYONE HAS ADD

Getting your body to function at its maximum potential, is the best way to
express your true health and function.

Children with ADHD and coordination problems were more than twice as likely
to have a mother who smoked during gestation, compared with children who
did not have ADHD. Many subjects with ADHD also experienced language
problems (65% compared to 16% of children without the disorder). The study evaluated 113 6-year olds, including 62 who had been diagnosed with ADHD
plus deficits in motor control and perception.

Source: Landgren M, Kjellman B, Gillberg C. Attention deficit disorder with developmental coordination disorders. Arch Dis Child 1998; 79(3):207-12
/ Medline ID: 99092173

The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological and Therapeutics
1989; 12:353-363. In a study done by J. Martin Giesen PHD., David B
Center, PHD., and Robert A. Leach, DC., it was stated that,"…the
majority of the children in this study did, in fact, improve under specific chiropractic care. The results… suggest that chiropractic manipulation
has the potential to become an important non-drug intervention for
children with hyperactivity.

What Is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?

ADHD is a disorder characterized by three behaviors:

You may see one or more of these behaviors. It is not necessary to have
all three to have ADHD: e.g., one does not have to be hyperactive. http://www.kidsource.com/LDA/adhd.html

RITALIN RESEARCH

Source: Today's Chiropractic, March/April 1997, by Eric H. Plasker, D.C.

Researchers Locate Key Area of the Brain Impacted by ADHD; Use
New MRI Technique to Measure Ritalin's Effect

The McLean study involved six healthy boys with no history of ADHD or
psychiatric disorders, and 11 boys diagnosed with ADHD according to the
standard DSM-IV criteria. All 17 boys also were given a computer test that
uses an infrared motion analysis system to objectively measure activity,
movement and attention. Six of the 11 boys…were also confirmed to be hyperactive by the objective computer test.

Martin Teicher, MD, PhD. said, "It (this study) also shows that Ritalin may
not be effective for all children diagnosed with ADHD using only DSM-IV
criteria."

According to Peter R. Breggin, M.D., director of the international Center
for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology and associate faculty at The
Johns Hopkins University Department of Counseling, "Ritalin does not correct biochemical imbalances - it causes them."

Source: The Chiropractic Journal - February 2000

Controversy surrounds the medical treatment, indeed the very
existence, of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).