ADHD Prescriptions Rise
From the years 2002 to 2005, use of prescription medications for ADD/ADHD rose by 40 percent according to a recent study.
A recent study looked at the growing use of prescription drugs among children with a variety of chronic illnesses, including diabetes and hypertension, not just ADD/ADHD.
The study was conducted by researchers of Express Scripts, Inc., the Pediatric Research Institute at St. Louis University and the Kansas Health Institute in Topeka, Kansas. Express Scripts is a firm which manages pharmacy benefits.
Of the increase in ADD/ADHD related prescription drugs, the researchers report, use in girls rose nearly twice as fast as it did in boys, totaling a 63 percent increase from 2002 to 2005. In contrast the increase in boys rose only 33 percent.
Researchers also reported that more young adults between the ages of 15 and 19 years of age had been prescribed a medication for ADD/ADHD. This is normally, the report said, an age where many children are taken off these medications.
Part of the reason for the increase, professionals speculate, may be related to the fact that the government now provides incentives for drug companies to study the effects of medications in adolescents. Specifically, the incentive is a patent extension of six-months on any product which included these studies.
Prior to this, companies were hesitant to perform research involving children because the market potential did not warrant it.
The study also discovered that the use of prescription medications for type-2 diabetes, the disease most commonly found in older, overweight adults, had risen in teens some 15 percent from 2002 to 2005.
The report was published recently in the Journal of American Pediatrics Association. To view the entire article on this report visit here.
Dr. Kenny
p.s. to learn more about the proper use of medication in ADD and ADHD, please visit: ADHD Medication Treatment
Technorati Tags: ADD, ADHD, Medication, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
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Written by Dr. Kenny Handelman - The ADHD Doctor
To find get a FREE special report on ADD/ADHD Medication, visit: Medication Mastery
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November 24th, 2008 at 9:02 am
I think people can try some natural alternatives also besides the conventional medications. Anyways, a nice post though. Keep it up.