If you are a parent of a child with ADHD, you may or may not know that the Canadian government in 2006 withdrew the ADHD drug called Adderall from the market. It is no longer prescribed in Canada because of concerns about Adderall side effects. Why? Simply because this drug was linked to the cause of 20 sudden deaths. There were also twelve strokes - even among children ! This means that that Adderall side effects cannot be taken lightly!
Well, do I need to go on? I will, because Adderall is still prescribed very extensively in many other countries, including the USA. I know one kid who was on this drug from 7- 12 grade and he suffered a lot from Adderall side effects. He first reported that he felt the blood pumping through his veins and was disturbed by this. You can imagine his horror when he discovered as an adult that he started to have heart problems - 220 heart beats a minute for brief periods. When he heard about the Canadian government's decision to ban Adderall because of the deaths from heart attacks, he is convinced that this is just one of the long term effects of Adderall which has led to his heart condition.
If you look at the warnings on the Adderall drug packets, you will be pleased to hear that Adderall is an amphetamine and there is a 'high potential for abuse ' - their words, not mine! Taking this drug over a long period of time may lead to drug dependency so are you OK with that? Another ingredient in this cocktail is dextroamphetamine, another type of amphetamine which is why these drugs sell very well on the school parking lot drug market. They are known as 'dexies'.
Adderall is basically a psychostimulant which acts on the central nervous system and as such will affect the chemicals in the brain which affect how we behave - it is for this reason that hyperactivity, restlessness and impulsivity will all be better controlled when a child is on Adderall.
As regards the long term effects of Adderall, little is known. Certainly stunted growth is one of them and this added to the fact that ADHD children are at risk anyhow of underdevelopment, this is certainly not going to help them
We have seen that Adderall side effects are very serious and there are quite a few of them although of course these side effects will be minimized by the drug companies. But why take the risk? We need to find ADHD medication which is free of side effects and will not be addictive and will help our kids to cope. The long term effects of Adderall are not even known so we can do our children a favour by choosing an ADHD natural cure which is neither dangerous nor addictive.
Robert Locke is a Health enthusiast who specializes in Children's Health. He has written extensively on ADHD.
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