Nothing new under the sun! The drug companies may come up with appealing names or rehash some of the older ones but it is the same old story. New ADHD medication is at a pharmacy near you but the side effects are bigger and better than before. Take the latest one which is called Clonicel which is a cousin of Clonidine. Yes, you have guessed correctly - it is not a psychostimulant but a blood pressure drug and brings with it a whole new scenario of side effects and warnings therefore perfectly fitting the classical label as one of the new meds for ADHD.
This drug has had positive effects on ADHD symptoms such as temper outbursts and mood swings its manufacturers claim. You then have to wade through the side effects which, as usual, are many and varied. I will not bore you with the details except to say that the drug manufacturers do warn the patients that if they have blood pressure problems, then it may be best to avoid this drug. In addition, if it is taken with cold medicine or medicine for allergies, then more drowsiness may be added to that already present. Now you know why children on so-called new ADHD medication sometimes have a zombie like appearance.
Strattera, which uses atometexine as its main compound, hit the headlines recently and it seemed to be the answer to everyone's prayers. It was announced with a fanfare that it would be excellent in helping children focus and it does just that. Pity that it causes drowsiness and other nasty effects. I know a 10 year old boy who was on Strattera and it not only made him listless but at other times, he was attacking his sister and became an angry and aggressive boy which he had never been. The long term effects are not known at all. So much so that the Attention Deficit Disorder Help Center has warned that as the drug is new, its safety for more than a year cannot be guaranteed. Even more alarming is the fact that as heart rate increases the long term effects of this are simply unknown. Another alarming side effect is that there was a definite slowing down in growth and nobody seems to know whether this would affect height and growth into adulthood.
New ADHD medication seems to be in the doldrums and really there is nothing new at all. What a pity that ADHD natural/homeopathic cures do not get the same attention as the new meds for ADHD do with all the risks that are involved.
Homeopathy ADHD is gaining ground and there are thousands of parents who are delighted that they have not taken their children down the long and torturous new ADHD medication road because, quite frankly, it is a dead end.
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