A new study released by Massachusettes General Hospital shows that girls taking stimulants to treat their ADHD are signficantly less at risk to start smoking, drinking alcohol or using drugs than girls with ADHD who don’t.
This study is one more in a series that show ADHD stimulants are not only effective at treating the symptoms of ADHD, but they have powerful, positive health benefits.
For more read: http://budurl.com/gcfq (Reuters) or http://budurl.com/xt45 (US News and World Report)
This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and by the Lilly Foundation. When you see a drug company listed as a funder of a study like this are you skeptical that it’s totally true? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Please leave a comment!
T Bradley responded on 16 Dec 2008 at 5:00 pm #
This takes a lot of nerve to post such a lie about this drug called Ritalin!
Ritalin is not good for you at any age. It is a drug that the department of education likes to push to keep a large percent of the children in line. Ritalin has caused the Death of many children and adults. What a joke that you would post this “study” up like this ADHD is something that is only diagnosed by observation and has no real scientific chemical method to prove its presence.
Sarah Wright responded on 11 Feb 2009 at 8:26 pm #
It is important to be cautious about any drug we put in our bodies as there isn’t a single drug in our pharmacopeia that doesn’t have some side effect. Even Aspirin and Tylenol, considered so very safe and used by millions for decades, can, when taken inappropriately, cause significant health problems, even death.
It is really sad that Ritalin is such a controversial drug. The truth is that Ritalin (a brand name for a drug called methylphenidate) has been used for decades by doctors to treat ADHD. It is one of the most studied drugs available. There is an abundance of really good science that demonstrates it does help with the symptoms of ADHD and that it is in fact very safe. But it is not a perfect drug. There is no such thing. Like any drug, you need to talk with your doctor about the benefits and possible side effects and decide for yourself (or for your child) if you want to try it.
And, although I am in no way endorsing medication, it is important to consider that untreated ADHD has its own set of consequences. It may be perfectly natural to have ADHD, it is after all a commonly occurring condition, but it is not a benign condition. Research lets us know that statistically people with ADHD are at greater risk for a whole host of problems including significant anxiety and depression, doing poorly in school, having more frequent and more serious accidents, marital problems, job problems, etc.
Whether someone chooses to try medication or not is a personal decision. The one thing I hope people don’t do is make the decision based on rumor and bad science.
Steve Dunkleberger responded on 13 Jun 2010 at 10:15 pm #
Another Good blog post, I will bookmark this post in my Newsvine account. Have a awesome day.