OH NO! THE RITALIN DEBATE HOTS UP ..........AGAIN!

jelibean · Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 1:47 am Post subject:

Today folks I woke up to the news that Ritalin has yet again be dammned! The UK is full of it today. Apparently NICE have made some scary findings public and now Ritalin is the subject on everyones agenda!
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/09/24/adhd-guide.html

Parents of children with ADHD should be trained to help their children cope, and Ritalin should only be prescribed as a last resort, a health watchdog in Britain said Wednesday.

The drug shouldn't be used in children under five, and should be prescribed for older children only when they have severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence said in its guidelines for parents and doctors.

Symptoms of ADHD in children
Easily distracted
Restlessness
Difficulty remaining seated when required
Difficulty waiting for his or her turn in group settings
Difficulty following instructions
Difficulty playing quietly
Often shifts from one incomplete activity to another
Often interrupts others
Often engages in physically dangerous activities without considering the consequences
Treatment with Ritalin — a brand name for the pharmaceutical methylphenidate — or other drugs "should be reserved for those with severe symptoms and impairment," the guidelines say.

Symptoms of ADHD can include a short attention span, a low level of organization, excessive talking, aggressive gestures and irritability. It affects an estimated five to 12 per cent of Canadian children.

When drugs for the disorder are prescribed, it should be along with psychological therapy and support for the child to develop problem solving, listening, coping and peer relationship skills, the group said.

The guidelines also say parent training and education programs should be offered as a first-line treatment for ADHD in both preschool and school-aged children.

Parents learn techniques
The programs teach parents, usually in groups, about how to create a structured home environment, encourage better concentration and attentiveness and manage misbehaviour.

Doctors shouldn't delay prescribing the medication for children with severe ADHD, but the drugs should be given along with parental training.

When the drugs are prescribed, the treatment should start with very low doses. The child should also be closely monitored for side-effects and to determine what the best dose is.

The treatment should also be reviewed annually to see whether the drugs are still needed or if changes should be made, the guidelines to doctors said.

The release of the guidelines comes as parents, educators and medical researchers have expressed concerns about overprescribing the medications to children.

Ritalin can have side-effects such as nausea, fatigue and mood swings, and the long-term effects of the drug are not yet known.

In 2006, Health Canada warned that Ritalin, Adderall and all other drugs used to treat ADHD have the potential to cause uncommon psychiatric side-effects — including rare cases of agitation and hallucination in children.

Now folks, I am diagnosed ADHD and been on Ritalin as have 3 of my children also diagnosed with ADHD!

What folk don't realise is that if we are going to include ADHD on the spectrum ( runs for the door!!), which I think we should ( dives for cover!) we must remember that it is the only ?ASC that can be medicated? Or can it?

I have been going on and on and on about Phosphatidyl Serine and now seems a pertinent time to raise it again.

For those of you who have not heard about it, it is a non esential amino acid that is currently been trialled in Israel for ADHD. There are 3,000 academic papers published on the subject.

I found it by chance when my son had a full amino acid blood profile taken. What a very interesting find we made! We saw that he was deficient in Serine! Serine aids neurotransmission so I researched it best as I could and spoke to my son's consultant about supplementation.

Not being available in many health shops ( purely because there is not a demand) we ordered it off the net.

That was the start of the miracle. For as soon as my son had taken a Phosphatidyl Serine than he calmed down. It kicked in in 20mins ( yes honestly) and we had an age/behaviour appropriate boy on our hands. He was not anxious, very chilled out, calm, focused and attentive! We simply could not believe it. We found out that it lasted 5hrs then he needed a top up! No side effects and the doctors were staggered.

That was nearly 3yrs ago and we are still as delighted as on day one! In fact we are all taking it now. Even for kids with Autism and Aspergers Syndrome it takes the edge of a stressful day! My 14yr old is Aspergers and has the occasional meltdown. He plays lead guitar in a band, practice with them all around is his worst nightmare but he copes brilliantly providing he has had a PS first! And he is a lad who hates swallowing tablets! Now he asks for them!

We have a grandma also, deffo on the spectrum but who has been reliant on Diazepam/Valium for the last 6yrs. She is now off them entirely and taking PS!

There is tons I could harp on about but I won't bore you. I am just delighted to have the choice. CHEMICAL OR NATURAL? Fact...........the natural works far better and has no nasty side effects! So no choice in my book.

Google it and check it out folks, a doctor called KYL SMITH has done a youtube on it too!

Just passing on the information, I am sure it will help many out there. Just nice to have a choice AT LAST!

Very Happy

www.jelibean.com/