Over 10,000 American Toddlers Are Being Given ADHD Drugs

Once again, our country’s disadvantaged kids are being unnecessarily medicated nearly three times more often than other countries. According to CDC officials, more than 10,000 American toddlers—children who are just 2 or 3 years old—are being medicated for alleged attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). There are few studies on the impact of psychostimulant ADHD drugs like methylphenidate (Ritalin) or amphetamines (like Adderall) in children this young. However, we do know that the side effects of ADHD drugs include stunted growth, insomnia, hallucinations, high blood pressure, involuntary movements, aggressive behavior, heart attack, brain hemorrhage, stroke, migraines, and seizures. Emerging evidence also suggests that Ritalin can cause long-term damage to developing prefrontal cortexes, resulting in “rigid behavior, difficulties with multitasking, or problems with short-term memory” later in life. What kind of society treats its children this way? Is nothing more important than drug company profits?

ADHD Drugs: New Study Reveals the Fraud of “Kiddie Cocaine”

For decades, ADHD drugs, like Ritalin and Adderall, have been called “kiddie cocaine” because the drugs produce similar effects as cocaine. Now, finally, research proves that just like cocaine doesn’t make a genius, the prescription psychiatric drugs prescribed to “treat” ADHD don’t make children smart.

More Teens ‘Abusing’ Adderall/Ritalin—drugs in the same highly addictive class as cocaine, morphine & opium

The United States appears to be in the throes of a prescription drug abuse crisis among teens, with a new survey showing that 24 percent of high school students — more than 5 million kids — have abused these medications. That’s a 33 percent increase from 2008. “The key here is that kids and often their parents are buying into the myth and misunderstanding that prescription drug abuse is a safer way to get high, a safer alternative to street drugs." Where did teens get the idea that ADHD drugs are safer than street drugs? From the marketing they see every day on TV, on the internet and in their schools – falsely promoting ADHD as a “medical condition” and drugs as “medicine.”