Controversy continues over ADHD medication, sudden cardiac deaths

Controversy continues over ADHD medication, sudden cardiac deaths

SAN FRANCISCO — Due to a paucity of data, controversy persists regarding the risk of cardiac events associated with children taking medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, according to a speaker here at the 2010 American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition.

Between 1999 and 2004, 19 children prescribed ADHD medications were reported to the FDA voluntary reporting system to have died suddenly, and 26 children were reported to have experienced cardiovascular events, including heart palpitations, strokes and cardiac arrests, and this prompted public concern about these medications, according to Jeffrey A. Towbin, MD, executive co-director of the Heart Institute at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio.

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