Ritalin May Change Brain Long-Term, Study Shows

Reuters News Service ^ | November 11, 2000 | Reuters Staff

[mostlyundecided]

I have some thoughts about this...let me put myself into your shoes for a minute...

If my kid is not learning as well as the kid sitting next to him, and I find after thorough diagnoses and trial of the drug, that Ritalin will help him learn as much as that kid sitting next to him...why not level the playing field!

Why should my kid have to flounder and suffer during those important learning years, causing a lack of a good base education, then watch him go on to flounder in later years because of that, when Ritalin could prevent that?

They can't tell me it is only bad parenting or lack of parenting, I have seen that it isn't the case. I have seen at home moms who dedicate their lives to their children, ban the TV and never buy computer games have kids with ADD. Now I am sure there are kids out there who do suffer from bad parenting...but to say all kids with ADD have bad parents is just plain stupid. You'd have to say all bad parents have kids with ADD and we all know that's not true, either.

If my kid can learn more and retain/gain more of his education with Ritalin, why would I not give him every chance at success I can? I have seen success with kids who took Ritalin and who are now successful unmedicated, unaddicted adults.

Check out most anti-ritalin sites, follow the little links at the end of the pages and they will almost always lead you to some goof with a secret formula vitamin snake oil that claims it will cure ADD. Of all the women I knew when my kids were in elementary who tried those snake oils, not one of them worked - Ritalin did.

[Bump in the night]

Great thread t-shirt! Thanks for posting this! Throw out that Halibut award... We'll give you an Honorable mention any day! Thanks again!

[cva66snipe]

What is C.A.P.D.? What do they do to treat sensory processing disorder in kids?

Central Auditory Processing Disorders or there is Visual Processing Disorders. Basically it comes from childhood illnesses. The most common being chronic ear infections and allergies especially sinus allergies. It's believed a substancial portion of the sensory system {Inner Ear } is damaged by these illnesses or conditions. This site offers a good explaniation and description.

Click here to get to the link

The treatment is treat the medical condition doing the damage {allergy, ear infection, ect} and some class room modifications. In more severe cases it can get complicated as motor skills and coordination are effected as well.

[mostlyundecided]

checkout a great new product for daydreaming kids, it is called Watchminder, check out the link watchminder

It is a great tool, it has up to 24 alarms, that can be set to go off randomly or at fixed times, it vibrates silently in the kids pocket. When it vibrates they ask themselves if they are paying attention to the teacher and doing the classwork they are supposed to be doing. It "wakes" them out of daydreams. They can self-monitor themselves, and can also set additional alarms for reminders for those who are also forgetful. I would recommend this to parents who have daydreamers or forgetful kids. Also a great tool for diabetic kids, to help remind them about blood checks/insulin times.

[cva66snipe]

C.A.P.D. symptoms are as follows.

* Is your child easily distracted or unusually bothered by loud or sudden noises?
* Are noisy environments upsetting?
* Does behavior and performance improve in quieter settings?
* Does your child have difficulty following directions, whether simple or complicated ones?
* Does your child have reading, spelling, writing or other speech-language difficulties?
* Is abstract information difficult to interpret?
* Are verbal (word) math problems difficult?
* Is your child disorganized and forgetful?
* Are conversations hard for your child to follow?

[Al B.]

When it vibrates they ask themselves if they are paying attention to the teacher and doing the classwork they are supposed to be doing.

There oughtta be a similar device to remind teachers to stop boring kids so they would rather learn than be somewhere else.

[mostlyundecided]

oops, messed up the link...it is www.watchminder.com link

[Bump in the night]

There oughtta be a similar device to remind teachers to stop boring kids so they would rather learn than be somewhere else.

Roflmao!!!!! Hear! Hear! I'll second that motion!

[Bump in the night]

Well how about that. Those symptoms DO sound just like ADHD. Thanks for the link. I'll check it out.

[cva66snipe]

No problem post #34 has three more links.

[NYCVirago]

The United States Military will not accept anyone who has been on Ritalin once they have reached puberty. Guess they have known for a long time just how dangerous this drug is.

Didn't one of the monsters behind the Columbine shootings want to join the military, but wasn't allowed due to him taking Ritalin?

[backhoe]

Thanks for the valuable info... I'll cross-link it to this:

Rx Nation- are our children being medicated to death?

This subject was widely discussed on talk radio after Columbine- but the mainstream press won't touch it.

[ConservativeyetHotChick]

Thanks for posting this. Ritalin is poison to most kids! My son's school tried to force me (yes, they threatened me with a potential court order) to put him on Ritalin some years ago because he was acting out in kindergarten. He is now in high school, an A/B student in ROTC and has NO discipline problems------WITHOUT RITALIN. Ritalin is a crutch for the school system to deal with kids that pose even the smallest problem.

[bvw]

Ding, ding, ding!

The bell has rung. We have a winner.

Reply #32. I wondered how long it would take for some "parent" to chant the mystical incantation "I love my son as much or more than any other parent, but if it weren't for Ritalin ...."

[HelgaHawk]

ding ding ding...that's the sound of your empty head. Did you read my post in it's entirety? Probably not. There are some cases where use of Ritalyn is necessary. Those cases are where the child or adult has been thoroughly TESTED by a physician (preferrably a neurologist) and NOT by a teacher or other 'professional'. My child weighed 3 pounds when he was born (so did his twin sister), and had severe neurological problems. Could not coordinate swallowing and breathing. If he was eating, he'd hold his breath forever until his heartbeat went down to about 80 (very low for a newborn) and he'd turn blue. He had to be tapped on the feet to elicit a reaction and get him breathing. Don't give me this incantation CRAP. Some children DO have neurological problems (he also has Asperger's Syndrome which doesn't help matters much). He's able to pay attention in class, is doing better than most other kids with no 'problems', and is now actually able to make friends and get along with his own sister. I am so impressed. I didn't know we had so many smart cookies here in Freeperville, I guess you would be much more knowledgeable than the neonatologists and pediatric neurologists at Mayo Clinic.

[bvw]

Let's see ... you're a victim of your kid's "problems", your kid is a victim of his "chemistry", your brother is a victim of this, your dad is a victim of that.

Unfortunately there is no pharmacological concoction ready yet for the curse of victimhood.

Yet it can be cured. Try a more courageous attitude.

[OldFriend]

Yes, I do believe one of the Colombine monsters was rejected from the military for that reason. Despite some of the high falutin talk by the 'experts', there are precious few children that really need drugs to correct their behaviour. Something else is occurring now, the teacher's sweeten the pot when telling a parent their child needs Ritalin by also alerting them to the fact that the family then qualifies for social security benefits.

[dixiemelody]

Many people who push Ritalin are against spanking their kids. Um, so they would never "hit" their kid, but they would give him/her cocaine? Which one would have a more severe long term affect? We are producing a whole generation of drug addicts. I say get them off this stuff. And start spanking their behinds if they need it.

[HelgaHawk]

You're a loser. There's no medication available for that either. And I guess if people are depressed, they shouldn't take antidepressants. I guess if they're manic-depressive, they shouldn't take lithium either. I do believe that ADD and ADHD are legitimate neurological conditions. I also believe that in some cases, it's handed down from generation to generation. Back in my dad's days, no one ever mentioned it because there was no knowledge of it. There was also no knowledge of many other medical discoveries that have been made in the last 50 years. Kids who were very hyperactive were blamed for such stupid things as eating too much candy. They were beaten by their parents or the 'penguins', and were constantly getting in trouble for things that, at times, were out of the reach of their own personal control. It's too bad you haven't run into a real ADHD child. You'd see the difference, after trying everything from discipline to diet, and realizing that there really is a problem they can't control.