ADHD prescriptions have skyrocketed among young women over the last few years. A study of data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows the number of reproductive-age women in the United States receiving prescription medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder jumped more than 300% from 2003 to 2015.
ADHD medication use among pregnant women is increasing, but the consensus about the safety of ADHD medication during pregnancy hasn’t been addressed adequately, and it needs to.
Since these medications are amphetamines, which dynamically affect the nervous system, the impact on a developing fetus can be horrific. The first trimester of pregnancy is when the notochord is being formed which gives rise to the central nervous system. The potential impact of amphetamines on this development can only be surmised as either lethal, or crippling at best.
One must consider what’s really going on in a person with ADHD. Inflicting damage to the unborn of this magnitude can create far more problems in the next generation than we are expecting.
Having cared for severely autistic patients and their parents, I’ve seen the extreme challenges these conditions place on the patient and the major sacrifices on the parents. Having a damaged child is more than many can handle, robbing a family of many of the joys most families take for granted. To top that off, the expense of caring for these kids is considerably higher than most. The infections and allergies seen in these kids on top of everything else is a tremendous burden for any parent to handle.
So, why are so many women of child bearing age now taking ADHD medications when the vast majority of the population affected by this condition are males? These drugs are amphetamines. One of the side effects of amphetamine use is loss of appetite and weight loss. So, instead of the illegal meth-amphetamines, we see women persuading their doctors to dispense ADHD medications to increase energy and drop the weight. But at what cost?
For a doctor to dispense these drugs for this kind of reasoning is ethically and morally irresponsible. Our society has become so drug oriented that we’ve forgotten the fact that drugs have side effects. When a drug is used simply for vain purposes instead of going to the cause, we have a problem. At this point, there’s no thought about the future and our children, as well as the heartaches, we as parents suffer when our children suffer.
The weight gain issue is related to the major health issues of today. Along with increasing obesity in our nation, the rate of climb in diabetes is paralleling this increase as well. The high carbohydrate consumption over the years has raised insulin levels resulting in insulin resistance, coupled with soaring cortisol levels. This combination layers on the fat in the system and sets up a myriad of diseases from heart disease to Alzheimers.
Back in the 50’s, there was a perverted study which pointed at fat in the diet as being unhealthy. The food industry jumped on this and capitalized on it with all kinds of low fat, no fat, high sugar and carbohydrate foods. This started a major decline in health.
We see where trusted sources of information on nutrition were putting out improper advice on eating which actually fueled the fire and has added to the problem. The food pyramid which lists grains, breads, and pasta as the bulk of the diet is so wrong yet so many believed it and still do. That kind of food consumption is how you fatten a hog.
When we eat all those carbohydrates, our body turns off the fat burning preference and stimulates increased cravings for more carbohydrates. This becomes a vicious cycle which is self perpetuating.
Fats are critical for the brain, heart, and nerves. Fat is crucial in building cell walls. These membranes are what’s called a bi-lipid, or double walled fat membranes. This is what maintains healthy skin as well as the healthy lining of your intestines, preventing various types of allergies. If you’re on a high carbohydrate, low fat diet, you’re slowly killing yourself.
ADHD medication use among pregnant women is increasing, but the consensus about the safety of ADHD medication during pregnancy hasn’t been addressed adequately, and it needs to.
Since these medications are amphetamines, which dynamically affect the nervous system, the impact on a developing fetus can be horrific. The first trimester of pregnancy is when the notochord is being formed which gives rise to the central nervous system. The potential impact of amphetamines on this development can only be surmised as either lethal, or crippling at best.
One must consider what’s really going on in a person with ADHD. Inflicting damage to the unborn of this magnitude can create far more problems in the next generation than we are expecting.
Having cared for severely autistic patients and their parents, I’ve seen the extreme challenges these conditions place on the patient and the major sacrifices on the parents. Having a damaged child is more than many can handle, robbing a family of many of the joys most families take for granted. To top that off, the expense of caring for these kids is considerably higher than most. The infections and allergies seen in these kids on top of everything else is a tremendous burden for any parent to handle.
So, why are so many women of child bearing age now taking ADHD medications when the vast majority of the population affected by this condition are males? These drugs are amphetamines. One of the side effects of amphetamine use is loss of appetite and weight loss. So, instead of the illegal meth-amphetamines, we see women persuading their doctors to dispense ADHD medications to increase energy and drop the weight. But at what cost?
For a doctor to dispense these drugs for this kind of reasoning is ethically and morally irresponsible. Our society has become so drug oriented that we’ve forgotten the fact that drugs have side effects. When a drug is used simply for vain purposes instead of going to the cause, we have a problem. At this point, there’s no thought about the future and our children, as well as the heartaches, we as parents suffer when our children suffer.
The weight gain issue is related to the major health issues of today. Along with increasing obesity in our nation, the rate of climb in diabetes is paralleling this increase as well. The high carbohydrate consumption over the years has raised insulin levels resulting in insulin resistance, coupled with soaring cortisol levels. This combination layers on the fat in the system and sets up a myriad of diseases from heart disease to Alzheimers.
Back in the 50’s, there was a perverted study which pointed at fat in the diet as being unhealthy. The food industry jumped on this and capitalized on it with all kinds of low fat, no fat, high sugar and carbohydrate foods. This started a major decline in health.
We see where trusted sources of information on nutrition were putting out improper advice on eating which actually fueled the fire and has added to the problem. The food pyramid which lists grains, breads, and pasta as the bulk of the diet is so wrong yet so many believed it and still do. That kind of food consumption is how you fatten a hog.
When we eat all those carbohydrates, our body turns off the fat burning preference and stimulates increased cravings for more carbohydrates. This becomes a vicious cycle which is self perpetuating.
Fats are critical for the brain, heart, and nerves. Fat is crucial in building cell walls. These membranes are what’s called a bi-lipid, or double walled fat membranes. This is what maintains healthy skin as well as the healthy lining of your intestines, preventing various types of allergies. If you’re on a high carbohydrate, low fat diet, you’re slowly killing yourself.
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