Itp, Aplastic Anemia And Ritalin Connection....? Posted: 08-20-06 23:52pm
Has anyone here with an immune disorder
suspect a ritalin connection, ever taken
ritalin or a ritalin type drug? If so,
for how long did you take the drug? If
so, please email me at rita
lindanger@yahoo.Com, I am not likely
to return to check each post. Thank you
in advance for your time. Anita
|
ritalindanger
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 20 Aug 2006 Posts: 18
Ritalin Caused Bone Marrow Failure In My Child, a Rare Blood Posted: 08-21-06 12:23pm
To whom it may concern: monday, august 21,
2006
please notify others, this is too
important not to pass on…
we have a very serious concern, please
read and pass it on! I only wish someone
had passed this on to me, or that I had
been privy to this information 10 years
ago. Note: this information is of a
serious nature and is intended for adults.
This is a true story. One of our children
has been diagnosed with aplastic anemia.
Much worse than it sounds, it’s bone
marrow failure (damage), effecting all 3
blood cell types, and potentially,
chromosomal changes resulting in genetic
dna damage; after nearly 8 years of
ritalin consumption. Initially, a
urinalysis identified proteins in the
urine (indicative of disease). Blood
tests showed ‘low blood platelets’,
two bone marrow biopsies (bmb) confirmed a
diagnosis of aplastic anemia. Fyi - a
bone marrow biopsy reveals "cellularity",
which is "the quality and quantity of the
billions of cells our bone marrow creates
per day." our child should be at 60-70%
cellularity. The first bmb revealed a
cellularity of 15-20% with patches of
1-2%. We suspected the ritalin then, but
our oncologist denied the connection,
however, we discontinued it’s use
anyway. Two years later, now 2006, our
child’s red & white blood cells now
followed suit and are now both seriously
low too. All tests ruled out pre-existing
genetic tendencies for disease, so it’s
technically, secondary aplastic anemia (it
was acquired). A 1991 rx drug guide lists
"low blood platelets, and low red &
white blood cells as a severe adverse
reaction to ritalin." additionally, the
pdr (physician’s desk reference) guide
from as early as 1979 also listed itp, and
leukopenia, as serious adverse reactions.
However, this information is not on drug
label warnings that parents receive today.
Why has this information been suppressed?
We are horrified, shocked and outraged!
The reason I write? An estimated 6
million children on ritalin. It is not
known how long a child must be on these
types of meds to begin experiencing a
toxicity in their blood cells, but i’m
concerned it may not be too long, see http://www.Newswis
e.Com/articles/view/510069/ (see study
info below too). We believed the adhd
lie…... Please read on…
generic ritalin is methylphenidate
hydrochloride (methylin). This includes:
ritalin (sr & lr) focalin, methylin
er, metadate er, concerta. Strattera and
adderall are mixed salts. These are
central nervous system stimulants, and
they are "not" mild. Let’s call it what
it is: legalized speed (amphetamines).
These drugs not only alter the brain, but
the body in totality, they alter behavior
by altering the child; physically,
mentally, and emotionally. The very
things you are trying to treat with these
drugs are also symptoms these drugs cause
over time. While admittedly these drugs
are very effective "controls," they do not
cure any "alleged adhd" symptom. Adhd is
often diagnosed frivolously and is nothing
more than a list of behaviors that could
apply to the general population. It is
not a disease in life or in autopsy.
Meanwhile, this drug alters brain
neurotransmitters, shrinks the brain over
time, stunts growth, causes vision
impairments, memory loss, and inflicts
immune system toxicity (poison) by
chemically altering the blood cells and
bone marrow which causes serious harm.
Many deaths to date have been heart
related. However, it is clear to our
family that damage reaches far beyond the
heart to the hematological system (i.E.
"genetic toxicity of the blood and immune
system.") in effect, it is an exposure to
a higher risk of cancer/leukemia.
Sometimes aplastic anemia is a pre-cursor
to leukemia. It is also important to
note, this has quietly progressed in our
child. Symptom-less! If that’s not
enough, the above related damage could
extend to infertility and reproductive
harm. Do we really have "drug free school
zones?" new off campus drugs are "extended
time release pills" to stay in the body
longer, releasing chemicals over time.
You may think that your child will not
make it to adulthood without these
medications, we erroneously thought that
too. Now we wonder if our child will live
to adulthood? Can you imagine that
epiphany! Our own u.S. Military will
exclude our children from service because
of the use of these medications. We are
too busy and preoccupied to properly
disciple and teach our own children better
ways of behavior, we desire a quick fix,
and so we have become a ritalin nation
consuming 90-95% of the world’s
ritalin.
Ritalin was marketed in 1955 (before
testing required), authorized for use in
children in 1961. On the market 45 years.
I highly suspect this drug was
predominately shunned and/or used short
term by the majority of parents in 60’s,
70’s, to mid 80’s. In the 50’s they
called children "fidgety", 60’s
"hyperkinetic", 80’s "add", in 1987 an
"h" was added and adhd was born. Within
one year 500,000 children were labeled
with adhd (1988). However, in the 90’s
ritalin consumption increased
exponentially 600-800%! We are a society
that has become complacent with drugging
our children to control behaviors (to
control them). With new buzz words like
o.D.D. (oppositional defiance disorder)
on the horizon. Some children are being
diagnosed and medicated with several
different labels (adhd/bi-polar) and
psychotropic drugs at one time. Rx
labeling restricts use of these drugs to
children under age 6, although toddlers
are now being targeted for administration;
as are cancer patients, and the elderly.
Dilemna , a false sense of security that
the drug is safe (time on market); therein
seemingly safe to medicate long term;
cultural acceptance of labeling kids with
behavior/learning related disorders
(calling them diseases)& drugging
them. We simply must see big pharma for
what it is, "a smiling, billion dollar
industry." this is unacceptable. What is
needed is an explosive public outcry.
Research: 45 years later and up till now,
very little research has been done on
humans regarding ritalin. Why? But then,
in 2005 a texas ritalin study showed all
12 children had significant chromosomal
concerns after only 3 months on the drug.
How can novartis go 45 yrs. & not
know that? To date, they still
‘claim’ that they do not know the long
term effects. The texas study has now
prompted a $2 million dollar budget
allocation by the fda for budget year
2007, to specifically "study and evaluate
the genetic toxicity and behavioral
effects of chronic methylphenidate
exposure." it’s more than a little late.
Some 40 years after the drug was first
marketed mice developed a statistically
significant incidence of liver
abnormalities and tumors, including highly
aggressive rare cancers known as
hepatoblastomas. Http
://www.Preventcancer.Com/patients/med_avoi
d/ritalin.Htm the national toxicology
program concluded that ritalin is a
"possible human carcinogen," and
recommended the need for further research.
While still insisting that the drug is
safe, the fda admitted that these findings
signal "carcinogenic potential," and
required a statement to this effect in the
drug's package insert. However, these
inserts are not seen by parents or nurses.
Here’s another: http://www.F
da.Gov/bbs/topics/answers/ans00705.Html the fda has received numerous "severe
adverse reaction" complaints about
ritalin. In fact, there have been other
reported cases of blood platelets, blood
cell, and bone marrow failures associated
with ritalin, but these reports are
seemingly buried. They appear in files
with names such as: "itp"- immune
thrombocytopenia purpura; leukopenia;
pancytopenia; neutropenia; and aplastic
anemia. It is paramount that you
understand that I do not believe my
child’s case is an isolated rare
incident, but rather, a fact of what these
drugs do to children over time. This was
not a side effect, this is a forward
effect. Follow me? It will probably take
them another 45 years to do a study
lasting 2-3 years, let alone 8 years.
Giving children dna damaging drugs to the
tune of 6 million is "scandalous!" more
backside covering will certainly follow
when it cannot be hidden any longer. I
cannot even be assured at this point that
I would completely trust a study result
funded by the fda. The fda is not doing a
proper job of protecting us, and are in
fact, part of the problem. They’re new
"preemptive policy" will actually help to
shelter drug companies from tort liability
cases. See: adhd, drug labels, and the
fda: the continuing pre-emption of public
health at http://psychrights.Org/drugs/stimulant
s4adhd/jacksonpre-emption.Pdf (9th
article from the top). Some motivation?
In 1991, schools began receiving
educational grants of $400 annually for
each adhd child. The same year, the us
department of education classified the
disorder as a handicap, which required
special services to be provided to each
disabled child. These funds are factual
but are categorically hidden in the
various disability labels to which schools
receive funding for. A few years later,
it was classified as a disability and a
cash incentive program was initiated for
low-income families with children
diagnosed with adhd.
Benzene is hailed in some reports as the
mother of all carcinogens. Ritalin has a
benzene ring in it’s chemical structure.
The simplest member of a benzene ring is
benzene. Ritalin appears to be displaying
"benzene like effects" with it’s ability
"like benzene" to cause aplastic anemia.
I am aware of 3 rx drugs that do cause
aplastic anemia; all 3 are anti-convulsant
medications and all have very serious
black box warning labels, but ritalin does
not. I urge you to view those warnings at
www.Rxlist.Com for
carbamazepine, felbamate &
ticlopidine. Also see http://www.Humboldt.E
du/~morgan/methyl.Htm search for this
phrase: "the benzene ring is also one of
the major reasons that methylphenidate has
such strong side effects with certain
prescription drugs like … anti
convulsants, (rxlist.Com)." other
ingredients of concern are methylphenidate
(ethyl) hydrochloride (salts) &
polyethylene glycol (used to make many
plastics products in our environment
today, & a derivative of ethylene.)
if your child is on ritalin: I strongly
recommend "a cbc complete blood count with
platelets" be requested and monitored over
time. Learn to read the blood/lab reports
yourself. Look for items "out of range."
parents have a right to know. It’s
called informed consent. Please tell
anyone you know who will listen and
consider this information. Note: please
consult a physician when discontinuing
medication of any kind.
If you are prescribed medication, you can
go online to http://ww
w.Accessdata.Fda.Gov/scripts/cder/drugsatf
da/ and type in the drug name, check
out it’s approval history, labeling
info., and read the studies that may or
may not have been done. Define words with
online medical dictionaries and ask
pharmacists for the "drug insert fact
sheet" on serious adverse reactions for
each drug you take, they receive them from
the manufacturer, but only give them out
if you ask for them. They provide them
upon request.
Links:
fda 2007 budget – genotoxicity of
chronic methylphenidate exposure.
this information has been condensed for
distribution purposes. I cannot possibly
afford the mass distribution this info
deserves, but with your help, electronic
and hard copies can be distributed
worldwide. Please write us for an
electronic copy, if your child is ill in
like manner, or you appreciated the
notice, perhaps you have questions or
comments? There is hope, write us at rita
lindanger@yahoo.Com
