Scientists Find Little, If Any, Proof Ritalin Is Effective

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> Little Proof-

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> Scientists Find Little, If Any, Proof Ritalin Is Effective

> By Brad Evenson National Post - Canada

>

> OTTAWA - After a painstaking analysis of 62 studies of Ritalin treatment

for

> attention deficit disorder, a team of Canadian researchers says it has

found

> little scientific evidence the drug lives up to its reputation. More than

> 200,000 Canadian schoolchildren take methyl-phenidate, the generic name

for

> Ritalin, a stimulant drug prescribed to help them concentrate and control

> their impulsive behavior. Many parents, teachers and doctors praise the

drug

> for turning around the tumultuous lives of millions of young children. Yet

a

> meta-analysis published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal

> says the clinical trials of the drug have often been biased and poorly

> constructed. For example, although patients may take Ritalin for years,

most

> trials comparing the drug with a placebo lasted three weeks, with none

> lasting longer than seven months. In some cases, scientists studying

Ritalin

> ignored or downplayed the impressions of schoolteachers, who thought

> children taking the drug were no better off than those taking a placebo.

> Finally, such adverse side effects as insomnia and loss of appetite have

not

> been carefully measured. " Collectively, these observations likely reflect

a

> less than an ideal state of affairs given the long history of extensive,

and

> ever increasing, use of methylphenidate for ADD particularly in North

> America for groups that now include pre-schoolers and adults, " conclude

the

> researchers, from the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the

> University of Ottawa. For a disease that didn't officially exist before

> 1987, attention deficit disorder has been remarkably catching. An

estimated

> 5% of children are affected. Several years ago, the definition was

expanded

> to the new name, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder [AD/HD]. The

> symptoms include trouble concentrating, talking constantly, running around

> in a disruptive way,fidgeting and acting impulsively. Surprisingly, little

> is known about how Ritalin tames these symptoms, but scientists agree it

> clearly works in the short term. A positive response to Ritalin, however,

> does not mean a child has AD/HD; stimulants can temporarily sharpen

anyone's

> focus. Also, the drug does not raise IQ or remove the learning

disabilities

> that often accompany AD/HD. " Short-term managed behavior -- that's

important

> for a lot of kids, but it's not going to give them the skills that they

need

> to manage for the rest of their lives, because when the medication wears

> off, they're back at square one and, in some cases, maybe a little worse

> off, " says Toronto psychologist Lynda Thompson, co-author of The A.D.D.

> Book. As a result, many people are seeking alternatives, including

> biofeedback and nutritional regimens. These have less dramatic results

than

> Ritalin, but they make parents more comfortable. Indeed, a University of

> British

> Columbia study, also published today in the CMAJ, raises concerns that

many

> children who are prescribed

> Ritalin don't need it. The CMAJ URL for the study.

>

> www.cma.ca/cmaj/index.asp

>

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