http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?source=RSS&attr=CBSNewsVideo_2104407&channel=i_video&id=2104407n
With the link above, you can view Byron Pitt's interview with Gwen Olsen, a pharmaceutical representive who has worked in the foster care system as a CASA. She was familiar with the side effects and dangers of these products, and therefore was greatly concerned.
Olsen reports that children ages 2, 3 4 and 5 years old are receiving major antipsychotic drugs... often for "off-label" indications such as sleep disorders or behavioral disorders.
Young children are three times as likely as adults to have adverse results to psychotropic drugs. They cannot metabolize or eliminate the drugs, so these drugs become neurotoxic in their system, and pass through the blood-brain barrier.
Long-term clinical data indicates that "artificial behavioral improvements" deminish over time. In fact, children often manifest symptoms from previous drugs.
When psychotropic drugs become neurotoxic, physicians should withdraw drugs -- not add another drug.
Olsen alleges that prescriptions are motivated in part by financial gains by the pharmaceutical industry.
1 comment:
Absolutely frightening that children as young as 2 are being medicated with these types of drugs.
It is as stated, just for monetary gain and not for the benefit of the children.
I don't think the childs best interests are ever taken into consideration, just what is easiest for the case-workers and best for the cottage industry that surrounds foster care.
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