Drug Concerta, Atomoxetine, Metadate CD, Ritalin LA, Focalin; The New
Meds
Pharmaceutical companies vying for Ritalin’s hefty market share are coming up
with new formulas and aggressive campaign ads to compete in this $1 billion per
year ADHD drug industry.
Pharmaceutical companies introduced five new drugs to treat ADHD in the past
five years, with another ADHD drug expected on the market in early 2003 and more
are being developed.
The relative newcomers Adderall and the drug Concerta are now joined by
Metadate CD, Ritalin LA and Focalin. Another formula, Strattera (Atomoxetine) by
Eli Lilly, received FDA approval in late November.
The new
ADHD drugs
give people choosing drug therapy wider options. Yet,
parents, doctors, the FDA and the Drug Enforcement Agency alike worry that the
unprecedented marketing tactics will further drive up demand for ADHD
medications, as well as increase drug abuse for these high powered drugs.
Ritalin enjoyed the ADHD corner market for decades.
Adderall, with its longer
acting formula, jumped in for its share in 1996 and quickly began chiseling at
Ritalin’s market share. The drug
Concerta, a reformulation of Ritalin, followed
in 2000. Then, Metadate CD and Focalin appeared.
Not willing to lose its share in the market, Ritalin makers began developing
new formulas, the first - Ritalin LA - reaching FDA approval in June. In
addition to these, Eli Lily and Company received FDA approval for their ADHD medication version,
Strattera (Atomoxetine) in November.
New ADHD formulas hitting the market is not all that surprising. After all,
the market is wide open and growing. New prescriptions for Attention Deficit
Disorder increased almost 40 percent over the past five years. Last year doctors
wrote 20 million prescriptions for ADHD medications. More American children are
diagnosed with Attention Deficit than in any other country in the world.
No matter what ADHD drug - Concerta, Adderall, Metadate CD, Ritalin LA,
Focalin… - these have a high potential for side effects, drug dependency and
abuse and are closely related to illegal street drugs.
It is ironic that every day millions of children line up to the counter for
their dose of meds while the person caught in possession of these drugs without
a prescription face felony charges. These drugs cannot be good for young minds
and young bodies.
Of the less severe side effects, children might lose weight, have problems
falling asleep, have decreased appetite, and temporarily grow more slowly while
taking ADHD medications.
Other side effects can include cardiac arrhythmia, depression, psychosis,
facial tics, liver damage, abuse and addiction. Some doctors also believe that
some ADHD medications may also worsen the symptoms of
Tourette Syndrome.
What's worse, ADHD medications do not always work, do not treat the core cause
of Attention Deficit Disorder and could have long-term negative effects. Parents
need to be clear about the benefits, as well as the potential side effects of
ADHD medications drug Concerta, Ritalin and Adderall - and the newcomers
Metadate CD, Focalin and Ritalin LA.
Strattera
(Atomoxetine) differs in that it is not a stimulant, but it still
poses potentially harmful side effects.
Still, more than enough doctors willingly diagnose children as Attention
Deficit and cut a prescription. More than enough parents willingly place their
children on psychotropic drugs. More than enough teachers and school
administrators encourage parents to "do the right thing for their child" to make
their child more complaint in school.
There are effective, healthy
alternatives to Ritalin
and other ADHD medications.
The more surprising aspect of this wave of new ADHD medications is the
aggressive marketing of narcotics straight to the consumer. ADHD drug makers
stepped over a 30-year international treaty agreement not to advertise
controlled substances that have high potential for abuse last year when they
began marketing their magic pills.
These Schedule II controlled substances are of the most addictive and abused
drugs that are still legal. Full-page color advertisement for ADHD medications
began splashing across the pages of women's magazines. Metadate CD, Adderall and
Concerta ads show smiling children and their proud mothers touting the wonders
of such ADHD medications.
Metadate CD, introduced in April, launched ads in nearly a dozen women's
magazines this year. The Drug Enforcement Agency sent a cease-and-desist letter
to the makers of Metadate CD after the ads appeared yet the pharmaceutical
company insisted that it did no wrong.
The Drug Enforcement Agency closely watches ADHD medication prescriptions and
its advertising. ADHD medications are most-stolen prescriptions and the
most-abused legal drugs. According to the DEA, the drug thieves, drug dealers
and drug abusers are almost always children.
Adderall and Concerta advertisements appeared in September, just in time for
the back-to-school children. These companies did not name the product in the ad
but listed a toll free number for parents to call if they wanted more
information.
Concerta manufacturers also began airing 60-second ads on cable TV channels.
For the first time ever, Schedule II drugs found their way to mainstream
television marketing.
The public can expect continued advertising as drug makers attempt to
convince the public that their medications are better than the rest. Thus far,
the makers of Ritalin have not marketed directly to consumers.
Strattera (Atomoxetine) manufacturer Eli Lilly received FDA approval as the
first ADHD medication approved for use in adults as well as children.
We find this interesting.
The vast majority of ADHD medication consumers are children. Does this "brain
disorder", as doctors will classify Attention Deficit, just go away as children
age? Or do kids just quit being kids when they grown up and quit being kids?
We at Attention Deficit Disorder Help Center maintain a belief shared by many
that Attention Deficit Disorder is highly over-diagnosed. Many children have
higher levels of energy, act impulsively, have trouble maintaining attention or
sitting still in the classroom but that should not be enough reason to place
them on psychotropic drugs that carry a high potential for drug dependency,
abuse, long-term effects and serious short-term side effects.
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