Children with ADHD have been treated with Ritalin for decades.

Andrea Yates, famed for drowning her five small children last year, was taking five different psychiatric drugs at various times. Eric Harris, the student responsible for the Columbine school killings was on a Prozac-like drug, Luvox, at the time of the killings. Fifteen-year-old Shawn Cooper was on Ritalin when he fired a gun at his school (Breggin 2000).

Dr. Park Dietz, a consultant for the Andrea Yates trial stated of her situation, “Escape is something she couldn't admit she needed. She doesn't have the skill to say, `I'm out of here. Get me a baby sitter and a new house,’” (Christian). She took drugs instead. Andrea Yates, seemed even to use the drugs to her advantage. When she did not get attention or help from her husband, being on medication gained her sympathy. Taking an overdose got her a new home. Dietz, like other people, laid blame on Andrea for either not asking for enough help or not taking her medication. However, few have thought to consider that her medication may have had a role in her horrible acts. And few people realize or would readily admit that they abuse psychiatric drugs in the same way she did.

Peter Breggin, in his book Reclaiming Our Children, has found that many of the children who did school killings were on psychiatric drugs such as Prozac, Ritalin or (as he states) “the most toxic agents of all, the adult anti-psychotic drugs Haldol, Risperdal and Zyprexa.” Interestingly enough, the articles about Andrea Yates state that the Haldol she had been taking “did not produce any side effects of psychosis.” However, Peter Breggin and numerous scientific studies refute that opinion. Andrea Yates had been taking Effexor, Remeron, Wellbutrin and Haldol. Family members blamed her problems on not taking enough medication. However, a little research shows that taking medication may actually be more dangerous than not taking it.

The main problems with physiciatric drugs are that they are often given too soon, for the wrong reasons and while their few questionable benefits are touted widely in ads, articles and press-releases, their side-effects are largely hidden or ignored.  Lisa Schizandra of Theotherside.com has compiled a list of resources and articles on anti-depressants and other psychiatric drugs and has found that in the clinical trials that the drug was barely distinguishable from the placebo, that people often are cured for other reasons other than the drug, that they do not work and have not been tested widely on children, they can cause suicidal symptoms in some people and that they are relatively toxic to many people.

Many times, drugs are given too soon or for the wrong reason. Many drugs are given according to a person’s answers to a list of questions that show they exhibit the required symptoms. However, often these symptoms can be mimicked by other health problems or temporary lifestyle challenges - such as a move or lack of sleep. Peter Breggin has found that when there is conflict in the home, divorce, inadequate parenting or discipline skills, a child will often develop all the symptoms of attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Similarly, if one combines post-partum hormonal problems with the difficulty of raising small children and a baby, an unhelpful husband and perhaps even a history of marital conflict, the symptoms often mimic those of post-partum depression.

In fact, sleep-deprivation alone can mimic depression and a number of psychiatric conditions. Oftentimes, simply getting more sleep can alleviate symptoms in these cases. This is, ironically, most obvious in the clinical trials of the major psychiatric drugs on the market today. Over six weeks of treatment, a majority of patients do improve, according to the trials conducted for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. As measured by the Hamilton Depression scale, the scores drop about 40 percent. While far from a cure, this is a marked improvement. But as noted in studies, patients getting a placebo improved by a similar amount (Moore).

Reviews of medical journals have continuously and consistently found that modern psychiatric problems are usually resolved within six weeks without the use of any drugs. In fact, Schizandra found that, “In many clinical trials for FDA approval the difference between drug and placebo was about two points on a 0-50 scale measuring depression. In a study of the five popular drugs, more than 80% of the benefit was duplicated in a similar group getting a placebo” (Schizandra). Thomas Moore, a journalist at The Boston Globe dug into the FDA archives with a respected scientist as his assistant and found that, “If one combines all the Prozac studies in FDA files, it becomes clear that nearly 90% of the improvements reported by patients taking Prozac were also reported by the patients taking placebos.” And that, “Prozac is not the only antidepressant to post marginal benefits in clinical trials” (Moore).

What is startling is that sometimes anti-depressants or drugs are prescribed before other methods are tried to help the person and some psychiatrists use the drugs as a catalyst for change rather than as a last resort. But sometimes this catalyst backfires. All of the modern Psychiatric drugs have side effects and most people taking these suffer from at least some of the side effects. Unfortunately, once a person starts taking the drugs it is sometimes hard to tell the difference between side-effects and the original problem - so problems can become worse on medication and are often combated by increasing dosage or changing medication rather than considering the side-effects of the original medication (Moore).

Prozac, according to Eli Lilly, causes rashes or hives in 7% of the people who take it, insomnia in 20%, sedation in 13%, tremors in 10%, nausea in 23%, diarrhea in 12%, and loss of appetite in 12%. Because it was not well studied during testing, sexual dysfunction was understated in the official ranking. Depending on definitions, from 10 to 70% find their sex lives diminished.

Many drugs are given to patients for the wrong reasons.

To make the situation worse, in many clinical trials the definition of success is very opinionated. What some doctors define as success, others may define as a failure. Peter Breggin, in his research on drug reactions has found that in studies the following were shown to be positive effects of the drugs: stereotypical activities, compulsive disorders, inflexibility of thinking, over-focusing, social withdrawal and isolation, diminished play, increased solitary play, depression, frequent crying, bland emotionless behavior, and drowsiness (Breggin, 2002). Furthermore, studies are often slanted from the beginning as many people drop out before they complete the study. Schizandra found that, “ In testing, from 15% to 21% quit because of intolerable side effects, and a majority are either over stimulated [insomnia, anxiety], or get detached, listless, tired or feel sedated. Another 10% suffer signs of neurological impairment, including tremors, twitches, and tics.” Final study results are based only on those people that complete the study.

Moore reports that, “A recent federal study of 315 published clinical trials of 29 antidepressant drugs noted that every one which identified a sponsor came from a drug company. While the FDA requires companies to submit failed trials, reports of drugs with no effect seldom make it to the medical journals.”  For example, one published trial of Serzone with a marginal result matches the FDA records. But an identical trial with no measurable drug effect did not get published, according to the federal study. How many drug companies are going to publish a study that makes their drug look bad? (Moore).

Peter Breggin, in his article, “Confirming the Hazards of Stimulant Drug Treatment”, notes that one reason harmful side-effects of psychiatric drugs have been ignored is that there is very little motivation to perform and then publish studies on these side-effects. He states that, “Until recently, no studies have systematically examined the rate of psychotic symptoms caused by routine treatment with stimulant drugs such as methylphenidate [Ritalin] and amphetamine [Dexedrine, Adderall].  Doctors who prescribe stimulant drugs often seem oblivious to the fact that they can cause psychoses, including manic-like and schizophrenic-like disorders.  Without providing a scientific basis, the literature often cites rates of 1% or less for stimulant-induced psychoses” (Breggin, 1998).

Recent studies have shown that in children with ADHD, up to 9% showed marked psychosis at the beginning of treatment and that when treatment with drugs stopped, the psychosis vanished. It also showed that in children not taking drugs there were absolutely no cases of psychosis (Breggin 2002). Furthermore, the authors of the study concluded that, due to poor reporting, the rate of stimulant-induced psychosis and psychotic symptoms was probably much higher. 

Breggin reports on the dangers of these side-effects and says that “When these children developed depression, delusions, hallucinations, paranoid fears and other drug-induced reactions while taking stimulants, their physicians mistakenly concluded that the children suffered from "clinical depression," "schizophrenia" or "bipolar disorder" that has been "unmasked" by the medications.  Instead of removing the child from the stimulants, these doctors mistakenly prescribed additional drugs, such as antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and neuroleptics. Children who were put on stimulants for "inattention" or "hyperactivity" ended up taking multiple adult psychiatric drugs that caused severe adverse effects, including psychoses and tardive dyskinesia.” 

Peter Breggin suggests that instead of asking “What can I do to fix this problem?” that we start asking, “How can I change to adapt to and help this person who has a problem?” As Muslims, we can also follow the example of the prophet Muhammad and turn to herbs or natural remedies to assist us. Many herbs such as skullcap, valerian, hops, catnip, and St. John’s Wort have proven effective in many cases of ADHD and many types of depression. The side effects of these natural remedies are mild and can be easily controlled by dosage.

Sources: 

• Breggin, Peter R., MD. "Confirming the Hazards of Stimulant Drug Treatment." Center for Study of Psychiatry and Psychology. 2002.

• Breggin, P. “Talking Back to Ritalin.”  Monroe, Maine: Common Courage Press. 1998.

• Breggin, P. “Psychostimulants in the treatment of children diagnosed with ADHD: Risks and mechanism of action.”  International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine, 12, 3-35. 1999.

• Breggin, P. “Reclaiming Our Children.”  Cambridge, Massachusetts: Perseus Books. 2000.

• Breggin, P. Adverse Reactions to Stimulant Drugs Mistakenly Identified as Beneficial.” Data from Twenty Controlled Trials.

• Breggin, P. and Cohen, D. Your Drug May Be Your Problem: How and Why to Stop Taking Psychiatric Medications.  Cambridge, Massachusetts: Perseus Books. 1999.

• Cherland, E. and Fitzpatrick, R. “Psychotic Side Effects of Psychostimulants: A 5-year Review.”  Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 44, 811-813. October 1999.

• Schizandra, Lisa. “Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft – Oh My!” The Other Side Resource. 2001. 

• Moore, Thomas J. “No Prescription for Happiness.” The Boston Globe. 10/17/99.

• Christian, Carol. “4 Yates Children Still Alive When Put to Bed.” Houston Chronicle. 03/09/2002. 

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