Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects millions and millions of children around the world. In fact, the number of children being diagnosed with ADHD has been steadily increasing. Some experts attribute this to improved screening procedures, but there are also many who feel that modern guidelines make it too easy for a child to be diagnosed with this disorder.

In the not too distant past, a child had to show signs of hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity to be diagnosed and subsequently treated for ADHD. In most European countries, this is usually the case, but in the United States, hyperactivity alone can lead to a six-year-old receiving stimulant medication. These drugs have literally been the drugs of choice for decades, and as a result, many people, including healthcare professionals, have become complacent about the risks involved.

Many pediatricians and child psychiatrists argue that the benefits of these medications far outweigh the risks, but I can assure you that countless parents disagree, and why should they, considering that they have lost their children as a direct result of these medications. The most widely prescribed ADHD drug has been linked to numerous child and adolescent suicides. Even an ADHD drug-related suicide is, in my books, suicide for many.

ADHD prescription medication is not as mild as some people would like you to believe. For starters, the US Drug Enforcement Agency lists these drugs in the same category as opium, morphine, cocaine, etc. If a teenager is caught selling their medication to her friends, which happens all too often, they can almost certainly be charged with selling narcotics.

Another thing that should ring alarm bells is the fact that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) requires manufacturers of these drugs to include a “Black Box Warning” on all packaging and accompanying documentation. In case you don’t already know, the “Black Box Warning” is the FDA’s most serious warning and is reserved primarily for cases where there is a significant risk of addiction and other serious or life-threatening side effects.

It is true that a parent can see a difference in their child’s behavior within minutes of taking their medication, while ADHD supplements take much longer to produce results. That being said, the supplements are not life-threatening for a child and they are not addictive.

Last but not least, children who are treated with natural remedies can often stop taking supplements, after which they will no longer need any type of treatment. Prescription drugs, on the other hand, offer no such possibilities.