A study found that some stimulant-based drugs that were used for the treatment of ADHD in children may lead to sudden cardiac death.
However, the FDA didn’t advise parents to stop giving their children ADHD meds because of the study’s limitations and the fact that the benefits outweigh them.
Study Finds Link Between Death & ADHD Meds in Children
For the study, the researchers compared the cases of 564 children who died suddenly and without an explainable cause with the cases of 564 children who died in motor vehicle accidents.
After the autopsy reports, toxicology tests, and parent interview analysis, the researchers concluded that 10 of the children who died suddenly took ADHD stimulant medication. On the other hand, only two children from the second group were prescribed ADHD meds.
The FDA released a Safety Communication and noted that although the concerned parents should discuss the risks of ADHD with their children’s doctors, this medication shouldn’t be paused due to this study’s limitations.
The FDA emphasizes that the limitations of the study are the following: a significant time lag between the deaths of the children and the data collection, the fact that the different circumstances of the children’s deaths may have caused the families to have a difference in the recall of the meds used at the time of death, and the child’s sudden unexplained death would be likelier to trigger a post-mortem inquiry than a death from car accidents.
Despite these limitations, there are several other studies on the health risks linked with ADHD meds that are being conducted.
The Side Effects of ADHD Drugs
ADHD meds, depending on which type, carry a lot of risks and side effects such as anxiety, agitation, headaches, confusion, hallucinations, tremors, hallucinations, dizziness, insomnia, paranoia, seizures, hyperactivity, and even death.
If we take into account the serious side effects, the normal medical advice would be against the use of ADHD meds; however, the FDA keeps advising parents to keep up with their children’s ADHD treatment per the prescriptions of their doctors.
Could Magnesium Be A Safer Alternative to ADHD Meds?
Magnesium deficiency is often present in kids with ADHD. In one study done with ADHD children, 95 percent were found to have magnesium deficiency.
This may mean that hyperactive children are lacking magnesium. Supplementation with this important mineral may help reduce hyperactivity in children.
In one 6-month study, a group of children who were given 200 mg of magnesium daily experienced a reduction in their hyperactivity and an increase in the magnesium contents in their hair when compared to the control group of children who didn’t receive any magnesium supplementation.
Another review that checked out studies done on magnesium for the treatment of ADHD in kids found that even though the studies supported the effectiveness of magnesium for ADHD, they didn’t recommend it for the treatment of ADHD until further and stronger evidence for its safety and efficacy are provided.
However, the safety of magnesium has been established because there aren’t any reports of deaths caused by magnesium supplementation. And, overdosing on magnesium may cause loose stool which is temporary and goes away once the doses are lowered or taken in smaller amounts throughout the day.
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