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There was a letter in the paper this morning from someone concerned that this drug, used to treat ADHD among other things, would soon be available with a warning label about its possible links to suicidal depression. The writer was quite concerned, and was wondering if it was worth it to have a drug on the market that carried that kind of risk.
I'm considering writing, because the author, while concerned, needs more information to make a statement about how the drug should be used or labelled.
My student Klepto was on this drug for the first five months of last year. Before that, he had been a holy terror in grades one through four. He trashed rooms. He stole everything in sight. He ruined every book that came into his possession, no matter how briefly. He missed more than half the school year in grade four due to suspensions. Then, at the end of grade four, he went on this drug.
It was like night and day. The teachers were not told he was going on meds, probably because the mother wanted to see if it really would make a visible difference. The teachers figured it out before lunchtime, and within three days they were calling home and remarking on the change. It was the first time he had managed three consecutive days at school in four months. Most of the hoarding stopped. The neat-freakness was severely curtailed down to manageable levels. He functioned in class. He completed his work. I didn't have any problems with him - except on days where he didn't take his meds. The three times that happened, he was suspended by the end of the day each time. I knew it was going to happen when he started "organizing" the supplies in my room. I also knew to check his desk for items that had gone missing into it.
In the winter (February, I think) Strattera was taken off the market temporarily for extra tests. Klepto was put on a different med that didn't work. He went from a productive student to a holy terror pretty much overnight. He terrorized my class, and he stopped working.
Now, if parents are being attentive, and doctors are on the ball, and kids are taught to identify feelings they should tell their parents about, then the incidence of suicide will almost disappear. In the meantime, how many other kids will gain the ability to function for the first time in their lives? And how much is that worth?
I'm considering writing, because the author, while concerned, needs more information to make a statement about how the drug should be used or labelled.
My student Klepto was on this drug for the first five months of last year. Before that, he had been a holy terror in grades one through four. He trashed rooms. He stole everything in sight. He ruined every book that came into his possession, no matter how briefly. He missed more than half the school year in grade four due to suspensions. Then, at the end of grade four, he went on this drug.
It was like night and day. The teachers were not told he was going on meds, probably because the mother wanted to see if it really would make a visible difference. The teachers figured it out before lunchtime, and within three days they were calling home and remarking on the change. It was the first time he had managed three consecutive days at school in four months. Most of the hoarding stopped. The neat-freakness was severely curtailed down to manageable levels. He functioned in class. He completed his work. I didn't have any problems with him - except on days where he didn't take his meds. The three times that happened, he was suspended by the end of the day each time. I knew it was going to happen when he started "organizing" the supplies in my room. I also knew to check his desk for items that had gone missing into it.
In the winter (February, I think) Strattera was taken off the market temporarily for extra tests. Klepto was put on a different med that didn't work. He went from a productive student to a holy terror pretty much overnight. He terrorized my class, and he stopped working.
Now, if parents are being attentive, and doctors are on the ball, and kids are taught to identify feelings they should tell their parents about, then the incidence of suicide will almost disappear. In the meantime, how many other kids will gain the ability to function for the first time in their lives? And how much is that worth?