Stimulants & Zoloft for ADHD: Helpful & Safe or Perilous?

Children taking Zoloft for ADHD? Are you spoofing me?

In my previous psychotherapy practice practice, we might prescribe Zoloft for adults with pretty serious psychiatric disorders. And now we are prescribing this dangerous stuff to young kids& adolescents.

When you are thru with reading this article, you will see why Zoloft may not be the greatest option for managing ADHD.

Ok, I'll admit, though it is not a normally approved treatment for ADHD, Zoloft has been known to aid in diminution of symptoms of ADHD in some people. Zoloft for ADHD is often offered in addition to stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall.

The rationale for why Zoloft and stimulants are offered in combination is because many people who suffer from ADHD also have problems with other disturbances such as depression, OCD, nervousness and others. Zoloft may also be effective in treating the hyper-focused kind of ADHD versus the inattentive type.

The prime difficulty with using Zoloft for ADHD therapy is its serious side effects when taken unaccompanied and in interaction with other drugs.

Possible side effects of Zoloft include anxiety, panic attacks, irritability, aggression, problems sleeping, impulsivity, and mania.

In addition to psychiatric side effects, Zoloft can also result in bodily symptoms such as muscle tremors, flu-like symptoms, difficulties with speech, severe skin rash, jaundice, heart palpitations, and blurry vision.

Using Zoloft for ADHD therapy presents the most dangers when used in adjunct with other drugs. Example, taking Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOs) even 2 weeks before using Zoloft can be fatal.

Dangerous side effects can also occur if a client switches from Zoloft to another serotonin selective reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drug.

One of the more problematic aspects of children and adolescents Zoloft and ADHD treatments is the aggression, homicidal behavior and suicidal thoughts that may follow. This has resulted in plenty of lawsuits against Pfizer, the company that manufactures Zoloft.

There have been many items in the news about adults and children who have committed or attempted to commit homicide after using SSRI drugs like Zoloft.

In fact, the two teens who killed their fellow students and then themselves during the Columbine massacre were using SSRI drugs.

Finally, like most powerful prescriptive medication, studies which help determine future hazard are all short-term. There are no studies on the effects of Zoloft on ADHD when consumed for a decade or more. Understandably, such studies are too long lasting and expensive.

And, yet, knowing what we now know about how the seeds of many adult disorders are implanted in childhood, do you doubt that taking strong ADHD prescriptive drugs can possibly lead to dangerous disturbances in adulthood? I do not.

So don't go throwing the stimulants & Zoloft out of the window. Using herbal alternatives for ADHD requires preparation and qualified medical professional help.

But do look at alternative, safer treatments to very strong medications.