American Heart Association Recommends Children receiving ECG before taking ADHD medication

American Heart Association Recommends Children receiving ECG before taking ADHD medication

It is estimated that 4-12% of all school aged children in the US are diagnosed with ADHD. Recent studies have pointed to the fact that more children diagnosed with ADHD have underlying cardiac conditions than those that don’t. It is also estimated that 42% of children diagnosed with a heart condition will also receive the diagnosis of ADHD.

Because the conventional treatment for ADHD is stimulant medications (Ritalin as an example), the American Heart Association has recommended that children should receive a thorough workup with an ECG before receiving stimulant medication. Dr. Victoria Vetter at the University of Pennsylvania and author of studies concerning stimulant drugs states, “… there are many children who have structural heart disease that could lead to sudden cardiac death who don’t know they have it until a significant event occurs. It is possible that using a stimulant medication could be a trigger for such an event … it is thought that if adrenergic stimulation is increased, something these drugs do, this could trigger sudden cardiac arrest in susceptible patients.”

In my office I see many children who have struggled with the side effects of ADHD. Despite the fact that last year there were 2.5 million sales of Ritalin and it is the first line therapy for ADHD, these stimulant drugs are DANGEROUS and pose a serious health problem for our kids.

I’m flabbergasted by the thought that giving a child ADHD medication could trigger cardiac arrest. Why in the world are we giving these children stimulant medications at such young ages that would require an ECG? Why in the world doesn’t the medical community maintain the Hippocratic Oath they took after graduating medical school that stated “First Do No Harm?” Why wouldn’t a physician support first doing dietary changes, nutrition and natural supplements which have virtually no side effect?

Why not first take a natural supplement like omega-3 oils or pycnogenol which have ZERO side effects but have been clearly shown to improve symptoms of ADHD comparable and in some instances more superior than stimulant medication? Even if we get just a small improvement in ADHD symptoms with these natural supplements (something opponents say), that would allow us to use a much smaller dosage of drugs and therefore have less of a chance our children could suffer. Gosh it just boggles my mind how our scientific community claims to rely so heavily on “proper significant research”, but clearly has lost its ability to think reasonably and logically. The American Medical Association needs a slap across the face to wake up and start thinking like a physician and not a drug rep.

Well excuse the rant, I have been so frustrated this last month as more and more doctors in my area turn a blind eye to what we do. Just know that your child can IMPROVE DRAMATICALLY without drugs that can threaten their lives. I see it on a consistent basis and have enjoyed in the success children enjoy who have suffered from ADHD.

Source:
Vetter VL, et al. Cardiovascular monitoring of children and adolescents with heart disease receiving stimulant drugs. A scientific statement form the American Heart Association and Congenital Cardiac Defects Committee of the council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young and the council of Cardiovascular Nursing. Circulation. 2008