Attention Enhancing Drugs are Not Advisable for Healthy Children

American Academy of Neurology has urged doctors against prescribing brain stimulating drugs to healthy children in a position statement issued by the neurologists.

In a recent position paper published by the American Academy of Neurology, researchers highlight the misuse of brain stimulating drugs, which are generally prescribed for children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Authors note these stimulants are increasingly being used by healthy children to improve their concentration and performance in school.

ADHD Symptoms Persist for Most Young Children Despite Treatment: Study
A study has found that 9 out of 10 young children with moderate to severe ADHD continue to experience serious to severe symptoms and impairment long after their original diagnoses.

According to the researchers, using these drugs for healthy kids cannot be justified, as there are no large scale studies analyzing the effect of these drugs on healthy individuals. Moreover, the stimulants increase the heart rate and blood pressure.

In the statement issued, authors urge doctors to talk to the children requesting for stimulants about other alternatives and prescribe attention enhancing drugs only to the kids diagnosed with ADHD.

Source-Medindia

ADHD Takes a Toll Well into Adulthood: Study
Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to have other psychiatric disorders as adults, states recent study.

Attention Deficits in Babies Who Later Develop Autism Detected by Yale Researchers
Deficits in social attention in infants as young as six months of age who later develop Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have been detected by researchers at Yale School of Medicine.