ADHD Drugs Can Cause Children To Hallucinate, FDA Says

January 27, 2009 8:14 a.m. EST

Miami, FL (AHN) - Children being treated with medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder suffer through hallucinations and psychosis symptoms at a higher rate than previously thought, a new study suggests.

The study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration identified more than 850 instances where children being treated for ADHD with drugs like Ritalin, Adderall XR, Focalin and Metadate CD had hallucinations, many times involving snakes, insects and worms crawling on them.

The FDA's Dr. Andrew Mosholder said in the report that doctors and patients should be made aware of these side effects before treating ADHD with medication.

The researchers said in their report, published in the journal Pediatrics, that out of every 100 children taking the medication, one to two experienced similar psychosis episodes. In one instance, a child reported experiencing episodes where she thought she ran into a wall and fell down after taking an 18-milligram dose of Strattera, even though there was no wall present, Reuters reported.

The researchers analyzed 49 clinical trials to come up with their findings, and said in their report that the estimates are probably low because many of the trials excluded children with a history of adverse reactions to ADHD drugs.

It is estimated that millions of children take ADHD medication to treat the disorder, which affects 7 to 8 percent of all children in the United States.

ADHD drugs are stimulants meant to affect neurochemicals in the brain to help children concentrate and be less impulsive. But Dr. Harold Koplewicz of the New York University Child Study Center told Reuters that these drugs can also affect neurochemicals that regulate mood.