A pill.
You learn about them usually after they've already been given to you. Whether it's whole or crushed, given orally with water, or crushed up in your applesauce, most of us have taken something, at sometime. My first introduction, that I can remember..were the purple baby aspirin..they had a grape flavor I believe..but not very convincing. Yes, my throat hurt..I had the chicken pox. My mother was giving these too me for pain every few hours, along with a dose of some pink antibiotic tincture...
Later in life..with injuries, having teeth pulled, and again being sick we upgrade to adult medicines..
Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Acetominephen, Vicadin, Oxycodin..etc. But they were limited to downers, and pain relievers. Unless of course you, like some 15% of children today were diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, and prescribed drugs like ritalin, or adderol. The generic name of course being, Amphetamine. Amphetamine is a stimulant, Stimulants speed up the central nervous system. They act like adrenaline, a hormone that is one of the body’s natural stimulants. Other drugs with similar effects include cocaine, ecstasy, ephedrine, caffeine and many others.
Now- ask yourself, what could possibly be wrong with a child where they would need to be given speed to calm down their "hyper-disorder?" At least in most cases, nothing is wrong with the children this deadly drug is being prescribed to.
Here's what the Center for Addiction and Mental Health ( www.camh.com ) has to say about Amphetamines;
" In children who are hyperactive, amphetamines and related drugs, in the correct doses, can have a calming effect. Amphetamines reduce hunger and increase breathing, heart rate and blood pressure. Larger doses may cause fever, sweating, headache, nausea, blurred vision, very fast or irregular heartbeat, tremors, loss of co-ordination and collapse."
"Overdose can cause seizures, coma and death due to burst blood vessels in the brain, heart failure or very high fever. "
"Amphetamines are linked to risky and violent behaviours, and increased injury and sexually transmitted disease."
"Amphetamines may cause bizarre or repetitive behaviour, paranoia and hallucinations. "
"Injecting any drug can cause infections from used needles or impurities in the drug; sharing needles with others can transmit hepatitis or HIV. "
"When taken as prescribed, amphetamines and related drugs do not cause dependence. However, these drugs can cause dependence if they are misused. Methylphenidate is less likely to cause dependence than other amphetamines. "
"Regular non-medical use of amphetamines can lead to tolerance. This means that the person needs to take more and more of the drug to get the desired effect. Regular use of amphetamines, especially when the drug is smoked or injected, can quickly cause psychological and physical dependence. Dependence means that cravings and compulsive use of the drug become very important to a person. If drug use is stopped, the person usually goes through withdrawal, also called “the crash.” Symptoms of withdrawal can include fatigue, restless sleep, irritability, intense hunger, depression, suicidal behaviour and fits of violence. People who use amphetamines often also use other drugs, such as alcohol, cannabis or benzodiazepines, to help them relax and sleep. This increases the risk for dependence on these other drugs. "
Finally-
What are the long-term effects of taking amphetamines?
Chronic use of amphetamines can lead to serious physical and mental health problems. Because amphetamines reduce appetite and fatigue, they can cause vitamin and sleep deficiencies and malnutrition, and make people more prone to illness. Regular use of amphetamines can also cause amphetamine psychosis. Symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, and bizarre and violent behaviour. These symptoms usually disappear a few days or weeks after the drug use has stopped. Longer-term studies support the efficacy and safety of methylphenidate when taken as prescribed to treat hyperactivity, but more information is needed to evaluate its long-term effects.
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