ADHD drugs caused “long-lasting changes” in brain function “similar to those that occur with cocaine." "There is no such thing as a Ritalin deficiency."
Harms from ADHD drugs are many, and effects from higher doses are severe. Get verifiable research and alternatives for resolving the underlying issues.
Dr. Leonard Sax, who is both a physician and a psychologist, says in the New York Times, ‘The next time you hear a doctor say, with regard to prescribing stimulant medications, ‘let’s try it and see whether it helps,’ I suggest that you run – do not walk – to the nearest exit.
There is no such thing as a Ritalin deficiency.
Contents
Context: Pharmaceutical Drug Harms
ADHD Drugs
ADHD Diagnosis is Severely Flawed
Evidence of Harm
Addressing Root Causes
Evidence-Based Therapies
For Wellness Providers & Educators
See Also
Context: Pharmaceutical Drug Harms
Pharmaceuticals generally + overprescription — In a controlled trial with disabled elderly adults, doing nothing except terminating some of their prescriptions dropped the death rate by 53% compared to the control. “More than half of the patients were candidates for deprescribing. The most common criterion was inappropriately long use, followed by safety concerns, and lack of indication.”
Acid blockers, PPIs, drugs for acid reflux, heartburn, GERD, gastric ulcer — PPIs increased cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis and bone fractures, chronic kidney disease, neurodegeneration including Alzheimer’s and dementia, all-cause mortality (death), B-12 deficiency, pneumonia, and infections. PPIs altered children’s gut microbiome, the foundation of immunity and health, and increased infections in children. Stomach acid is crucial for health.
ADHD drugs, stimulants (you’re here) —Caused “long-lasting changes” in brain function “similar to those that occur with cocaine.” “There is no such thing as a Ritalin deficiency.” Harms from ADHD drugs are many, and effects from higher doses are severe. Get verifiable research and alternatives for resolving the underlying issues.
Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Parkinson’s drugs — Alzheimer’s & dementia drugs are less effective than B vitamins. And they cause fluid build-up & bleeding in the brain and increased death. Parkinson’s drugs deplete nutrients needed for brain health. Parkinson’s symptoms can be reversed. Successful therapies promote brain autophagy, “the removal of old and damaged brain cells and the creation of new and healthy brain cells.”
Antibiotics — “Like TNT for the body’s microbiome” and linked with kidney stones, infertility, miscarriage, birth defects. Since 70 to 80% of the immune system is in the gut, damage to gut health is damage to immune health. Review curated research + alternatives and considerations.
Asthma, allergy & hay fever drugs, antihistamines — Antihistamines cause heart problems, cognitive impairment, seizures in kids. Asthma “med” caused depression, anxiety, aggression, suicides. “Common medications like diphenhydramine [called benadryl, other brand names] cross the blood-brain barrier, disrupting normal brain activity and lowering seizure thresholds in vulnerable children.”
Blood pressure drugs — Allergies, Diabetes, Weight Gain, Sexual Dysfunction, Depression, Acute Kidney Injury, Lung Cancer, Abnormal Heart Rate, and More. Blood pressure-lowering drugs have not been shown to be effective; do not address the root cause(s) of hypertension; have been contaminated with cancer-causing agents; and cause harm (“side effects”).
Chemotherapy, other cancer drugs, radiation — “Chemotherapy makes cancer worse.” “Chemotherapy doubled the number of cancer cells in the bloodstream and lungs.” “Omitting radiation from treatment did not have an effect on survival rates.” “Radiation therapy increases the risk of solid tumors.” Chemotherapy drugs harm the healthcare professionals who administer them.
Diabetes drugs, metformin — Caused death, low blood pressure, slowed heart rate, reduced blood flow to brain & organs. 90% + of diabetes is reversible with diet but professionals push drugs that harm. Professionals avoid telling the simple truth about the effectiveness of low carb diets and push profitable drugs that cause harm. In 2023, the FDA approved more drugs to treat diabetes in children.
Osteoporosis drugs, bisphosphonates — Caused “substantially reduced bone strength” and caused more microcracks in bone than the controls. Osteoporosis drugs caused blood calcium levels to drop, digestion problems, internal bleeding, irregular heartbeat, bone fractures, and bone death.
Over the counter drugs (OTCs) — Tylenol: ADHD, autism, ulcers, GI issues, kidney disease, heart failure. Laxative given to children: rage, tics, insomnia, seizures. Ibuprofen: DNA damage, hypertension. Sunscreens? Nightmare. Prescription drugs cause great harm, but so do over-the-counter meds and personal care products. Get an organized curation of research and reports.
Pain relievers, NSAIDs, opioids — Even at “safe doses,” opioids cause confusion, dependence, depression, increased pain sensitivity, diminished energy, and low sex drive. Consistent use of NSAIDs caused heart attacks. Doctors are not trained in pain management or addiction, but they prescribe dangerous, highly addictive drugs. Get an organized curation of research and reports, plus alternatives and considerations.
Psychiatric drugs: antidepressants, SSRIs, anti-anxiety, benzos, other psychotropics — Anti-depressants cause suicidal thinking, violence, and homicide. Anti-anxiety drugs cause insomnia and anxiety. Anti-psychotic drugs cause agitation, psychosis and violence. This organized curation of research and reports makes it clear that the evidence of harm from psychotropic drugs is overwhelming. We also provide alternatives and considerations.
Scans, radiology, & ultrasounds (e.g. mammograms, CT scans, X-rays) — Medical scans (CT scans, mammograms, etc) use ionizing radiation which damages DNA and causes cancer. Research and resource curation, including research showing that 1) mammograms do not reduce risk of death, and 2) a higher incidence of breast cancer was caused from mammography radiation.
Seizure drugs, anticonvulsants, anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) — Devastating effects, negatively impacting virtually every system of the body, including damage to blood vessels and reduction in all three types of blood cells. Seizure drugs caused liver failure and death in young people and in healthy adults. A long list of non-harming alternatives listed below, with links to research on their effectiveness.
Sleeping pills, sedatives — Sleeping pills make you unconscious, not asleep. They impair the sleep cycle. They increase dementia, falls, and death. And they’re highly addictive. Sleeping pills deprive people of true sleep and they impede essential brain functions (which are causes of dementia, Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases)
Statins — Statin drugs damage health at foundational levels — mitochondria, muscles and nerves — which can lead to more than 300 health problems. Research curation on statin harms, plus research showing that 1) lowering cholesterol does not improve heart health, and 2) statins do not lower all-cause death rates.
Steroids — Cause osteoporosis and double the risk of bone fractures. They increase heart failure, diabetes, psychiatric issues, glaucoma, and serious infections. Steroid users report rapid weight gain, intense hunger, irritability, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, acne, stomach pain, nausea, joint pain, and withdrawal reactions, among other adverse events.
Vaccines — Reports by vaccine type.
Weight loss drugs — Ozempic & Similar Weight Loss Drugs Cause Kidney Failure, Pancreatitis, Thyroid Cancer, Gallbladder Issues, Depression, Severe Stomach Problems, Bone & Muscle Loss, Blindness, and Death. “Ozempic, similar weight loss drugs linked to 162 deaths in U.S.” Get an organized curation of research and reports, with quick links to verify sources.
ADHD Drugs
Drugs prescribed for ADHD include the following.
Psychostimulants include Adderall, Amphetamines, Aptensio, Concerta, Cylert*, Daytrana, Desoxyn, Detroamphetamine Sulfate, Dexedrine, Dextrostat, Dyanavel, Evekeo, Focalin, Metadate, Methamphetamine, Methylin, Methylphenidate, Pemoline*, ProCentra, QuilliChew, Quillvant, Provigil, Ritalin, and Vyvanse. [source and source and source and source and source]
Ritalin is a brand name for methylphenidate. This drug is also sold under the names: Adhansia, Aptensio, Concerta, Cotempla, Daytrana, Jornay, Metadate, Methylin, Quillivant, and Quillichew. [source]
Nonstimulant ADHD drugs include Atomoxetine, Clonidine, Guanfacine, Intuniv, Kapvay, and Strattera (an SNRI). [source and source and source]
*Note: “A drug that has been used for ADHD for 30 years is being discontinued. [A consumer group] petitioned the FDA, asking the agency to ban pemoline, also sold under the trade name Cylert, because of reported cases of liver damage in users.” [2005 source]
ADHD Diagnosis is Severely Flawed
Subjective and Unreliable (Unreplicable) Diagnosis Used to Drug Children
You can take this same difficult child to ten psychiatrists and come back with ten different diagnoses. But no matter what the diagnosis is, they all put him on Ritalin.
Psychiatrist Abram Hoffer MD, PhD 2010 (pg 9) link and link
ADHD Diagnosis: Unscientific, Many Flaws
The diagnosis of ADHD remains far less objective than that of [conditions] where specific tools such as blood tests, x-rays and sonograms are used to determine the presence of the disorder… Furthermore, the answers provided by parents and teachers on behavior rating scales—to questions such as how much a child fidgets or whether he/she is easily distracted—are subjective. What one person views as distractibility another may view as natural inquisitiveness…. [Another] question asks whether the child “actively defies or refuses to comply with adults’ requests.” In some life situations, though, disobedience is a virtue… Another problem with the ADHD diagnosis is that it may apply a medical label to behaviors that fall at one end of a spectrum of normal patterns… To add to the complexity, approximately 65% of patients with ADHD may have one or more co-morbid disorders, such as anxiety, communication, mood, conduct, oppositional defiant and learning disorders and Tourette’s syndrome.
Evidence of Harm
Ritalin Caused “Long-Lasting Changes” in Brain Function “Similar to Those that Occur with Cocaine” — “Scientists at the University at Buffalo have shown that the drug methylphenidate, the generic form of Ritalin, which physicians have considered to have only short-term effects, appears to initiate changes in brain function that remain after the therapeutic effects have dissipated. The changes appear to be similar to those that occur with other stimulant drugs such as amphetamine and cocaine, said Joan Baizer, Ph.D.”
“ADHD Drugs Linked to Blood Pressure, Heart Rate Increases” (2025) — “A comprehensive analysis published in The Lancet Psychiatry found that ADHD medications could increase or decrease blood pressure in patients.” See also: Comparative cardiovascular safety of medications for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children, adolescents, and adults: a systematic review and network meta-analysis See also: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Medications and Long-Term Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases (2023): “The results of this population-based case-control study with a… follow-up of 14 years suggested that long-term use of ADHD medication was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, especially hypertension and arterial disease, and the risk was higher for stimulant medications.”
Harms from ADHD Drugs are Many, and Effects from Higher Doses are Severe — “Adverse events [included]… decreased appetite… insomnia… stomachache… drowsiness… dizziness… Nervousness, headache, insomnia, anorexia and rapid heartbeat [tachycardia] increase linearly with dose, while overdoses can cause agitation, hallucinations, psychosis, lethargy, seizures, tachycardia, dysrhythmias, hypertension and hyperthermia.” See also: Side Effects of ADHD Drugs: Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK and the US have published 61 warnings that ADHD drugs cause harmful effects. See also: A Dose-Response Study of OROS Methylphenidate in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder; “Younger and smaller children were more likely to display sleep difficulties and decreased appetite at the higher dose levels.”
Young Children Aged 4-6 Put on ADHD Drugs Suffered “Severe Social Withdrawal, Increased Crying, and Irritability” — “A study of even younger children, aged 4 to 6… raises serious questions about the growing use of stimulants in preschoolers. In this study of 11 young children with developmental disabilities and ADHD, five who took methyplenidate experienced significant adverse effects, such as severe social withdrawal, increased crying, and irritability, especially at the higher dose… The researchers state that ‘this population appears to be especially susceptible to adverse drug side effects.'” [source]
As is Typical when an Unbiased Meta-Analysis is Conducted, it Becomes Apparent that Publication Bias Was Employed to Get Regulatory Approval; In Reality, the Drugs are Ineffective and There’s More Harm than Benefit — “We included 62 randomized trials that involved a total of 2,897 participants with a primary diagnosis of ADD (e.g., with or without hyperactivity). The median age of trial participants was 8.7 years… The extension of this placebo-controlled effect beyond 4 weeks of treatment [of methylphenidate] has not been demonstrated… apparent beneficial effects are tempered by a strong indication of publication bias and the lack of robustness of the findings… Methylphenidate also has an adverse event profile that requires consideration.” See also: Alliance for Human Research Protection Oct 25, 2005 Alert: “The largest meta-analysis (September, 2005) by the Oregon Drug Effectiveness Review Project (ODER) findings confirm earlier independent reviews. The 27 drugs studied included Adderall, Concerta, Strattera, Ritalin, Focalin, Cylert, Provigil, and others… The group analyzed 2,287 studies – virtually every investigation ever done on ADHD drugs anywhere in the world – to reach its conclusions: ODER found no evidence to support the claims about these drugs’ safety or the legitimacy of the ADHD diagnosis.” See also: Children’s Mental Health Crisis: ADHD and Treatments That Are Worse Than the Condition; “One often cited study… the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD, lasted 14 months. In this clinical trial, 64% of children, aged 7 to 9.9 years, were reported to have side effects from ADHD medications… The authors say that six of the 11 severe side effects — such as depression, worrying and irritability— ‘could have been due to nonmedication factors.’ But as psychiatrist Peter Breggin, M.D., points out, placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trials have shown that the three side effects mentioned above are common adverse reactions to stimulants.”
