Reply to Do you think stimulants permanently affected your child?

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Reply to "Do you think stimulants permanently affected your child?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I hate to see the thread become pro or anti medication, especially when so many of us have our tipping point where the potential benefits of medication outweigh unknown, longer term risks.

It's not an easy decision to medicate, and as a parent who has not (yet) gone down the road of medication- well, when I see my son struggle sometimes, that isn't easy either, and I do wonder if I'm making the right decision. We revisit it every six months.

What we do know are the serious risks of depression, anxiety, school failure, social exclusion, etc.

There are many medications that we take because they literally save our lives or our sanity that also carry risks- SSRIs, anticholinergics, even antibiotics have some risks/associations.

Not trying to jump on a soap box, but I like the reasoned discourse over meds because it can be a difficult choice and we beat ourselves up enough, I think.[/quote]

Yes, and [b]there are parents who chose to medicate so their average kid can be a star[/b] and there may be a chance the risks outweigh benefits. There are also kids buying this stuff from other kids. If your child is in the category where it literally saves their life or they would be getting into car crashes and having impulse control issues galore then of course you medicate. Yes, we need to keep discussing this. Doctors will flippantly say it's the safest choice and for some it just isn't. Sorry if the discussion upsets you, but we have been told over the years all sorts of things were safe and eventually we found out they weren't (certain pesticides, meds, plastics). [/quote]

No one medicates their child so that they can be a "star". It is a really tough decision, something parents will struggle with throughout their child's life. [/quote]

pp here- I'm not upset about the conversation and agree that we need to discuss medication and that there are meds that were previously considered safe but now are not (see my post)- but some of what you are saying is anecdotal and perhaps true in some cases, although I'm going to agree that medicating so a child can be a *star* is hopefully, rare. 
I was enjoying some of the scientific articles, studies, etc. - as I said "reasoned discourse" based on science. I have specific concerns about stimulants based on what we've been discovering about other meds- but they might be unfounded. [/quote]
The medications have been used for about 60 years now.  Even though there weren't many who got it at the beginning, by the 90s, large numbers of kids were being treated. Those kids are now young adults.  I haven't seen or heard of any reports of significant dysfunction in those adults that isn't accounted for by their existing ADHD.

On the other hand, I've spoken to doctors about other medications that turned out to cause problems after they were introduced.  They.said doctors themselves noticed and reported problems, even in the face of denials from the drug companies.

So I think if there were a major long term risk, we would have seen something by now. [/quote]

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