Attention deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, Jan, 2003 by Farhang Khosh, Deena Beneda

Abstract

Attention Deficient Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is a disorder that is prevalent in many children today. It is reaching epidemic portions and the current conventional medical treatment and management of the disorder offers limited success. Ritalin is by far the most common pharmaceutical used to treat the disorder. However, Ritalin and other drugs like it do not always treat the disorder and the drugs have many short and long-term side effects. Alternative medicine presents effective therapies for parents without the side effects of drugs. These alternatives include examining nutrition therapies, herbs, homeopathy, allergies, and in addition, hypothyroidism or under-active adrenal glands. Considering the effective results of treating children with ADHD, parents should strongly consider alternative medicine.

Attention Deficient Hyperactive Disorder or better known as ADHD, is becoming more common in children throughout the United States. It is reaching epidemic portions and yet few advancements have been done to effectively treat, manage or eliminate ADHD. Current treatment relies on pharmaceutical drugs, which not only do not eliminate the condition but have both short and long-term side effects. Alternative therapies focus on nutrition, vitamins and minerals, amino acids, herbs, homeopathy, food and environmental allergies, and proanthocyanidins. In addition, hypothyroidism and adrenal glands have also been mentioned in the literature in relation to ADHD. An integrative alternative approach should be considered in the treatment and management of ADHD.

The term ADHD was originally derived from the term ADD (attention deficit disorder). ADD was further subcategorized as ADD with hyperactivity or ADD without hyperactivity. However, in the 1994 DSM-IV the official term was stated as ADHD. (1)

A child with ADHD has a wide range of symptoms including hyperactivity, short attention span, distractibility, and difficulty with organizational skills and not paying attention to details. These children are restless, forgetful and react impulsively. (2) They may have mood swings, temper tantrums and are unable to cope with stress. (1) Boys seem to be two to three times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD. (2) Some of the current research examines the possibility that ADHD is inherited. Twin and adoption studies suggest that ADHD has a relatively high degree of hereditability. However, to date there is insufficient data linking ADHD to an inherited trait. (1)

In order to diagnose a child with ADHD the behaviors must appear before age seven and be present at a minimum of six months. ADHD occurs in 3% to 5% of children in the United States, and approximately half of those children continue to have ADHD symptoms as adults. (2) Those that continue to have symptoms into adulthood may develop antisocial behavior, substance abuse, suffer from poor self-esteem and social skill deficits. (3) In 1993, more than two million children were diagnosed with ADHD; this was an increase from 902,000 in 1990. It is estimated that as many as four million children currently have been diagnosed with ADHD. (1)

Currently, conventional medical interventions include pharmaceutical drugs. Psychostimulants are the first line of defense used in ADHD. Methylphenidate or Ritalin is the most common drug prescribed to treat ADHD. In 1993, more than 2.5 million prescriptions were written for Ritalin. (1) Other stimulants that can be used are dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine), a mixture of four salts of dextroamphetamine (Adderall), methamphetamine (Desoxyn) or pemoline (Cylert). Ritalin and Ritalin-SR are preparations of methyl-alpha-pheny1-2-piperidineacetate hydrochloride. Ritalin acts on the central nervous system with a dopamine-agonistic effect that works slower but is mechanically almost identical to cocaine and amphetamines. (1,4) Most all of the mood altering drugs (alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine, heroin, cocaine, and the stimulant medications for hyperactive children) affect dopamine. (5)

Research has found that ADHD children have a deficiency in dopamine, a chemical in the brain necessary for several vital brain functions. The dopamine system is involved in the reward-seek behavior, sexual behavior, control of movements, regulation of the pituitary-hormone secretion and memory functions. Dopamine has been shown in young animals to exert a protective influence against hyperactivity. (6) It is thought ADHD children have too many molecules that use up the dopamine before it can be used for its vital functions. Ritalin binds to these molecules allowing the dopamine levels to increase in the brain and be used for the normal vital functions. (4)

Even though Ritalin is the drug of choice for children with ADHD, it has many side effects and presents many risks for the children who use it. A child who is treated with Ritalin is moved from a hyperactive state to the opposite state. Children develop appetite suppression, weight loss, retarded growth, emotional blunting and detachment, and many parents complain that the child acts like a "zombie." (6) Children on higher doses and chronic use may develop paranoid symptoms -- withdrawal, anger, restlessness, and suspicious behavior. It has been shown that adults who abuse amphetamines regularly develop psychotic states with paranoid features. (6) Other serious side effects of methylphenidate are auditory and visual hallucinations, drug abuse-rebound depression, psychic dependence, increased euphoria and cocaine-like activity, insomnia and tachycardia. Also, researchers reported that Ritalin caused liver cancer in mice.' No drug that affects the dopamine system is free of long-term toxicity to the motor syste m. Ritalin may produce disruption of movement control and facial and head tics may appear. (6) Amphetamines are commonly referred to as "speed or uppers" and are one of the most dangerous medications ever discovered. They are chemically similar to dopamine and are the synthetic replacement in the dopamine receptor sites of the brain. Amphetamines have the potential to cause injury to healthy tissue, interfere with growth and development, sleep problems, or aggressive and depressed moods in children. (7)