ADHD Drugs Should Have Black Box Warning, Says FDA Advisory Panel

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Main Category: ADHD
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry;  Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Mental Health
Article Date: 11 Feb 2006 - 15:00 PDT

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According to the FDA advisory panel, ADHD drugs, including Ritalin, Concerta, Methylin and Metadate should have a 'black box' warning. The FDA usually does what the advisory panel recommends. This is after data revealed that ADHD drugs may have caused 25 deaths and 54 serious medical problems among patients during 1999-2003. The medical problems include: -- Stroke -- Hypertension -- Palpitations -- Arrhythmia -- Heart Attacks Of the 25 deaths, 19 were children. According to data presented to the advisory panel, a child on an ADHD drug increases his/her risk of sudden cardiac death by 1.5 to 2.5. As ADHD drugs in the USA are taken by millions of people, the panel decided a black box warning should be added. The risk of a cardiac event is still less than one per million. Many health professionals have written in to Medical News Today saying they believe the move is too severe, given that the risk is extremely low. Written by: Christian Nordqvist Editor: Medical News Today

View drug information on Concerta; Metadate CD; Ritalin LA.

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Christian Nordqvist. "ADHD Drugs Should Have Black Box Warning, Says FDA Advisory Panel." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 11 Feb. 2006. Web.
13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/37584.php>
APA
Christian Nordqvist. (2006, February 11). "ADHD Drugs Should Have Black Box Warning, Says FDA Advisory Panel." Medical News Today. Retrieved from
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/37584.php.

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