Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) should get careful cardiac evaluation and monitoring – including an electrocardiogram (ECG) – before treatment with stimulant drugs, a new American Heart Association statement recommends.
We can only hope that these recommendations are adopted by the FDA and that the manufacturers are compelled to add "black box" warnings regarding the risk of sudden death when using these medications; that, combined with the tests themselves, should do much to reduce the perception that the use of these medications is risk-free, and prompt more serious consideration on the part of children and parents regarding their use.
The statement writing committee said its recommendations are not intended to limit the appropriate use of stimulants in children with ADHD.
I cannot help thinking that this statement is a none-too-subtle acknowledgement by the AHA that the vast majority of this prescribing is in fact far from appropriate; we can expect the pharmaceutical giants to fight these proposals tooth-and-nail, precisely because the widespread use of these medications depends on the public perceiving them as 'safe.' Won't SOMEONE think of the children?
