I have said it before and I have said it again. Ritalin is the MOST overprescribed drug for children EVER!.

So much so there has to be a conspiracy behind it.

The bottom line is this as a parent, you should NEVER NEVER NEVER let a GP place your child on ritalin. It does have its uses, but that use should be only prescribed after carefull evaluation BY a specialist.

Some medications seem to become popular at certain times - I just wonder how much this has to do with the pharmaceutical companies "pushing" them.

In the UK we have seen a few that I mention from personal experience;
Amoxil 250
Valium
Prozac

Amoxil 250 was doled out in the late 70's/ early 80's for lots of minor infections - we're seeing the results of this in strains of new "super-bacteria".

Valium was doled out for everything from bad backs, muscle spasm to anxiety - causing addiction and severe withdrawals for many.

Bad experience with Prozac - made me very moody and aggressive - and I know quite a few people who had really bad times taking it.

So I'd say, medicate only if absolutely necessary, and then only for the shortest time possible.

Originally posted by budski
Bad experience with Prozac - made me very moody and aggressive - and I know quite a few people who had really bad times taking it.

Prozac is still very popular. It tends to be referred to by its' medical name (fluoxitine), as the word prozac now has a bit of a stigma attached.

I think that ritalin can be an easy way for people to cover up their faults as bad parents. Children can be difficult, even more so with the lack of norms and routines present in todays' society. Without these stabilities, children become easily distracted and difficult to control. This is not a medical condition of the child. It is a lack of structure by the parents. Instead of trying to make changes in the family lifestyle, it is easier to put a name to the behaviour and prescribe a tablet. The situation is no longer the fault of the parent, it is the fault of the 'condition'.

Over here, valium is now known as diazepam in an attempt to cover up the problems that people had with it.

When I had anxiety attacks due to depression, I was prescribed valium, and although I wasn't given a large dose, I still had to be weaned off it after 1 month of treatment, which caused more problems than it was supposed to have fixed.

GP's are sometimes far too quick to jump on the bandwagon of new "super-drugs" - I just wonder if there is some collusion between the NHS and the drug companies.

Originally posted by FredT
I have said it before and I have said it again. Ritalin is the MOST overprescribed drug for children EVER!.

So much so there has to be a conspiracy behind it.

The bottom line is this as a parent, you should NEVER NEVER NEVER let a GP place your child on ritalin. It does have its uses, but that use should be only prescribed after carefull evaluation BY a specialist.

And it's not hard to see them. I have a couple. I find it offensive that the people (indirectly of course), through the government are making money for Big Pharma - they gain the most out of this situation. No-one had ADD when I went to school. It was called boredom and acting on the boredom.

The fact that I despise the most though, is getting children hooked on 'pills' and 'pill culture' at such a young age. The War on Drugs is designed to eliminate the competition - interpret that as you will.

Originally posted by deessell

Originally posted by FredT
I have said it before and I have said it again. Ritalin is the MOST overprescribed drug for children EVER!.

So much so there has to be a conspiracy behind it.

The bottom line is this as a parent, you should NEVER NEVER NEVER let a GP place your child on ritalin. It does have its uses, but that use should be only prescribed after carefull evaluation BY a specialist.

And it's not hard to see them. I have a couple. I find it offensive that the people (indirectly of course), through the government are making money for Big Pharma - they gain the most out of this situation. No-one had ADD when I went to school. It was called boredom and acting on the boredom.

The fact that I despise the most though, is getting children hooked on 'pills' and 'pill culture' at such a young age. The War on Drugs is designed to eliminate the competition - interpret that as you will.

Good point and one everyone should be aware of.
I wonder if because psychiatry is such an unusual field - not often any organic symptoms, usually rely on observations - that this is why it has been targeted by the drug companies - to the detriment of all.

The again it's a tactic used by many corporations - identify your target, hook them young then you have a lifetime of sales for each person you "infect"

Originally posted by budski

Over here, valium is now known as diazepam in an attempt to cover up the problems that people had with it.

Actually diazepam is the actuall name of the drug. Valium was a trade name. Now that its off patent they simply use its actual name to avoid copyright infringment

Its in the benzodiazapine family which also includes Versed (Midazolam) and Ativan (Lorazepam)