Comments on: Is Ritalin good for you? New study says, Yes. http://www.edgefoundation.org/blog/2008/10/07/is-ritalin-good-for-you-new-study-says-yes/ Coaching for Students with ADHD Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:15:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Sarah Wright http://www.edgefoundation.org/blog/2008/10/07/is-ritalin-good-for-you-new-study-says-yes/comment-page-1/#comment-63 Sarah Wright Thu, 12 Feb 2009 04:26:40 +0000 http://www.edgefoundation.org/blog/?p=54#comment-63 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. 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.

]]> By: T Bradley http://www.edgefoundation.org/blog/2008/10/07/is-ritalin-good-for-you-new-study-says-yes/comment-page-1/#comment-62 T Bradley Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:00:31 +0000 http://www.edgefoundation.org/blog/?p=54#comment-62 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. 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.

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