‘Medications’ at Psychology, Philosophy and Real Life, Page 7

With 42 million sleeping pill prescriptions filled last year — up some 60 percent since 2000 — experts are warning that the drugs are being overused and may be encouraging doctors to overlook other causes of sleeplessness, such as depression. Behind the increased use of sleeping pills are advertising campaigns costing hundreds of millions of dollars.

Twenty-five people died suddenly and another 54 suffered serious cardiovascular problems after taking drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder between 1999 and 2003, according to a report from the US government’s Food and Drug Administration. The report says that children accounted for 19 of the deaths and 26 of the cases of nonfatal cardiovascular problems, including heart attack, stroke, hypertension, palpitations and arrhythmia.

The US Food and Drug Administration has indicated it will approve a patch for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children, provided that the manufacturers agree to certain changes in how the ADHD patch will be labelled and agree to monitor the product once it is on the market.

There are patches for quitting smoking, and patches for birth control — so why not a patch for ADHD? Early clinical trials suggest that a methylphenidate transdermal system (MTS), or patch, demonstrated statistically significant reductions in the symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and was generally well tolerated in patients aged 6 to 12.

Results of the largest and most comprehensive independent drug trial ever conducted to investigate therapies for schizophrenia suggest that five atypical antipsychotic medications are no more effective — and no safer — than an older, cheaper, drug that has largely been discontinued. The 18-month, $44 million study involved 1400 people and was funded by the US National Institute for Mental Health.