ADHD experts in drug firm freebie scandal

ADHD experts in drug firm freebie scandal

www.news.com.au

THE committee setting guidelines for the treatment of ADHD is dominated by members who have financial connections to drug giants, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.

Seven of the 10 group members, including doctors, have declared receiving grants, airfares, hotels or overseas trips from companies making drugs to treat the disorder.

One non-medical member, former teacher Geraldine Moore, had the bill for her book launch picked up by Eli Lilly - manufacturer of Stattera - one of the two major ADHD drugs.

The committee's guidelines, currently with the Federal Department of Heath, have endorsed Ritalin, Strattera and other ADHD drugs as the "first-line treatment" for children.

They have warned parents to ignore alternative treatments, such as diet and exercise, citing a lack of evidence as to their benefits.

Their report comes as the prescription rates for ADHD drugs has soared by 43.4 per cent in the past 12 months to 390,474 scripts nationwide for all drugs to treat the condition.

Yesterday group chairman, paediatrician Dr David Forbes, said accepting funds from drug companies was a reality of modern medicine.

"There is absolutely no concern raised that any person on the working group has in any way acted inappropriately and I have every confidence in their professionalism," Dr Forbes, an associate professor at the University of Western Australia school of paediatrics, said.

The Department of Health last year refused a Freedom of Information application to identify the members of the committee, set up by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. The Daily Telegraph has obtained the conflict of interest declarations made by nine of the 10 members of working group. The 10th demanded their details remain secret.

The documents show that Perth paediatrician Brad Jongeling headed a study funded by Celltech, which developed the once-a-day ADHD medication Metadate (R).

Psychologist Professor David Hay declared he was funded by Shire Pharmeceuticals, manufacturer of Adderall, to attend a Shire conference in Amsterdam in 2005.

(visit the link for the full news article)

It comes as absolutely no surprise to me that this is going on.

Kiddy speed no less.

I am firmly of the belief this is no more than a dietary problem, or lack of the good old " kick in the arse" that I recieved when i became unruly,
which I believe is completely normal in a growing child.

The fact that there is so much money to be thrown around itself proves that like anything, if there is a buck to be made , ETHICS GO OUT THE WINDOW.

I expect to be flamed hard core on this..... but my mind is made
up and though there may be the 1 in 10,000 that may actually be in need of this treatment, the majority of the kids prescribed such drugs need their parents to lift their game, and simply discipline their children.


Let the flaming begin

Respectfully

Mungo

www.news.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

Just a thought mods......

Its breaking news here, but maybe should be in medical conspiracy s?

Mungo

reply to post by mungodave


Well ill strap on my flame proof undies and stand with you.
Its amazing how detached these professionals become and how they truly sell their morals off.
I hope their own mums are proud!

[edit on 17-11-2008 by Azador]

I just wanna see the cause. Not the symptoms. I wanna see the brain chemical balance in comparison to a "normal" Brain chemical balance. I want to see a physiological test. Blood, hair, urine, something that can leave a physiological trace and not a bunch of shrinks coming up with a really scientific way of saying a child is bored.

Hence the deficient attention in regards to Mrs. Canckers boring lecture.

Actually i also think that you are correct. Those drugs are definitely over-prescribed - not 1 in 10000, but definitely by a large margin. But the sad thing that (at least here) it is not that rare that parent (or even teacher) presses to receive these drugs, not doctor. It is easier to buy tablets then to try and teach kid how to behave.
Also, not always those drugs are given to ADHD. Sometimes there is a misuse (like students take it before exams and such) - so few percents go down this line.

Back in the day, the best ADHD drug was either the belt or a stick from the bush in the front yard.


Cheers!!!!

Agree and disagree.

I was diagnosed with inattentive ADD in junior high, I'm in my twenties now and still take medication for it. It's true that ADD/ADHD is over diagnosed, some people do just need a kick in the ass, but others would literally allow their own lives to fall apart around them for no particular reason if untreated.

It's my opinion that giving Strattera/Ritalin (methylphenidate) to children, is boardering on child abuse. Why? Because it makes you into an unfeeling, uncreative, molded zombie. Luckily when I tried it as a first line treatment, my persona, you could call it, was already developed but it was clear to me that the drug could be used with less than good intentions in mind.

Strattera is also ungodly expensive if you don't have full pharmacare. You pay for the proprietary release system that lasts all day. You could buy the same drug as long acting Ritalin and take it twice a day for like 1/10th the price, it's a joke.

It's extremely obvious that doctors get more "incentives" for Rx'ing certain ADD meds. Each time I've moved and gotten a new doctor, they always offer to change mine in the same order. Ritalin/Strattera is always first and Adderall is always next..

titorite, the studies are out there, if you'd care to look. It's been medically proven that, in my case, inattentive ADD is resultant from decreased activity in the basal ganglia and dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex. ADHD is a different story. It's not in any way hard to test for but in America where getting EEG or SPECT imagery done will make you broke, it's not going to happen.

Dont get me wrong, Im not saying that there isnt ADHD. I have looked into the research and learned alot about it.

I would say tho, that not everything can be fixed with drugs, especially when it comes to a part of the human body we still do not fully understand...the brain.

I also find it very disturbing that many young people are being drowned in these drugs and continue to have problems well into their adult lives. Obviously the drugs did not help or they would not continue to be having problems.

Who are the real ones benefiting from all these perscriptions anyway....

...yep..the drug companies and insurance companies.

That is what bothers me the most, and the people with the problem continue to live with the problem.


Hopefully soon some real answers and solutions can be found for those who suffer from ADHD.

Cheers!!!!

I appreciate the input from both side.

In my state, and as far as know the whole country,
it is ILLEGAL to give your child a hiding. By that I dont mean above the neck, which is not only illegal but cowardly, but a good old arse smacking that worked very effectively for all those years gone by.

Just look at what we have now.

18 year olds glassing their girlfriend in the pub because she looked side ways.

In fact , a report today says 1 in 3 12 to 14 year old boys think its just fine to
hit a female.

To be fair this was a report of their reaction to the violence they learn from their parents, and may just be moot.

And this may be the the attitude of their parents parent to the same problem... I think i started in the 70's but that's just my opinion.

I believe discipline has evaded the last two generations, here at least, I cant speak for the rest of you.

To solve behavioral problems by stoning out a generation seems to me to be idiotic.

What happens when the drugs stop.

Do they move on to harder core substances?

Does their attitudes and behaviour improve?

I doubt it.

mungo



[edit on 17/11/2008 by mungodave]

Originally posted by mungodave
What happens when the drugs stop.

Do they move on to harder core substances?

Does their attitudes and behaviour improve?

I doubt it.

mungo

I took 3 months off entirely this past summer, I've done it before when my tolerance becomes such that I'm just throwing it (Dexedrine) away in using it. I've never experienced withdrawal, cravings, etc. Probably because, like everything else, not having taken it slips my mind

Do you improve after long runs of treatment? Not me, I'd argue I'm less functional today without it than when I first started. Whether that's a natural progression of symptoms or not I couldn't tell you. But, some people do claim to get better as they age, eventually stopping medication, I just haven't experienced that myself.

Doses do go up over time, amphetamines are like that but it does level off. You can go stronger, like from Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine) to Desoxyn (methamphetamine hcl) but Desoxyn doesn't get much play primarily because of the stigma. Desoxyn is also cheap as dirt so I would expect that to play a factor in the decision to Rx it.

A good example: brand name Ritalin as Strattera goes for like $6 per pill versus no-name brand Ritalin for 10 cents a piece if I remember. I'm sure there's a range depending on pharmacy chain.

reply to post by ZombieOctopus


well thank you for your honesty and input.
Do you agree that "kiddy speed" is not the answer...
I hear what you say about the tolerance etc.. but overall do YOU think its made a difference?

Mungo

Do you know why so many children are diagnosed as hyper active an incapable of paying attention in school? Because they're freakin CHILDREN!!! Last time I checked kids are full of nothing but energy and hate sitting in a boring class room all day.

You know what my mother did when I was getting hyper active? She took me to the freakin playground where I could run and climb till I passed out! Maybe if parents were more attentive to their children and actually took them out for some exercise once in a while their kids wouldn't be tearing ass through the house. Parents are lazy these days and want a simple solution that doesn't require any effort on their part. The parents take pills to cure any "ills" they may have so it's perfectly fine to jack their kids up on nasty chemicals from a young age.

People are ridiculous these days, take your kids to the park, run them around, have fun with them and if they're bored in school you should talk to their teachers and find out what you can do to get them interested in learning!