Posted by JohnL on October 2, 2000, at 4:13:12
In reply to Side Effects of Adderall, posted by Wanda on September 27, 2000, at 8:43:45
> My 12yr. son is taking 20mg. of Adderall in the morning for about 1 month, he has started to sniffle constantly & excessive eye blinking. He hardly eats therefore he drinks Ensure for nutrition. Is this normal? will these side effects dissapear????
> Thanks!
Wanda,
I don't know anything about your son, the diagnosis, his condition, the doctor, or anything. So I could be way off base. Forgive me if I am.I feel children are excessively overprescribed with stimulants, and adults are excessively underprescribed. It is just my opinion, but I believe 90% of children taking stimulants really don't need them. 10% of treated children probably really do need them.
If Adderall is doing these weird things, that indicates to me that it is off-target in correcting whatever chemical imbalance exists (IF one exists). Trying another option like Ritalin might be worth comparing.
Next time you're in your child's classroom, take a look around. Notice all the posters on the wall, clutter, and all kinds of distracting things. Twenty years ago classroom walls were bare. It was a desk, some chairs, a blackboard, and nothing else. These days there are tons and tons of distractions, and then we wonder why our children can't concentrate.
Same thing at home. In the old days we had an antennae television with three channels to choose from, maybe a radio, and the yard/neighborhood. These days look at all the things bombarding children. CD Walkmans, computer games, high tech this, high tech that, 60 channels on a TV right from the couch, on and on. I don't know. Like I said, I think too many children are overdiagnosed and overprescribed. In most cases it's the environment and a normal phase of maturing that's involved, not a chemical imbalance requiring stimulants that are, in all reality, close relatives of cocaine.
If your son truly has a chemical imbalance and is in serious need of medication, then comparing different alternatives would be wise. Just so you can discover which is the best for him. But if that's not the case, I think making some lifestyle adjustments and being patient and encouraging with the growing-up process is a better way to go. I wish more adults instead of children were prescribed stimulants. Stimulants help overcome brain deterioration due to age or abuse. Children's brains are generally golden compared to adult brains. Many people having difficulty with depression would be far better off if a stimulant was part of their overall pharmacotherapy. They work well with antidepressants generally, often far better than an antidepressant alone. That's because, like I said, they overcome aging deficiencies. But a child's brain? I don't know. I would be asking a lot of questions if I were you. Just because it's common and everybody does it doesn't mean it's valid. It's only that way in the USA. Nowhere else in the world.
John
poster:JohnL
thread:45349
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000926/msgs/45631.html