Pros, Cons From Ritalin in Preschoolers

Is it safe to give preschoolers Ritalin, the popular attention deficit disorder drug? The first long-term government study of that age group warns of side effects with the stimulant drug, which isn't ...

[herown]

WTF?

Why not just quit having children and buy dolls? They sit quietly enough.

[glenski1978]

Is it safe for children to be using ritalin at all? I think pumping them with street methamphetamines is a better idea, honestly. What a shame that children have to spend their lives drugged because those that supposedly love them cannot take the time to deal with them. If you are going to take the time to make the children, raise them, teach them, you should take the resposibility to discipline them instead of gagging their behavior with drugs. I just wonder when people find out that ritalin causes heart problems or some other disease, who should be sued first. I tend to think it should be the parents for looking for easy answers to raise their kids.

[aLifeUncommon]

I did not believe in ADD or ADHD for a very very long time. I always thought of it as a socially created disease. A child gets a little difficult to handle (which children often do) it's easier for our society to just give them a magic pill to make it all better with little to no effort.

Research is being done proving my thoughts wrong. But, I had many tell me my daughter was ADD as a small child. I NEVER put her on medication.
No matter how tired I was upon returning from work, I played with her, read to her, colored with her. Even when I was exhausted.

She's 14 now. She's having some issues. Instead of letting a primary physician say she's ADD or BiPolar or something, I brought her to a psychiatrist. She is on a very low dose antidepressant but it's temporary. She's now in counseling to deal with her inadequate coping skills. I have to get out of work early to take her to the doctor/counselor. So what, that's what being a parent is about.
Take the time, spend the money, take care of your kids.

Doping them up is never an excuse for a babysitter.
Now please don't take this to mean I discount the true cases out there. I know there are children who DO need this. But I feel more and more parents take this "easy way out" instead of getting down to the real root of the problem.

[Robin]

aLifeUncommon wrote:

I did not believe in ADD or ADHD for a very very long time. I always thought of it as a socially created disease. A child gets a little difficult to handle (which children often do) it's easier for our society to just give them a magic pill to make it all better with little to no effort.
Research is being done proving my thoughts wrong. But, I had many tell me my daughter was ADD as a small child. I NEVER put her on medication.
No matter how tired I was upon returning from work, I played with her, read to her, colored with her. Even when I was exhausted.
She's 14 now. She's having some issues. Instead of letting a primary physician say she's ADD or BiPolar or something, I brought her to a psychiatrist. She is on a very low dose antidepressant but it's temporary. She's now in counseling to deal with her inadequate coping skills. I have to get out of work early to take her to the doctor/counselor. So what, that's what being a parent is about.
Take the time, spend the money, take care of your kids.
Doping them up is never an excuse for a babysitter.
Now please don't take this to mean I discount the true cases out there. I know there are children who DO need this. But I feel more and more parents take this "easy way out" instead of getting down to the real root of the problem.

I wish more parents did it like you did. I have a cousin who put her son on Ritalin and it's so sad to see him when he's "doped" up. He just sits there. It's almost like he is in a trance. I agree that parents are taking the "easy way out".

[aLifeUncommon]

Robin wrote:

<quoted text>I wish more parents did it like you did. I have a cousin who put her son on Ritalin and it's so sad to see him when he's "doped" up. He just sits there. It's almost like he is in a trance. I agree that parents are taking the "easy way out".

LOL I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me!
Thanks! hahaha
Have a good weekend.

[Yada]

Rules of thumb about ADHD diagnois and treatment.
Always read the package insert before getting the drug and see if you want some of those side effects and adverse reactions for your child.'Tis amazing how people blithely give their child these drugs unaware that these prescriptions are in the same class witht he same effects as street stimulants such as meth, cocain, crack, OTC speeds.

Always assume 'tis another diagnosis you're looking at evolving in your child. When there is mental illness in your family, maternal or paternal sides, think genetic anticipation, hence an early appearance of it in your child. Then go for that which treats the most likely illness based on family history because in all likelihood your child has that and not ADHD.

First appearance of insomnia in your child, stop the stimulants. Do not add antidepressants to it. The child will become more thought disordered and psychotic if you do. A child cannot explain what that experience is like apart from behaviour dyscontrol. There are more rules but my hand is tired.

[glenski1978]

Yada wrote:

Rules of thumb about ADHD diagnois and treatment.
Always read the package insert before getting the drug and see if you want some of those side effects and adverse reactions for your child.'Tis amazing how people blithely give their child these drugs unaware that these prescriptions are in the same class witht he same effects as street stimulants such as meth, cocain, crack, OTC speeds.
Always assume 'tis another diagnosis you're looking at evolving in your child. When there is mental illness in your family, maternal or paternal sides, think genetic anticipation, hence an early appearance of it in your child. Then go for that which treats the most likely illness based on family history because in all likelihood your child has that and not ADHD.
First appearance of insomnia in your child, stop the stimulants. Do not add antidepressants to it. The child will become more thought disordered and psychotic if you do. A child cannot explain what that experience is like apart from behaviour dyscontrol. There are more rules but my hand is tired.

Rule of thumb number one. Become a better parent and stop being so career-oriented, and I'll guarantee you that drugs are necessary, at all.

[It Aint Right]

So very scary. Thousands of stupid forums out here getting dozens, hundreds of posts per day, for months on end, and I find tonight several about a most serious and important issue, ADHD and the drugs for it, that get maybe half a dozen posts and then no more. OMG. Are all you parents with kids on Ritalin out there posting on NASCAR forums instead because they're more interesting??? Get back here and learn something about this issue!

[It Aint Right]

Addressing here the parents of children you have put on Ritalin and other such medications. Me, I am a self-professed major opponent of pharmaceuticals. That's my problem when it comes to taking care of myself. Same with you adults. You can make decisions for yourselves and enjoy, or suffer, the consequences. But when it comes to the children, you need to be much more discriminating. Before putting your child on these drug, did you first try adjusting their diet? Changing their home environment and routines? Removing the televisions and PlayStations from their bedrooms? Get them involved in after-school activities instead of parking them in front of the television?

[It Aint Right]

Did you first get a second, third, fourth opinion before putting your child on these drugs? Physicians have an interest in the pharmaceutical industry, you know. It behoove them to prescribe these meds. Have you first done research about diet and physiological requirements or how keeping your child engaged in numerous activities might be all that is needed? Is it so important to you that they be calmed with drugs so you do not have to actually parent the child so you can park your self on the couch to watch your movie pic for the evening?

[It Aint Right]

Of your drugged children, how many have a diet high in carbs and sugar? Tons of taters and Mac'n'Cheese and condensed soup over rice and Ramen Noodles? Hello! High carbs and sugars there! It is a fact that children who suffer seizures that are put on a no-carb diet stop having seizures. Do you know that carbs are converted to sugars by the body? Do you even know what carbs are? The DIET is one primary problem with the children who suffer "ADD" problems.

[It Aint Right]

Most of these "ADD" problems in children are NOT inherently physiological or gentic. Most of them are dietary and environmental. One of my coworkers whine incessantly about his toddler girl not sleeping through the night. Guess what's in her bottle when they put her down for the night... chocolate milk! Caffeine and sugar! Hello! His response: "That's all she'll take." Well, who is the parent here? Incidentally, all FOUR of his children are are Ritalin, and they can't get them to eat anything but Ramen Noodles and Spaghettios (all carb and sugar!). Is this a physiological problem or a parental/environmental problem?

[It Aint Right]

Get the carbs and sugars out of their diet (LEARN what are carbs), get the televisions and Playstations out of their rooms (where you send them when they are being punished?), and get your own self off the dang couch at night and spend it helping them with their homework and reading to them!

[It Aint Right]

Dont' even get me started on the antidepressants!

[It Aint Right]

Of course I do know that there are some physicological conditions that cause ADD. I'm just saying that I believe it's probably dietary and environmental in most cases.

[Leslie]

Yep. Seeing here how important this topic is to you all. Uh huh.

[aLifeUncommon]

Leslie wrote:

Yep. Seeing here how important this topic is to you all. Uh huh.

Many topics are important. But occassionally you get a user who likes to post repeatedly instead of making their poits short and simple and therefore not putting readers to sleep!

[Leslie]

And as my repeated posts attest, this is not an important topic or there would be a ton of concerned parents out here. Easier to delete the bookmark and keep the kids on the drugs. Point made.

[Stacey]

herown wrote:

WTF?
Why not just quit having children and buy dolls? They sit quietly enough.

For God's sake, people are giving pre-schoolers Ritalin? What a bunch of fucked up nuts in this country.

[exiled]

I am saddened to know that even preschoolers are now expected to take their meds, as their older siblings are doing in elementary and middle schools nationwide. I think, sometimes, women who don't know how to deal with the normal fidgetiness and destructiveness of boys find their behavior frightening enough to call for drugs.

When kids had free time to run, play, climb, there were fewer of these problems. Now they need federally approved playground equipment and certified gym teachers if they want to do anything outside. No wonder they are antsy. They are cooped up way too much.

Also, I think having kids in small herds is not the best. A preschooler probably needs a mom and 1-3 friends at a time, not a class full of other uncivilized beings to socialize them.