Stimulant Medication

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While medication is necessary and effectively solves ADHD symptoms in some patients, it is not always the best treatment option. In fact, it can hurt the patient more than help him/her. There is a terrible story of misdiagnosis as cited in Marsa (2011) about the Mark family, whose son, Nicholas, was diagnosed with ADHD when he was eight years old. His teacher had noticed that he was not paying attention in class and could not read or write well. Nicholas went to a psychologist who said he had ADHD and suggested he take Ritalin. Nicholas’ mother had a feeling that this was the wrong diagnosis and did not want her son to take these stimulant drugs, so she took Nicholas to get a brain scan, where the doctors figured out Nicholas had “mild epilepsy …show more content…
There are many short-term and long-term effects of stimulant medications used to treat ADHD. While most of the long-term effects do not affect the child until later in life, there are still short-term effects of medications that are prevalent while the child is taking the medication. Ray Boorady (2016) has listed many side effects when children with ADHD are treated with stimulant medications. These side effects include: sleep issues, loss of appetites, slowed growth, headaches, upset stomach, irritability when medication wears off, tics, and moodiness. The short-term effects of ADHD medications on children can greatly affect their quality of everyday …show more content…
Marc Lerner and Tim Wigal (2008) have listed many common long-term effects of stimulant medications used to treat ADHD: heart disease, seizures, high blood pressure, addiction or abuse, irregular heartbeat, psychological issues, skin discoloration, and altered brain chemistry (pp. 44-49). There are other effects; however, these are the most common and possibly the worst ones. Any of these long-term effects begin to form as the child starts taking the prescribed medications. One of the most prominent effects that can greatly impact the child taking stimulant medications is an altered brain chemistry. The medications pollute the brain and make it work differently. This can cause the brain to function differently, and though it may be good for the brain to function differently than it would with ADHD, this function is dangerous and not the kind of change that anyone would want on his/her brain (Furman, 2005). The long-term effects of ADHD medication on children can affect the quality of life through every stage of life. All effects whether short-term or long-term affect the child every
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