Survey shows that 84 percent of kids with ADHD take prescribed drugs

By Staff Writer

A new survey by Consumer Reports reveals that 84 percent of children who have been diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were treated with prescribed drugs at some point, according to MSNBC.

Researchers interviewed more than 900 parents whose children with ADHD were under the age of 18. While an overwhelming majority of parents reported at least some drug treatment, more than 50 percent said that their kids had taken two or more different drugs in the past three years. The study found that the average age for children receiving medication was 13.

Among the parents whose children had taken drugs, more than two-thirds reported that the medication had helped "a lot," according to the news provider. However, only 52 percent of parents said that - if they could go back and start over - they would give their kids drugs. A total of 44 percent said they wished there was a non-pharmaceutical method to help their kin.

Approximately 84 percent of the parents whose children with ADHD took drugs said that there were side effects from the treatment. Some of the common adverse effects were digestive complications, decreased appetite, irritability, trouble sleeping and weight loss.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that diagnosis of ADHD increased by an average of 3 percent per year from 1997 to 2006.