Last summer, I wrote an article about a growing trend: Adults being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). And that there is only one ADHD pill -- Eli Lilly's Strattera -- approved by the FDA to treat adults.
Drugmaker Eli Lilly & Co. announced it was adding a safety warning to Strattera after two patients suffered from severe liver damage. The new label warns people with jaundice or laboratory evidence of liver injury to stop taking Strattera. For Lilly, it's a good PR move, considering the avalanche of bad news when Merck pulled Vioxx from the market almost three months ago.
For the record, two million people have used Strattera since it was approved, and Lilly claims none of the 6,000 patients who took it during clinical trials showed evidence of liver damage.
Why do adults or kids need these drugs? One quote from a drug executive says it all: "The adult market is three times the size of the children's market. The market is ripe and is moving in the right direction."
In my practice, I've found many people with ADHD have improved greatly without drugs by taking these simple steps:
Bloomberg.com December 17, 2004