Medicating Our Children

Medicating Our Children

It seems that we are medicating our children more now than ever before. Children are being given medications to deal with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity, medications to deal with diseases such as diabetes and psychiatric medications.

Medications are being given for pain, fever and infections. Stimulants, psychiatric drugs are all in the news regarding the safety of these drugs for our kids.

There is little information regarding the benefits and safety of stimulant usage for young children. Young children can experience side effects from medications and should be watched carefully, especially when they are given new medications.

Psychiatric medications should only be given after careful discussion with the doctor and after benefits and risks are compared to other methods of treatment.

One concern is that the medical society is too quick to prescribe medication and less apt to try other methods such as therapy and other interventions.

What is clear is that there is a marked increase in the use of psychiatric medications in children.

There are undoubtedly children who receive great benefit from the use of medication when other interventions have not been effective.

Medication should never be the only recourse considered and should only be given under a doctor's supervision and careful monitoring.

Approximately 5 - 8% of children do in fact have severe behavioral and emotional disorders where medication is indicated in order for them to have any chance for "normalcy".

Online Drugs What You Should Know About The Medication That You Are Taking There are certain things that should know about mediation before you take it so that you are safe and knowledgeable about what you are putting into your body. There are three types of medications: Prescription medications, street or recreational drugs, and over-the-counter medications. Prescription medications can only be purchased through your doctor, over-the-counter medications may be some of the same medications that you can get as prescription over-the-counter medications can be purchased without having to get a doctor's prescription and are available where you shop for other health-related supplies. Whenever you are about to take a medication into your body there are certain things that you should be able to answer about it. Drugs and Medicine

 

The increase according to a Washington Post story in the April 18, 2004 issue stated that antidepressant usage increased tenfold from 1987 to 1996 and then rose again by 50% from 1998 to 2002.

This increase in despite clinical trial that have failed to show any clear evidence that these medications have actually helped depressed kids.

There are children who have been placed on medications for emotional or psychiatric disturbances that have not had appropriate studies done of school, family or intrapersonal functions and do not receive therapeutic assistance in combination with medication therapy.

Some professional see the controversy over whether or not we are overmedicating our children to involve some very basic fundamental philosophy regarding how we view our children today versus how they were viewed in generations past.

Side Affects Drugs You should also throw away medicine containers that are almost empty or that contain less than a full dose so that they do not clutter up your medicine cabinet. If you have any medications that are not being stored correctly because you lost the caps etc., they can evaporate, or spoil if not stored properly so you should throw these out. Drugs and Medicine

Children used to be viewed through the eyes of biology and were cared for mostly at home away from the critical eyes of those who would prefer to categorize and label children.

Today kids are mostly cared for by others that are not parents and are trained to look at kids through the eyes of a society that is based more on computer programs and standards that are designed for achievement and not so much for individualism.

Perhaps part of the reason more children are needing medication is that the standards of normalcy have changed from what it used to be in years past.

We also live in a society in which there is a pill cure for every ailment and medication is seen as the answer to everything that is wrong with us physically, mentally or emotionally.