ADHD Medications - 3 Big Lies About ADHD Medication

It's difficult to believe that pharmaceutical companies keep coming out with new ADHD medications, even though these drugs work only in the sense that they suppress symptoms for a certain period of time. On top of this, they can have serious short and long term side effects. In this article, you'll learn about the 3 big lies the pharmaceutical companies have been telling you, along with the short and long term dangers of using ADHD medication.

3 Big Lies

• Ritalin has no serious side effects. All you have to do to debunk this claim is read the package insert. By law, pharmaceutical companies have to report all known side effects. If you take the time to read the small print, you'll learn that taking Ritalin can lead to appetite loss (not a good thing for a growing child), insomnia and headaches. Worse yet, it can actually suppress growth and cause seizures.
  
  


• Ritalin cures ADD. ADHD medications do not have a curative effect. In fact, Ritalin probably creates more problems than it solves. Studies have shown that kids who take Ritalin are at a higher risk for antisocial behaviors (including criminal activity and vandalism) and later drug use (addiction to alcohol and other drugs).
  
  


• Ritalin helps kids do better in school. There is no evidence to back this up: no studies have proven conclusively that kids who take this drug get better grades or test scores. Of course, when kids are doped into compliance, they are less likely to disrupt the class with angry outbursts or hyperactivity, but at what cost?

Keep in mind that most pharmaceutical companies are in business not to help you and your child, but to increase their bottom line. This is why you must take the time to read the package insert and learn about the side-effects of pharmaceutical drugs, carefully weighing the benefits and costs.

If you decide the risks of ADHD medications are too high, then you should know that a growing number of parents are seeing marked improvements in their children's behavior and school performance by using natural remedies that nourish and heal the brain without side-effects. When the brain has the nutrients it needs to function properly, children are naturally calm, focused and happy. And when kids are happy, they get along with others and this makes parents happy too.

In conclusion, natural supplements can be just as effective as ADHD drugs in treating symptoms, but have no side effects. Of course, before giving your child any supplement, natural or otherwise, be sure to do your research.