Florida Medicaid To Review Antipsychotics & ADHD
42 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // January 28th, 2008 // 8:56 am
The move comes amid growing scrutiny. The taxpayer bill for these meds jumped from $9 million seven years ago to nearly $30 million in 2006. Florida Medicaid records reportedly show the number of children - some just months old - who were prescribed the drugs went from 9,364 seven years ago to 18,137 in 2006. And even as drugmakers were being told to issue warnings about risks, a Florida Legislature-directed program partly funded by drugmakers was recommending the meds as treatment for ADHD, although FDA approval is lacking.
As a result, the Florida attorney general is considering whether to file a lawsuit. Now, the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration is responding to concerns that the meds are being used inappropriately for treating ADHD, in particular, and will review coverage. The AHCA’s own guidelines, by the way, state that “antipsychotics should not be used primarily to target ADHD symptoms, should not be used to promote weight gain, and should not be used as sedatives for children…and the use of antipsychotics in children under the age of six is generally not recommended.”
Yet, a recent report by the University of South Florida found the most common diagnosis for antipsychotic treatment for youngsters in Florida’s Medicaid program between July and December 2005 was for ADHD -and 54 percent involved children 5 years of age and younger, while 49 percent involved kids between ages 6 and 12 (please see table 5). And so nearly 40 percent of all antipsychotic scrips for youngsters were written for ADHD during that same period.
“We recognize that it may be necessary to review our long-standing guidelines in order to keep pace with evolving pharmacy science. AHCA secretary (Andrew) Agwunobi has requested the creation of a workgroup, under the Medical Care Advisory Committee, that will bring together experts in the field to determine if changes to our current policies are appropriate,” an AHCA spokesman writes Pharmalot. “The group’s findings will be presented to the Pharmaceutical and Therapeutic (P&T) Committee at their next meeting for their review and recommendations.”
ol cranky
We all know ADHD is over diagnosed at the behest of teachers and parents alike but, for the life of me, I still don’t get the willingness to through the big guns (antipsychotics) at kids with this diagnosis. I mean, seriously, even if all these kids actually have ADHD, do they really need to use a jackhammer when a thumbtack will do?
Vince
I recent study suggest that by adolescents most kids outgrow ADHD.Seems to use antipsychotics here may long term just create problems .
Linda
Hello,
Its hard to believe that half or more of American children are being drugged with toxic poisons. The joke is on you America wake up! Can’t you read all the murder/suicides happening everywhere? Legal drugs are mostly to blame! Pharma-rackets and the system are rolling in the dough and your kids of the future will be caged and drugged forever.
Michael Hammond
There is a lot of money involved here to pay “experts” to recommend and lawyers and politicians; meanwhile the kids are being condemned to a drugged future.
Amy G
This scam needs to be exposed.
Antipsychotics are not indicated for ADHD.
Therefore, Medicaid should not be paying for these drugs for this bogus disorder.
MeTZelf
Aside from the unspeakably catastrophic effects these drugs have in the long-term on the children who take them (and long-term it almost always is, because once the central nervous system has adjusted to them, there is no going back), an increasingly smaller undrugged population of productive adults is left footing the bill for lifetime support and care of the huge population of people crippled by these drugs.
Jeff
I am an ADHD label and dignosis survivor. I can attest that the drugs I was given caused permanent central nervous system damage. I have spent more than 30 years trying to reverse these effects. It shouldn’t be up to Big Pharma and the “doctors” they pay for “research” to decide how many more victims they make for profit. Please demand investigations into their fraud.
Paul
Drugs don’t solve problems in the long ran. I bet most children labelled ADHD are just “normal” kids. The fact that Medcaid pays for the drugs is most likely the driving force behind the increase.
Clover Greene
I was misdiagnosed! I was misdiagnosed by being diagnosed! My problem was not a medical problem! I did not have a physically defective brain — I was intelligent! I did not have a chemical imbalance — I had feeling bad thinking and feeling bad chemicals flowing though my brain and body! I had a feeling bad thinking problem because I was in a negative environment and not in a nurturing one! That is how kids are — kids are depended on others and feel how they are treated! That is how kids are — kids have not even had time enough to have developed self-dependent thinking. That is how kids are — without being given unity/power, truth/knowledge, and love/divinity they can only keep kid-thinking and just keep feeling as they are treated. That is how kids are — without being given unity/power, truth/knowledge, and love/divinity — they can never learn to think for themselves and become self-dependent adults, valuing and treating themselves and others with love.
I had a severe deficient nurturing problem! I was born with a pacifist personality so I became fearful. Aggressive personalities become angry. Fears piled on fears accumulate into terror. Angers pilled on anger accumulate into rage.
Foremost, psychiatry being a severely negative, deficient nurturing environment and being physically treated for a medical problem I did not have, caused thinking worse about me problems that destroyed my life for 31 years and almost killed me! Psychiatry by forcing dependency on drugs guaranteed I could not acquire self-dependency.
After 31 years of psychiatry, suicidal and homicidal, incredibly still alive, a male nurse in an emergency room said to me, “Go to Alcoholics Anonymous; they teach people how to get well there.” I went. “You can get well, we will help you.” So I lied and said I was an alcoholic. I was no longer suicidal or homicidal for I had hope and people to help me. Adults with unity/power, truth/knowledge, and love/divinity empowered me. It took me 6 months to make the profound change from terrified child thinking to serene adult thinking, loving and serving God and self by loving and serving others.
Clover Greene, Author, Escape from Psychiatry; Director, Welcome World, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Humans Anonymous, curig mental illness the educational way. http://www.welcomeworld.org; http://www.escapefompsychiatry.org
Dr Derf Nalu
Giving harmful drugs to children under any guise should be classified as a criminal activity, far more serious than mere “street drugs.” Any society whch loves and protects children, should label this activity for what it is: psychiatrically sanctioned child abuse. Psychiatric drug pushers in white coats, are hiding behind their “medical” licenses. while they prescribe these mind damaging drugs to infants and toddlers, violating their Hippocratic Oath. Any one doing this should be charged fraud, felony child abuse, and mayhem for what they cause in the lives of these children and their parents. No rational person could possibly agree with the use of chemical restraints for young children who need love, attention, better nutrition, a caring environment. Medicaid needs to bring an immediate halt to the psychiatric harming of children and the betrayal of their public trust, under the guise of help.
Joan
I hope they all get what they deserve. They (the phychiatrist and doctors) are killing and maming and they know it. What’s important is that the government will prosecute them instead of funding them.
The groups that support this also have blood on their hands.
PepsiJuror
Please keep in mind and never lose sight of a very simple and basic fact that ADHD, bipolar, dysthymic and the hundreds of other disorders written in DSM IV, that Psychiatry purports to have proven, are actually voted into existence.
No blood tests.
No forensic evidence brought forth.
Each of these supposed disorders, which are accompanied by a cocktail of psychiatric drugs, are ALL subjective (ask any doctor or psychiatrists). Sure it’s easy to say, “Gosh, my friend has ADHD cuz he can’t keep a single thought in his head. – har, har, har.”.
Unfortunately, being unable to keep a single thought in one’s head can be caused by a myriad of physical problems – i.e. lack of GOOD and decent rest, lack of GOOD nutrition (or reversely, malnutrition), alcohol , drugs, pollutants in body and many more that couldn’t be listed here.
To infer that various drugs are over prescribed, but are good in some cases is no different than stating “cocaine is over prescribed, but some need it to function.”. Look up how the FDA rates these drugs. You guessed it – on the level of cocaine and just as additive.
Please, please, please, do not just take my word for it, let alone another’s; PLEASE, PLEASE begin researching this information up for yourself. Become educated on the subject. There’s a bigger picture. Find out.
http://www.cchr.org
http://www.psychsearch.net/teenscreen.html
Scott Gordon
It’s hard to believe that overwhelmingly powerful anti-psychotics (addictive and potentially fatal)could even be considered for use on children. This shows how great the influence of the pharmaceutical companies, coupled with the patently unscientific and false premises put forth by the psychiatric profession, are on doctors who are depended on to provide care that does no harm. Shame on those doctors who will not look further into this hoax.
-a Schoolteacher
Dr. Fro
Dr. Scott Stratton
Another case of mans inhumanity to man. Drugs are not the answer to every problem in this country. We have become so dependent on other peoples authority over us that we will submit to the most archaic and asinine “reasons” for doping our kids. These drugs are dangerous and should not be prescribed to any child, for any reason, at any age.
Dr. Fro
Dr. Fro
When the purpose of the brain is examined ADHD and ADD makes sense.
About 90% of the brain has one purpose, and that is to “shut off’ unneccessary activities and stimuli. For a child with a “weak brain’ jumping around, moving, and shifting etc are very calming activies. It is annoying for everyone else. When sitting still they are unable to ingore the kids around them breathing, writing, the clock ticking ect and are overwhelmed by all these imputes.This is why stimulants temporarily help these kids.
What they need is healthly food, nutrition and exercise. The three things that our kids dont get today. Especially those of lower economical status. Brain Gym and Balametrics drill work really well.
Anyway,,,Just my 2 cents.
BP
This investigation and lawsuit needs to occur and put a stop to this. I work for a company where children diagnosed with “ADHD” have been “cured” by simple, nutritional programs. It’s really sad that people are being duped into poising their kids when there are real solutions available.
Raoul Ozuna
The truth of the matter is that these legal narcotics and “anti-psychotics” DO NOT CURE ANYTHING. Despite the fact that ADHD is completely made up and an utter falsehood. Wouldn’t the question raised about this treatment be, “How many kids are cured per year as a result of ‘treatment’ with these drugs?” The answer is NONE. Facts are FACTS. Children that “suffer” from such things as just simply being kids are labeled and given drugs. Are you to actually believe that the drug industry really wants to help these children OR make money from the sale of their product? There ARE people in this world that are willing and DO care about children and their safety. There ARE parents that DO want to help their kids. The answers DO exist. And in the case of ADHD or any other of these completely arbitrary made up “diseases” that kids “suffer” from, there IS a solution and the solution is NUTRITION. Our bodies are designed to process food into energy. Nutrition and diet are the source of our bodies energy. Other factors exist but those two are the main factors that enable us to exist as humans. These men that push their drugs on children need to be stopped. Can you honestly say that you believe a small infant can possibly NEED an “anti-psychotic” drug? Are you telling me that this infant is different than you or I were at that age? Why? Because the infant is “misbehaving” or some other such crime? An infant is an infant. All children can be rather difficult at times to deal with. THAT’S NORMAL!!!! It is not a “sign” to drug them! The time to rise up against these drug pushers is upon us and the time to act is NOW! You can do something about it. Save a child.
Raoul
Deputy Vice President of Finance
Ulan Nutritional Systems
Leigh
These “deseases” are made up. The whole purpose is to be able to then prescribe drugs. 60 years ago we didn’t have these “deseases” and we don’t have them today, no matter how the psychs want you to believe they exist. Drugging anyone is a crime against humanity. Drugging children is the most evil thing I’ve heard of and I don’t know how the people who work in the drug business can live with themselves.
Dr. Susan C. Friedman
I am appalled that any thinking person would suggest it is appropriate to dispense these and other dangerous drugs to innocent children. Anyone involved in these horrific acts should be held both legally and morally accountable. Children should be nurtured. Adults are looking for a quick fix to a childs supposed aberrent behavior, the parents should look to themselves and correct their own in appropriate behavior and learn to effectively parent, then the children will be well. Nothing can replace good parenting, good nutrition, sound education and love.
Dr Jerry Brady
Investigate the dollars flowing into the hands of our elected representatives from the Pharmaceutical Industry and their lobbyists and then to scrutinize their votes. Anyone supporting this barbaric practice should be held accountable. Children deserve the protections of a life without being ripped off by these greedy and unscrupulous drug pushers. Doctors who prescribe them, FDA reps who approve them or fail to enforce them if not approved, the lot of them, should be held accountable for their ways. A spot light should shine on these individuals so the world sees them for who they are.
Lisa Kolpek
Wow, it just sickens me to see so much of our tax dollars being spent to drug our young. You bet a lawsuit should be brought on! As the parent of an autistic child, I know firsthand the challenges of a “special needs” child. However, I also know that love, tolerance and the right foods/nutrition go a long way to creating a beautiful, healthy, happy child who can function amongst his/her peers without the use of harmful drugs. My daughter is an example of this!
Pam Albers
An AHDH Rx is simply an post-delivery alternative to abortion for many families. Apart from the obvious physical damage these products impart on our children, the moral message is that you can change your circumstances with drugs…. where have we heard that before… and Big Pharma stokes the coals of self-indulgence and celebrates the “ka-chink” of lifetime medications.
ol cranky
Dr. Brady:
It’s more than the lobbying dollars. Take a look at investments, including investments through VC organizations, and family holdings.
FYI some of the unscrupulous drug pushers are the schools/teachers and parents. The ADHD drugs have become the new vitamin H, except they’re being used to quiet children regardless of any actual disorder instead of used to keep the institutionalized mentally ill patient quietly drooling in the corner.
Marv Anderson
The FDA and Big Pharma conspire consistently to extract huge amounts of money from the American people while destroying our health in the process. They create drug addicts for no reason other than to make money.
It’s criminal behavior and should be stopped, but since they make massive contributions to Congress, it will take a major grass roots campaign to win.
Dr Derf Nalu
It sure is a shame that we have lost control and the drug industry has so much power. Imagine what the response would be if just one mother who gave thier child a deadly dose of cough medicine were to be interviewed on the Today Show.
That won’t happen bedcause the drug companies are so powerful. The make money from our babiesw and that is one of their best markets because they use fear and the posibilit of threat to unknowing parents.
My little girl saw the adbvertisement for Lenistra on TV. What she say was sleeping beauty getting up with a smile while Tinker Bell was flying around. Does anyone else see how they go after our children in their adds? My little girl is 3 and she told me “Linestra makes it all better.” That’s how they can give all the side efffects and people still want their drugs. ADHA is nothing more than both parents having to work and the TV and babysitter is raising the child. We need good old American family values back.
FRED
Shawn
To comment particularly on an easily overlooked point in this matter; take any one of the myriad of supposed disorders voted on or thought up by Psychiatrists found in the DSM IV - How many of these subjective disorders have actually been mapped out and clearly diagnosed by forensic laboratory tests and subsequently handed over to Neurology or perhaps Physiology? After all, if something was actually found wrong with the body, would the particular disorder(s) continue to be relegated by Psychiatry? To my knowledge, there hasn’t been a single Psychiatric disorder turned over to Neurology or Physiology. I have to wonder why.
Lisa Van S
Ol Cranky,
You are correct. Check out Nami NJ Educating the Educators:
http://www.naminj.org/programs/educating_the_educators.htm
Nami gives Parents a reprieve here
ol cranky
Shawn:
To address your question about why disorders of organic origin would continue to be treated by psychiatry, my guess is that even when something is done to improve upon the underlying organic problem, the associated behavioral, emotional and cognitive issues do not and can not spontaneously resolve. This requires therapeutic modalities not routinely used by neurologists (except for those that specialize in neuropsychiatry and still use treatment that’s not limited to pharmacology or invasive procedure). The same could be asked as to why neurologists continue to treat movement disorders secondary to TBI, stroke, etc. instead of turfing those patients off to PM&R. . .
Shawn
Ol Cranky:
You don’t really answer the question nor address the actual issue - instead you pose additional questions which muddy the water further. The reason nothing is being done to address these supposed underlying “Organic” problem is because they can not be proven to exist. Not one shred of provable evidence has been presented – just subjective opinion.
Thoroughly looking at the organic roles for which Neurology and Physiology addresses, there is no explainable reason why Psychiatry is working so hard in the field of Mental Health and organic manipulation and not able to turn over a single “Disorder” to a field which addresses actual Organic problems (unless they don’t factually exist) - basically playing god with the use of drugs.
In 2006 alone with Medicaid, the $82 million alone spent on anti-psychotics and anti-depressants for children (towards a supposed organic solution) with no tests, no cures, no treatment, etc. - How can this be justified? - Unless money at the stake of our children’s lives is a sufficient rational.
To everyone out there - Take the binders off folks. This isn’t just a group of dedicated Scientologists ringing the dinner bell. Psychiatry is drugging our youth with heroine rated medication (Class II or Schedule II FDA rated narcotics) based solely on a majority vote replete with mental disorder labels.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/02032008/news/regionalnews/medicaid_kids_in_psych_rx_urge_702469.htm
ol cranky
Wow, I had to rush away and never finished or hit submit for that comment. ..weird!
I beg to differ with you. Psychiatry is not drugging our youth. I’d be willing to be that the vast majority or prescriptions for psychoactive drugs are being written by GPs and that they are doing so at the behest of parents, schools, patients and out of sheer laziness. When it comes to drugs dispensed for mental illness diagnoses, I would not be surprised if many patients to whom these drugs are prescribed do not meet diagnostic criteria to justify pharmacological intervention and that those who do are neither getting additional non-pharmaological therapy nor having their expectations of treatment managed.
Lisa Van S
Ol Cranky,
You are correct, in 2005 70% of Psychiatric drugs were written by GP’s and Pediatricians.
As you know Clinical Trials is a touchy issue /me and I appreciate the information you sent me. I have a scenario for you. Lets say I would refuse to participate in clinical trials, but twenty years down the line I get alzheimers, and a Dr convinces my children to consent for me, shouldnt what I have felt most of my life take precedence?
Lisa Van S
Shawn
Sue Edelman did a great job in reporting that story, and Im sure it will get attention. The NY Post paper was Jaw breaking. Drug abused kids beside the NY Giants, and viewed by many who were just as shocked as you and I were.
ol cranky
Lisa:
Do I think your children should consider your wishes? Yes, I do and I would think that they would honor them. However, I have been in the room when children threatened behemoth lawsuits if a patient was not intubated & resuscitated despite the fact the patient clearly indicated that she was not only a DNR, she was also DNI.
Despite your personal experiences, don’t assume a doctor will convince/coerce your children to enroll you in a trial. Quite often, family members do not need much encouragement and often seek out trials when they just want their loved one to get well or improve their quality of life (it’s part of the “isn’t there anything that can be to help my loved one” feeling we all get when a loved one is in need. Believe it or not, some of the placebo effect in clinical trials can be attributed to the additional care, education, and personal attention/support patients get from study staff.
In a nutshell, if/when you are incompetent/unable to make decisions for yourself, your family will be the ones doing so. It’s imperative that people speak openly and honestly with their family about their wishes regarding what medical intervention they do and do not want, whether they are willing to be organ/tissue donors, etc. My best suggestion to protect yourself from an adamant and persistent desire never to be enrolled in a clinical trial would be to include that information in a living will (everyone should discuss their wishes with their families and everyone should have a living will) and, maybe, get & wear a medic alert bracelet that indicates that you are not to be enrolled in a clinical trial.
Shawn
There are a many high profile businesses promoting and selling Microsoft products (i.e. Dell, Compaq, Best Buy, CompUSA, Frys Electronics, etc.). Who is behind these sales? Who drives and pushes for these sales figures? Who markets and promotes the heck out of Microsoft products? Who pays for it? Who has pushed for the (majority) computing standards we have today? If you guessed Microsoft, you guessed right - Microsoft. …and who wants to be standing next to the largest software company in the world? Dell, Compaq, Best Buy, CompUSA, Fry Electronics, etc.
One may say “Psychiatry is not drugging our youth.” - Even if GP’s are writing a small portion of these prescriptions for these so called (dreamt-up) “mental disorders”; who’s billing bible is used for charging the issuance companies for the subjective disorders? What do doctors use to refer to when it comes to writing prescriptions for these voted on disorders? You guessed right. The DSM IV.
Just to add a bit more fire to the flame, since March of 2007, in the US alone, over 280 Psychiatrists have been arrested for sexual abuse of patients, mal-billing practices, over drugging of patients, and a whole slew of other charges. Let’s not forget the unholy alliance between the pharma and Psychiatry. If you disbelieve these facts, look them up for yourself (start with http://google.com).
Don’t believe for a moment that people are naive enough to believe that Psychiatry is an actual Science. Science is able to, without variation, produce and reproduce exact same predictable results.
Granted you may know of 1 -2 decent psychiatrists, but in general, the whole and entire field of Psychiatry is corrupt.
Follow the bread crumbs. Cui Bono (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cui_bono)
Florida Medicaid To Review Antipsychotics & ADHD « Psych Search
[...] Pharmalot [...]
Florida Medicaid To Review Antipsychotics & ADHD « Psych Search
[...] Medicaid To Review Antipsychotics & ADHD Jump to Comments Pharmalot January 28th, 2008 8:56 am By Ed Silverman The move comes amid growing scrutiny. The taxpayer bill [...]
ADHD Dallas
Its for sure the medications have to be monitored properly. My doctor keeps close watch on his children for any warning signs. He can be found at ADHD Dallas
HorusCat
Lisa,
What dietary changes did you use for your daughter?
Lisa Van S
HC,
HUH??!!
HorusCat
Lisa Van S,
Oops. Sorry, wrong Lisa. Lisa Kolpek–who posted earlier about her autistic daughter. She may not have checked back in.