FDA wants pharmaceutical companies to issue ADHD drug warnings

A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee has said that pharmaceutical companies around the world should make physicians and patients aware of the dangers associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs.

It said that the guide should explain that such medication can increase the risk of psychosis, mania and heart attack, stroke, sudden death and aggressive behaviour in children.

Committee members also warned that children who experience hallucinations should be taken off the medication, rather than be given additional drugs to combat the side effect.

Kate Gelperin, a drug safety expert for the FDA, said that reports indicate that up to six per cent of children who take treatment for ADHD suffer from “hallucinations, both visual and tactile, involving insects, snakes and worms”.

However, despite these concerns, the committee said that a ‘black box’ warning was not necessary ? as suggested by a previous committee, reports the Wall Street Journal.

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