ADHD meds don't help improve academic progress long term

[Anonymous]

Didn't see this posted here. It's long, but explains why these ADHD drugs appear to work well with kids in school at first, but in the long term are not helpful or are harmful.

Read and weep.

http://www.nature.com/news/medication-the-smart-pill-oversell-1.14701

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Didn't see this posted here. It's long, but explains why these ADHD drugs appear to work well with kids in school at first, but in the long term are not helpful or are harmful.

Read and weep.

http://www.nature.com/news/medication-the-smart-pill-oversell-1.14701

Nature.com? You can't be serious.

[Anonymous]

OP what is wrong with you? Why do you care what other parents choose? and nature.com?!?!

Get a real source.

[Anonymous]

OP, that's not what this article says AT ALL. Did you even read it?

[Anonymous]

Too many pesky paragraphs and footnotes for you, OP? Should have read your own link.

[Anonymous]

That has been our experience. I am responding to thread title, not the article.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That has been our experience. I am responding to thread title, not the article.

I guess after you take the pill, you still have to put in the work and sweat and toil, to do well. Right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't see this posted here. It's long, but explains why these ADHD drugs appear to work well with kids in school at first, but in the long term are not helpful or are harmful.

Read and weep.

http://www.nature.com/news/medication-the-smart-pill-oversell-1.14701

Nature.com? You can't be serious.

Huh? Nature is a respected, peer-reviewed science journal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't see this posted here. It's long, but explains why these ADHD drugs appear to work well with kids in school at first, but in the long term are not helpful or are harmful.

Read and weep.

http://www.nature.com/news/medication-the-smart-pill-oversell-1.14701

Nature.com? You can't be serious.

Huh? Nature is a respected, peer-reviewed science journal.

+1 you're all idiots.

[Anonymous]

The thing that most people don't seem to get is: ADHD is a neurological disorder. Meds don't make it go away. Most of the time, the symptoms hang around for a lifetime.

Failure to treat ADHD, though, can lead not only to poor academic performance but also poor self-eteem, self medication through drugs and alcohol, and more.

If you just give your kid a pill and then ignore the issue, it isn't surprising that ADHD continues to be a factor in poor academic performance. The meds aren't magic, after all.

[Anonymous]

The longitudinal NIMH study agrees. ADHD meds have no long term benefits.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2009/short-term-intensive-treatment-not-likely-to-improve-long-term-outcomes-for-children-with-adhd.shtml

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The longitudinal NIMH study agrees. ADHD meds have no long term benefits.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2009/short-term-intensive-treatment-not-likely-to-improve-long-term-outcomes-for-children-with-adhd.shtml

Money quote from the NIMH summary:

"Children who were no longer taking medication at the eight-year follow-up were generally functioning as well as children who were still medicated, raising questions about whether medication treatment beyond two years continues to be beneficial or needed by all."

[Anonymous]

Another "money" quote,

"The researchers found that the intensive medication management alone or in combination with the behavioral therapy produced better symptomatic relief for children with ADHD than just behavioral therapy or usual community care. Children who received the combination treatment fared best in other areas of functioning such as social skills and parent-child relations. About half of the initial benefits of the intensive medication management and combination treatments dissipated by the first follow-up, which was two years after the trial began."

The kids who did the best got medication and therapy. It's not that the medication didn't help, but the effect dissipates over time, e.g., the first 3 years. So, OP, I know, you're just trying to bate people about medicating, but really the point is to help kids learn how to learn. Your smugness is off-putting, unfortunately there isn't medication for be an ass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The thing that most people don't seem to get is: ADHD is a neurological disorder. Meds don't make it go away. Most of the time, the symptoms hang around for a lifetime.

Failure to treat ADHD, though, can lead not only to poor academic performance but also poor self-eteem, self medication through drugs and alcohol, and more.

If you just give your kid a pill and then ignore the issue, it isn't surprising that ADHD continues to be a factor in poor academic performance. The meds aren't magic, after all.

This.

And this is well known and communicated by doctors and therapists who treat ADHD. The medication is needed so that behavior modifications and interventions have a chance to be learned and work for the child with the hope that one day they will become automatic.

[Anonymous]

I have experienced this with my own DD.

She is getting better at organizing and concentrating on her own. Meds are still needed, and she still benefits from therapy. I can imagine a day where she doesn't need meds every day ... but maybe not. I'm glad they exist. She's a smart girl and I'm so glad she has the opportunity to show the world what she can do!