A recently released study from the Food and Drug Administration has found that children who take medication for ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) can suffer from hallucinations.
Basing their data on results from 49 clinical studies, researchers concluded that drugs for ADHD can cause "psychosis and mania in some patients" even when taken as directed.
In some of the cases, children were reported to have imagined that insects and snakes were crawling on their bodies. In another case, a 7 year old girl began running wildly and then suddenly collapsed onto the floor - after running into a nonexistent brick wall.
Around 3 to 7%of children suffer from ADHD and millions are treated with medication. Although the side effects seem to be rare, the FDA is warning parents to be aware of their existence and are urging physicians to inform parents of the potential harms.
For more information, see the following:
FDA Examines Incidence of Psychotic Symptoms in Children Taking ADHD Medications
FDA: ADHD Drugs Can Cause Hallucinations in Children
FDA: ADHD medicines may spur hallucinations in children
Comments
Lorri, Good to know. A lot of professionals recommend medication first because it's the most expedient treatment, but parents need to know the risks. Medication should be a last resort, after all other treatments--dietary, family therapy, behavior modification, etc.--have been exhausted. Medication is just too attractive an alternative for busy parents; take a pill, everything better.
If parents knew that their kids might hallucinate on a drug, they might be more inclined to try alternative therapies first.
Hi,
Can anyone tell me what medications have caused these symptoms?
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