With drugs becoming the norm in treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, and anxiety disorders among youngsters, some experts are wondering how drug therapy will affect children later in life, Time reported Oct. 26.Lexapro is a common prescription to treat depression, while Adderall is often used to treat ADHD. Similar drugs prescribed for children include Ritalin, Zoloft, Seroquel, and Prozac. All of them come with side effects, such as weight loss and sleeplessness. And all may be chemically altering a child's brain before it is fully developed.
Dr. Ronald Brown, professor of pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina, said better diagnosis and detection of childhood problems, such as bipolar disorder and ADHD, have contributed to an increase in children being treated with these disorders, primarily with drugs. New psychotropic drugs, which are more effective than earlier medications and have fewer side effects, also are driving the trend.
According to a study by Professor Julie Zito of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, between 1987 and 1996, the use of antidepressants among children and teens increased threefold.
But with all the types of drugs available, including mood stabilizers, sleep medications, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, and antianxietals, the medical community, as well as parents, are concerned about the effects of psychotropic drugs on children.
"We know that kids are not just little adults," said Dr. David Fassler, professor of psychiatry at the University of Vermont. "They metabolize medications differently."
In a quick-fix culture, some experts say little is being explored regarding long-term use of these drugs.
"The problem," said Dr. Glen Elliott, director of the Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute's children's center at the University of California, San Francisco, "is that our usage has outstripped our knowledge base. Let's face it, we're experimenting on these kids without tracking the results."
Others question giving children drugs even if they are showing less-severe symptoms. "Unless there is careful assessment, we might start medicating normal variations in behavior," said Stephen Hinshaw, chairman of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
To determine if any type of brain damage is occurring in children taking psychotropic drugs, researchers are using advanced brain scans, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Early results show no problems with ADHD drugs. But children being treated for bipolar disorder show some anatomical differences that may be a result of treatment.
"We are seeing that medications do affect the brain acutely," said Dr. Kiki Chang at Stanford University. "Is that a good thing, a bad thing? We just don't know."
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