Ritalin..good or bad??

[rosemary]

Morning,

I thought some members here may find this article from this morning interesting.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,1104 ... 48,00.html

Three examples are given and there's also the facility to post your own comments if you wish.

Rosemary
x x x x x

[charles47]

No mention of the side-effects of Ritalin, which makes the reporting a little biased. It is a mild stimulant, similar to amphetamines. It reduces appetite in some children and can have the opposite effect than it is designed to have on some children. The effects can lessen over time. There have been no studies on long-term use. We simply don't know if there are lasting effects (positive or negative).

Any drug given to anyone should require close monitoring, and this is no exception.

But the real problem is that people in the article are talking about Ritalin as a cure-all. It is not. Ritalin just has a calming effect. The behaviour problems are still there - ask anyone whose child pretends to take a tablet, or whose child reverts to their usual activity rate as the dosage wears off.

The best form of treatment is to use the Ritalin in conjunction with a behaviour programme to improve the root behaviour. Parents and teachers need training to work in a way that is consistent and improves a child's behaviour at a time when their concentration is at peak. Over time, they learn to manage their own behaviour and become less dependent on drugs. Which is best for everyone except the Pharmaceutical Industry.

[Debby]

My son was on Ritalin for his ADHD it was something we did not take lightly and read up and got all the informatuon on it's pro's and cons for us it helped alot. It was not our first but rather our last resort. We could tell when his next tablet was due cos he would get very hyper.
Debby

[pixienubbins]

we found it didnt work on alice (however i took one instead of the anxiety pills im on and i felt i could take on th world and wondered why i didnt want anything to eat, this is when i realsied that id taken alices tablets not mine!) they made alice very hyper and completely uncrontolable and then she would crash down and be very grumpy

with alice ive found that if bad/terrible behaviour is explained why its unnaceptable and then shes ignored she calms down,, her good behaviour is very over praised and i make apoint of tellign every one who cares about her how good she has been and what alovely day tis been BECAUSE alice has been soooo good.. the pride on her face sends her to bed with a great big grin!
her sisters like to wind her up to have a paddy and so do the kids next door,,, or rather they did until amy got out there and told them to grow up. Alice is lucky as her lil step sister,, my daughter has no problem taking on some one bigger and older to fight for wot is right. And this seems to help Alice clam down when im failing.