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HealthFirst-ADHD treatment

Monday, April 03, 2006

UNDATED (WJRT) (WJRT) -- (12/01/05)-- The FDA will not approve a new patch to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

That announcement comes today in a statement from the FDA, calling the patch unsafe, which means one less option for kids who have ADHD.

HealthFirst reporter Leslie LoBue has information on other successful treatments.

This is a heated debate, because not everyone agrees on the best way to treat ADHD.

It's a loud world for a child with ADHD.

Austin Armitage has ADHD. "Even the tiniest sounds, like tapping a pencil on a desk on the other side of the room, I would hear it, and I would just ... I'd get really distracted."

What's the best way to quiet the storm? The stimulant Ritalin has been shown to work in 60 to 70 percent of children. However, possible side effects include nervousness, insomnia and loss of appetite.

Wendy Weber is a naturopathic physician at Bastyr University School of Naturopathic Medicine, in Seattle. "There are still a good number of kids who don't respond to the medications or have side effects that are too severe that they can't handle taking the medication," she said.

The non-stimulant strattera is another option that lasts longer. "A drug that works late into the evening and doesn't interfere with sleep may help with tics and anxiety," said Dr. Thomas Spencer.

The FDA warns there may be a link between strattera and suicidal thoughts.

Some doctors say eliminating foods like wheat or citrus and adding supplements like gingko and fish oils, which contains essential fatty acids, will help symptoms.

"If you're low in essential fatty acids, the symptoms of that can look a lot like ADHD," Weber said.

Not everyone agrees with this approach. Dr. Thomas Spencer, a child psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital, who discounts the effects of managing different types of foods. "There may be a few sensitive individuals, but by and large, diet isn't a good treatment for ADHD."

On a different front, here is some good health news about kids - they are buying less pop in school. Well, less non-diet soft drinks, anyway.

The American Beverage Association reports that sales have dropped by nearly 25 percent in the last two years.

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