From the American Medical News
They discuss how doctors were talking about the different reactions to Health Canada suspending sales of Adderall, while the FDA did not do so in the US.
The FDA answers a question that I’ve had about the suspension that Health Canada did not specify in the release that I read, namely what would be the normal death rate for that large a number of people, is it more, is it less is it the same?
“When one considers the rate of sudden death in pediatric patients treated with Adderall products based on the approximately 30 million prescriptions written between 1999 and 2003 — the period of time in which these deaths occurred — it does not appear that the number of deaths reported is greater than the number of sudden deaths that would be expected to occur in this population without treatment,” according to the FDA’s advisory.
30 million prescriptions for Adderall were written by U.S. doctors between 1999 and 2003.
When doctors asked how to monitor young patients taking Adderall,
“We told them to check for a family history of high blood pressure, heart disease or stroke and to monitor their blood pressure over time while they are on the medication,” Dr. Robb said.
“Anyone who is on a stimulant should be coming to see their doctor at least once a month, or if the dose is changed, probably even more frequently,” she said.
If a drug truly is a danger, than pull it off the market. It seemed to me and others in the ADD community that the health Canada decision raised more questions than it answered.