A woman in my ADD support group was one of the people who testified before the FDA panel today. She must have done a good job because the panel rejected the idea of a strong warning for stimulant meds used for us ADD'ers.

Here's a link to the news story http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=1757336&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

I disagree with the decision, as everyone knows, a stimulant could be deadly to someone with en underlying heart condition.Not all parents are going to be aware of this, or would ever think theyre kid had a heart problem. At least with a black box warning, a simple test would be taken that could save someone's life..

The problem is that in reality, a black box warning is like a great big stop sign for medication, especially for children. Doctors are afraid that by prescribing a black-box medication they will risk being taken to task or sued or whatever else, yet by committing true malpractice by denying the med. when needed, they will risk no censure.

It's a horrible situation, but there it is. A black box warning would have kept millions of people from medication they neeed.

There's nothing new or revelatory that would go into a into a black box warning. Stimulants have long been known to cause problems if given to someone with cardiovascular problems.

In this case, a black box warning is a poor form of risk communication. As blueeye sez, a big stop sign.

Though, the docs should be doing their jobs to do the cardio follow-up of their patients.

Thanks for the post Madd, BTW.

I disagree with the decision, as everyone knows, a stimulant could be deadly to someone with en underlying heart condition.Not all parents are going to be aware of this, or would ever think theyre kid had a heart problem. At least with a black box warning, a simple test would be taken that could save someone's life..
Stimulants are much safer than quite a few other medications we give to our children without thinking.

The fact that a stimulant could be dangerous for someone with a heart condition is simply common sense. Doctors should be well aware of this, and take anyone's medical history into consideration.

Also, this would be one of the reasons I don't think anyone should be diagnosed with ADHD, or put on meds for it, without being completely checked out physically. Especially children, since they can't report their own symptoms as well as an adult, and they and their parents probably know less about their bodies than independent adults do.

Its all politics. I don't claim to understand all the nuances of all the pro/con arguments. It just seemed like a bad idea as a result of questionable motivations. Its all over with, for now anyway.