EKG for children with ADD/ADHD? | ADHD Information

My DS had an EKG done at the request of the pediatrician after she learned he'd been on adderall(Canada had pulled it from their shelves after they linked it with strokes in children there). She switched him to Strattera.

What the program stated is that 1 in every 50 kids has a heart disorder, whether dxed or not. 1 in 3 with a heart disorder will have adhd. Stims do elevate blood pressure, etc. But , a child with a heart disorder can still take adhd meds if monitored by a phys.

The program also stated that the kids may need heart meds. Hello? Conidine is a beta blocker and guanfacine [Tenex] is an antihypertensive. Many of you already use these meds in conjunction with the adhd meds.

Yes, I agree that every child should have a complete family history taken and an ECG[or ekg, like most people cal them] before being put on meds. I [personally] think that an ecg should be part of the child's yearly physical, along with regular blood work.[we have blood work done every 6 mos]

My daughter had her med check appointment today with our pediatrician. I heard the same thing on our local news. Her Dr. wrote an RX for an EKG which I will definitely have her take. She's been on Adderall since she's 5 (she's 8 now) and her Dr. checks her blood pressure, pulse, etc... every three months. But I cant see how the test can hurt, so we will definitely do it. Better safe than sorry.

alisonsmom wrote: My sister told me she saw a report last night on NBC Nightly News that reported children with ADD/ADHD are prone to congenital heart problems

Such information is not accurate or perhaps your sister read wrong. What the medical community states is that anyone who is starting stimulant meds should get an ekg and a heart exam before starting meds to make sure the person doesnt have a preexisting heart problem. Some people may have one and not know it. In no way has it been proven that stimulant meds make a person more prone to heart problem and parents need to know that.

Yike! I'm calling my son's dr tomorrow to set up the tests. He is on focalin XR and clonodine and seems fine. However, he was adopted at birth and we don't have a complete family history. Better to be safe than sorry.

My sister told me she saw a report last night on NBC Nightly News that reported children with ADD/ADHD are prone to congenital heart problems. The report recommended having an EKG done before putting children on medication. The medical community is unsure of exactly what this data means.

Has anyone heard about this? It is new to me.

That was on our news last night too. But I missed a bit of it, so don't know anything about ekg, but it did say at every visit their blood pressure should be taken, and they should listen to their hearts. I know Trent's dr does everything every month. We have to go in for actual appointments. His old pediatrician didn't see him but once every 4 months. I just had to go in the in between months and sign for his prescription. Which I didn't like.

I'm going to ask his doctor about it and see what he suggests.

Good post. Thanks for posting it.

I am going to hop online to their website. See what I find.

Here we go .... I found a link to the article.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24244468/

I watched the video and that is very frightening. I emailed it to our dr and my brother in law who is a dr to get their thoughts on it. I will post what I find out.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
jaqcl39560.317662037I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about it. My understanding is that the American Heart Assoc. is now recommeding that all children have an EKG before beginning stimulants or strattera to see if there is an underlying congenital heart condition. Only 2% of kids are walking around w/ an unknown congenital heart condition but if those kids take stimulants, they are at risk of irregular heartbeats. So they are trying to find those 2% of kids for which stimulants could be dangerous. I don't think there is any new information the AHA is just being more cautious. Neither of my kids have ever had EKG's. I think I will take them to a pediatric cardiologist just to be safe and for peace of mind.

I read the article, and in a nutshell, here's what it says:

The American Heart Association recommends children with existing heart issues have and EKG to make sure the meds are not elevating their blood pressure to dangerous levels.

The FDA reports that there were 19 deaths and 26 other incidents reported between 1999 and 2003.

Dr. Steven Pliszka, a psychiatrist from the University of Texas, makes recommendations to The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, does not think routine EKGs are necessary. Now bear in mind that he consults with makers of ADHD drug makers. He says there isn't any evidence to show that kids on ADHD drugs are any more likely to have heart problems than the kid who isn't on medication.

DD's Psych does them before meds, and regularly while taking meds. She has had about 3 or so in 4 years.

DD was dx'd, and her spcyh practices at TX childrens, it is standard before meds are prescribed there.

My son has been on stimulants since he was 5(now 10) and never had a doctor or ped recommended an EKG . I have an appointment on May 5th and will ask the physchiatrist what he recommends. They are saying that alot of people WILL not get them done because of insurance and also because it will be inconvienent. Most peds or any other kind of MD dont have that machine in their office.

The incidents of deaths is not really high when you consider the amount of children who take stimulants each year but better to be safe I say.

< =text/>_popupControl(); A congenital heart problem, or any congenital condition, is one that the person was born with. A person can't develop a "congenital" condition. So having a serarate condition can't make you more prone to having a congenital condition; you were either born with it or you weren't.

A person who was born with a congenital heart condition who takes adhd stims needs to have that closely monitored. Our psych was incensed by the confusing reporting and stressed that stims have been used for decades and these reports are nothing more than a way for news programs to suck veiwers in.

ADD/ADHD children are not prone to congenital heart problems. i think there is a higher occurence of ADHD in children with congenital heart disease compared to the rest of the public, but not scientific connection. Of the 19 child deaths reported by the FDA, 13 had pre-existing congenital heart disease. [QUOTE=trixila] Yike! I'm calling my son's dr tomorrow to set up the tests. He is on focalin XR and clonodine and seems fine. However, he was adopted at birth and we don't have a complete family history. Better to be safe than sorry.[/QUOTE]

My son is 8 and he was taking focalin and clonidine along with risperidal. He was just released from the childrens hospital and still has a long road ahead of him. He was experiencing chest pain so his physch ordered an ekg. It came back very abnormal. The docs said that it was the clonidine and focalin combo. So I am very glad that you are having your child evaluated. [QUOTE=granny Fran]

Stims do elevate blood pressure, etc. But , a child with a heart disorder can still take adhd meds if monitored by a phys.

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I am glad that you are telling people to have an ekg. Because it is this stimulant with clonidine combo that put my son in the hospital for a heart deffect. It was not a birth deffect. Because he was thoroughly checked two years ago when he was put in physch hospital. His heart and brain where fine. So thanks for the advice everyone should have this done. Because while he had all those test 2 yrs ago. He still had problems last week. I should of had him checked sooner. If it wasn't for his chest pain he might not be here.lethy proud mom39563.2571064815Yes, you are right. She heard it wrong on the television report.

[QUOTE=alisonsmom]Yes, you are right. She heard it wrong on the television report.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for clarifying