The Food and Drug Administration says kids should continue taking Ritalin, Adderall and other stimulants despite a new study suggesting the drugs might lead to sudden death.
The study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry compared a group of healthy children who died suddenly to another group of children who died randomly in car accidents. It found that 10 of the healthy children were taking stimulant drugs compared with just two of the children in the vehicle accidents. From that researchers deduced that there may be a link between the drugs and sudden death.
The FDA, however, is promoting caution, emphasizing that the study was relatively small and focused on children who died between 1985 and 1996 when these drugs were far less common.
Stimulants are used to help individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other diagnoses stay focused.
This study was partly funded by the FDA. The government agency is currently funding two additional studies on stimulants in relation to death and stroke, reports The Wall Street Journal. To read more click here.
