To improve academic performances, some medical experts have prescribed ADHD pills to children who come from low-income families and who actually don't have the disorder.
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD is a disorder where children experience problems related to attention, being unable to control their spontaneous behaviors and acting without thinking about the consequences and hyperactivity.
Many poor families from Cherokee County, north of Atlanta said to The New York Times that they were prescribed of Adderall, a psychostimulant drug used to treat narcolepsy and ADHD which helps their children in improving focus and impulse control said Dr. Michael Anderson.
"I don't have a whole lot of choice. We've decided as a society that it's too expensive to modify the kid's environment. So we have to modify the kid," Dr. Anderson said.
ADHD pills are used a lot as a quick fix among many health experts. W Psychiatrist Kyle John diagnoses ADHD and prescribes medication accordingly only if the child has it.
"The parents are thinking, 'Well, I've got to do something, my child is not succeeding, so let's try medication.' I would say I disagree with that," Dr. John said. "I think there probably are over-utilizations of medications for ADHD but physicians are handicapped. The schools don't have a lot of money to invest in other options for these kids, even the gifted programs, PE and music, we see that stuff being cut, cut, cut."
Unless a child meets a certain criteria, he or she shouldn't be advised of ADHD medication. A child must have the symptoms of ADHD in more than one place, not just in home and school to be prescribed the medication.
The child must have half the 18 symptoms of ADHD. Finally kid has to be disruptive to one's life.
There are some side effects connected to Adderall. According to eMedTV ADHD Health Channel, the side effects are tachycardia or increased heart rate, UTI (urinary tract infection) and other infections, asthenia or weakness, heart burn and fever, high BP (temporary), stomach ache, anorexia or loss of appetite, insomnia or difficulty sleeping, headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dry mouth, weight loss, emotional changes.
