Children and Prescription Drugs

Although prescription drugs help significantly in some people, can they also be considered harmful in young children? Many children are experiencing early diagnosis on their medical conditions whether it is attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), or even a bipolar disorder. In the past few years the use of prescription drugs in young children has greatly increased in schools and in homes due to parents and doctor's diagnoses. In numerous cases this can cause harmful side effects. Studies have shown that there are other ways of controlling the disorders without the use of medication.

Many of these side affects could easily be avoided. In the article Mass Tracks Children on Physiactric Drugs by S. Allen (2007), doctors who overprescribe or diagnose young children incorrectly are causing harmful side effects. Many children, some even under the age of five, are being diagnosed with forms of psychiatric or medical problems that require prescription medication. Doctors are then going and giving children doses of medicine, sometimes three different kinds at a time (Allen A1). For some children, this works wonders. Others, however, have to deal with serious side effects. In her article for the International Herald Tribune, T. Parker-Pope (2008) states, "Nearly one-third [of children] experience worrisome side effects.. the side defects could be severe such as decreased appetite, weight loss, insomnia, abdominal pain, and personality changes"(P.10). With the long list of side effects, one may have to consider whether the problem is worth trying to solve. Every child is unique and it is obvious that each child needs a different does of medication. How do doctors decide how much medication to give every child? Some doctors even decide to prescribe more than on medication at a time. A program attempting to answer questions and solve these problems is arriving to states across the United States called Mass Health. It started in Massachusetts and this Mass Health program is observing doctors and getting explanations from them about why they prescribe what they do; especially to children. Dr. John Straus is a representative doctor through the program and believes that "if the behavior is extreme enough to require this level of medications, we ought to make sure that the behavior exists" (as cited in "Mass Tracks", 2007). The point he makes is credible because doctors diagnose children whether they have a mild problem or a more severe case of a certain problem. If the case is severe, they give more doses of a medication or more medication of a different type. This leads to overdosing and the drugs intermixing. Doctors need to be more careful and deeply consider what behaviors the child exhibits and their medical history in order to make the right diagnosis. Doctors, however, are not the only ones to blame. Parents tend to step in and cause other sorts of problems.

Parents