As college students, we hear about Adderall abuse all the time. People use the drug recreationally, even if they haven’t been diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Adderall, an amphetamine, has many side effects, including decreased appetite, insomnia, increased anxiety and irritability.
Recently in Illinois, Dr. Fuad Ziai has prescribed Adderall to more than 800 overweight children and teens in order to lose weight and prevent diabetes.
Dr. Ziai said about 90 percent of his patients have been successful in losing weight on the drug, even though none were diagnosed with ADHD when he prescribed the medication.
Brain-imaging research indicates that brains of children with and without ADHD differ in some aspects, but the effects of using Adderall in people without the disorder have not been studied extensively.
Even though the effects on non-ADHD patients have not been studied, Ed Board does not agree with Dr. Ziai’s approach to treating obesity. Has the obesity epidemic among children become so severe that it’s okay to prescribe a drug not approved for weight loss when the drug can have serious, sometimes life-threatening side effects? Ed Board thinks there should be another solution.
The FDA cites reports of increased blood pressure and heart rate in ADHD patients, as well as a slight risk of sudden death in some who already have heart problems. The FDA also cites reports of a slight risk in psychiatric problems, including hearing voices, unfounded suspicions and manic behavior.
Ed Board thinks these side effects, though rare, are too dangerous to put a child’s life at risk just for weight loss. Prescribing the drug solely for decreased appetite will encourage more abuse of the drug in high-school and college students.
This is morally and medically questionable, and Ed Board doesn’t think that any doctor prescribing the drug off-label should be proud of what they’re doing. According to a CNN.com article, doctors who prescribe this could end up killing kids by giving them a medication that doesn’t work for the reason they’re prescribing.
Dr. Ziai stands by his decision. He told CNN.com that Adderall is the only option for overweight kids, and “prior to the administration of the medication, there was no solution available medically for these children.”
Ed Board believes Ziai is using a quick-fix solution to a very real social problem that requires more than just a pill. Losing weight is a lifestyle change, and simply giving children a pill isn’t teaching them how to be healthy. It’s just telling them that medicine solves everything.
