ADHD drugs cause hallucinations in some kids, study says

Doctors have known that some children and adolescents taking stimulant medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder experience psychiatric symptoms from the drugs, such as hallucinations, hearing voices, paranoia and mania. In 2007, the Food and Drug Administration ordered manufacturers of stimulant medications to add new warnings about psychiatric and cardiovascular side effects to package inserts. And patient medication guides are also required to explain the risks of ADHD drug treatments. At the time of the FDA order, experts estimated the risk of an adverse psychiatric event from medication use at about 1 in 1,000 children.

A report published today in the journal Pediatrics, however, estimates the incidence of psychotic symptoms at 1.48 per 100 person-years. (Person-years is defined as total years of treatment with a drug. For example, 100 people taking a drug one year is 100 person-years.) The statistic was based on data from 49 randomized, controlled trials of ADHD medications. In those same studies, no psychotic symptoms were reported in children who did not receive medication. Moreover, an analysis of spontaneous adverse-event reports to the FDA showed more than 800 reports of psychosis or mania. Psychotic symptoms were found with every ADHD drug tested.

Just under 8% of U.S. children, ages 4 to 17, have been diagnosed with ADHD, according to a survey conducted in 2003 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than half of these children were taking a medication for the disorder. However, the research reported today shows that psychotic symptoms occurred even in children who were not considered at high risk for psychosis or mania, such as children who abuse drugs or have other mental illnesses. In more than 90% of the cases, the children had never experienced hallucinations or psychosis. In most cases, the hallucinations were visual and tactile and involved seeing or feeling bugs, worms or snakes. The symptoms typically disappeared after the children stopped taking ADHD medication.

It's not clear just why some children experience psychotic reactions to the drugs or what causes the symptoms. However, doctors should explain to parents that any psychosis or mania that occurs during treatment could be from the drug itself, said the authors of the report. And, they add, their paper is fresh evidence regarding the limitations of short-term clinical trials. The clinical trials of stimulant drugs showed a much lower rate of psychotic symptoms, but it wasn't until the medications were widely prescribed in a broad range of people that psychotic adverse events became prominent.

-- Shari Roan

Photo credit: Keith Beaty/Toronto Star/ZUMA Press    

Comments

[Steve Jordan]

While you are at it, just use your journalistic blacklist brush to negatively list all drugs related to ADHD. There are many drugs prescribed for Attention Deficit Disorder and you just lumped them altogether in one article. Bad article and bad journalism does a controversial subject no good. Do your homework.

[idcc]

you can examine adverse events reported to the FDA for adhd drugs (like Ritalin) using this search engine...

http://www.fdable.com/search/aers/advanced_query/d9b064172533

the above will show reports for ritalin and hallucination

[Katie Malone]

This is very true...I took adderal for years since I was in 6th grade. I became addicted to ADHD medicane and I started to hear voices and a bunch of other things that just did not seem right. they should take this off the market fast!

[Bob]

These are mainly amphetamines (uppers to the 60's crowd) and these reactions should be no surprise considering the data from the history of the abuse of these drugs. Being a little ADD myself, I don't take drugs except coffee, and I get by with a wife who tells me what I forget to do.

With a normal distribution of sensitivities to a drug, you would expect a few percent to be very sensitive to any medication so, it's the old buyer beware issue. Doctors treat the general not the specific (no more house calls), so if you are not in control of your problem, no one is. Read the label, look up the medication online, read all the side effects, use the Mayo Clinic website as a good starting point(http://www.mayoclinic.org).

In addition, if you have a child who is hyperactive, document what they eat. I had an ADHD diagnosed stepson who dropped all symptoms when tomatoes were take out of his diet. No salsa, chili, ketchup, etc. It was night and day. He love tomatoes. Very allergic, expressed as WIRED, even twitchy. Once HE figured it out, he wouldn't touch a tomato. It doesn't have to be tomatoes, it can be anything. Read up on allergies.

You really are what you eat!

[Cloetus]

As someone who takes medication for ADD, I hope nobody uses this as a reason to not treat their child's ADD with a combination of meds and therapy.

[It's true.]

When I was in the 4th grade (I'm a junior in college now) I was sitting in bed when I was startled by what sounded like static blaring through speakers at max volume. It was as fast as a camera flash and then the sound was gone.

I was so frightened that I shot up and looked around the room. Not even seconds later I saw my dresser/bookshelf fall over with all of the contents spilling on the floor... full audio as well. I blinked and my room was back to normal.

Fortunately the hallucinations ended after that, but I sat there for a good 60 seconds before charging towards my parent's room (terrified). My doctor later told me it was most likely caused by the drug (name will be left out). I was prescribed the medication for my ADHD.

I haven't had an event like it since then, but it's still will with me today. At a young age, I began to understand the power drugs had on the mind.