Negative Effects Associated With Prescription Drugs On Children With ADHD

Our children are being killed by prescription drugs. They take medication that they don’t require for conditions that are easily treatable in another way. Adderall or Ritalin are prescribed to children with ADD/ADHD. These drugs can have dangerous side effects that can harm your child’s mental and physical health. Let’s start by defining ADD/ADHD and discussing the signs. In the article “Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Is a Serious Problem for Many Children.” by Vidya Bhushan Gupta the author explains just what it’s like to grow up with this condition with detailed stories of real children’s struggles with the condition, and what the symptoms of this condition are. We will then discuss how people treat this condition. Farhang Khosh, Deena Beena and others discuss the side effects of ADHD drugs and the dangers they pose to our children. We will also discuss some of the alternative treatments people have used to relieve ADHD symptoms. Jane Collingwood’s article “Caffeine Can Be Beneficial in ADHD Treatment” explains the advantages and disadvantages of using caffeine compared with prescription medications. The pharmaceuticals can often cause more symptoms than the actual conditions, yet doctors still act as if everything is fine. It is time to stop prescribing ADHD medications to children.

ADHD is an unprejudiced condition. It can affect anyone, no matter their race, gender, or social status. It affects children’s social behavior, attention, and impulses. This can make it difficult to diagnose, as it is often hard to distinguish between “normal”, “abnormal”, or “suspicious” behavior. ADHD is usually diagnosed in the children who are persistent and excessively disruptive (Gupta). When I was a child, my grandmother called me “Little Trucker”. My grandmother used to call me her “Little Trucker” because I was so clingy. ADHD is characterized by impulsivity, social behavior problems, and distractibility (Gupta). The person will be distracted by everything, even the smallest thing. It’s almost like their brain is constantly on alert to find something that can distract them from what they are doing. The impulsiveness of their actions can cause them to be boisterous or clumsy. They are not as good at interpreting social cues, and kids with ADHD have a hard time learning from past mistakes. They do not always follow the rules or listen to their parents (Gupta). They are also very bad at interpreting what other people think in social situations. It is difficult for me to control my behavior. My friends get upset with me when I speak out-of-turn. I can’t read people’s emotions or understand what they are saying, so it is hard for me to know what they really mean. ADHD is not a complete roadblock, but it makes it hard for children to reach their potential. Even adults can struggle with it. Drugs which slowly destroy the child into a shell. These drugs are similar to cocaine and have unpleasant symptoms that an adult would never tolerate. Ritalin is most commonly prescribed to ADHD children (Khosh, Beneda). They prescribe Ritalin because they found that children with ADHD are deficient in dopamine. Ritalin binds the molecules to allow dopamine for other functions to be used (Khosh & Beneda). This sounds good, but the medication will take you from being obnoxiously impulsive to depressive. Loss of appetite, stunted development, and emotional detachment are some of the symptoms. High doses can cause withdrawal symptoms including anger, paranoia and sleeplessness. These medications destroyed my childhood. The symptoms of Adderall and Ritalin were too much to bear. I was on edge all the time, could not sleep, ate a small amount of food at each meal and never got enough rest. It will cause stress and anxiety to the child, but also the social networks around him. These medications can cause kids to become social outcasts at school and stress their families. In a sense, the symptoms cause the child to slowly die.

What are the best ways to treat ADHD? What are the alternatives to these terrible prescription drugs? Caffeine is a popular way for people to self-medicate themselves and their kids. While excessive caffeine intake can also have negative side effects, it is clear that if consumed in moderation there are more benefits than cons. Regular people usually get a little boost from caffeine. It gets them up and going, and helps them stay awake. My personal experience and that of many others with this condition is the opposite. Coffee or tea will calm you down and help you relax. To calm myself and concentrate on driving, I would drink a cup tea before my test. Caffeine can be dangerous, too. After all, it’s still a drug. Caffeine can make you irritable, anxious, and cause insomnia. These side effects can be corrected by reducing the amount of caffeine consumed. They are also not as severe as the physical and mental stress that Ritalin or Adderall cause (Collingwood). Caffeine works on animals who have ADHD. It was found that caffeine improved performance in rats who were impulsive and had poor attention. The caffeine dose made them more successful at the tasks (Collingwood). The performance of rats who did not suffer from attention problems was very similar when caffeine was given to them versus when it was not (Collingwood). It is clear that caffeine works against attention problems in animals. Caffeine can work as an alternative for harsh medications prescribed to you by your doctor. Just make sure to use it in moderation and avoid negative effects. The caffeine should be given to children by their parents, never the other way around.

Caffeine is the best way to naturally reduce ADHD symptoms. ADHD and its medication are not to be taken lightly. Some people find it hard to manage school and social activities with this disorder. It can isolate them from their community and negatively affect their education. It is a myth that doctors invent ADHD to medicate children. This is false. It has been shown that ADHD patients do not produce as much dopamine compared to the average person. Brain scans have shown that their brain activity is different. The side effects of prescription medication are the worst, as they will further send your child down a spiral. Their peers will mock their bizarre behavior, mood changes, and stunted progress. They’ll be depressed, and will have a lack of energy. Unmedicated children are often better off than those with symptoms. There are other options to the constant cycle of bad behavior and terrible symptoms. Caffeine is one. This drug is cheap, easy to get and helps adults and children with ADHD calm themselves down and concentrate on their task. As long as caffeine is consumed in moderation, there are few negative effects. Caffeine can cause irritability and restlessness if taken in excess or too frequently. Its effectiveness can be reduced by long-term use. It’s not necessary to let the doctor prescribe Ritalin to you. There are safer alternatives to these harsh drugs that can be prescribed for children.