 News
30th July 2007
GPs prescribing ritalin to babies
Thousands of children are being prescribed unnecessary powerful drugs
for hyperactivity.
Almost 400,000 youngsters aged between five and 19 are being treated
with Ritalin and similar drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,
or ADHD, and research suggests that some GPs are even prescribing the
drug to children under a year old.
Official guidelines recommend drug treatment only for the most severely
affected children but despite this, and concerns over the drug's safety,
NHS spending on stimulant drugs such as Ritalin has trebled in the last
five years alone.
A formal diagnosis of ADHD should take several hours but many GPs are
prescribing it after brief consultations, despite the risks of side effects
such as cardiovascular disorders, hallucinations and even suicidal thoughts.
At least nine deaths have been reported to the UK's Medicines and Healthcare
Products Regulatory Agency since Ritalin became available in the early
1990s.
Shadow Commons leader Theresa May is calling for NHS bosses to tighten
the guidelines on precribing the drugs.
She said, "They are powerful prescription drugs and we don't know what
their long-term effects are. Despite this, they are being given to children
before they are a year old.
"I have no doubt that there are children in the UK with ADHD who will
benefit from Ritalin.
"But the increase of prescriptions raises questions in my mind as to
whether it is being prescribed properly in each and every case."
The research comes after a report by the University of California showed
the use of ADHD drugs has tripled worldwide since 1993.
Theresa May added, "More research should be done into the effectiveness
of non-drug treatment and natural remedies to treat ADHD."
But Andrea Bilbow, chief executive of ADHD charity Addiss, dismissed
the research as "misleading" and claimed that the disorder was still "under-diagnosed
and underprescribed".
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