Are Ritalin, Prozac,

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Are Ritalin, Prozac, Vicodin Over-prescribed?

• By Tracy Oostdyk
• Jen Bombardo
• Kristina Zmyewski
• Sean Arena
• David White

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Diagnostic of ADHD

• Fidgets
• Difficulty remaining seated
• Easily distracted
• Difficulty awaiting turns
• Blurts out answers to questions
• Trouble following instructions
• Difficulty playing quietly

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Cont.

• Talks excessively
• Interrupts or intrudes
• Does not listen
• Engages in physically dangerous activities
• Does not listen to rules or regulations
• Can not be told to do more than one thing at a
  time.
• (ericec.org)

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Diagnosis of Depression

• Changes in Thinking
• Problems concentrating or making decisions
• Difficulty with short term memory
• Pessimism
• Poor self-esteem
• Excessive guilt
• Self-criticism

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Cont.

• Changes in Feelings
• Feeling sad for no reason
• No longer enjoying activities you once enjoyed
• Lack of motivation
• Irritability
• Feeling helpless or hopeless

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Cont.

• Changes in Behavior
• Eating more or less
• Chronic sadness
• Excessive crying
• Constant complaining
• Loss of sexual desire
• Trouble getting out of bed

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People Who Have Faced the Depression Illness

• Abraham Lincoln
• Mark Twain
• Theodore Roosevelt
• Winston Churchill
• Princess Diana

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Facts on Pain

• Chronic Pain affects an estimated 80 million
  Americans
• The 3rd leading cause of physical impairment in
  the U.S.
• Back pain affects 1 in 4 Americans
• An estimated 80 of all Americans will suffer
  from back pain
• Problems can range from minor aggravating aches
  to severe debilating pain.

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What Ritalin Does

• Prompts an increase in production of
  neurotransmitters two of the brains chemicals
  dopamine and norepinephrine.
• Increases nervous system alertness
• Enhances a childs attention span
• Reduces excess restlessness
• (DesMoines Register.com)

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What Prozac Does

• Prozac is believed to work by blocking the
  reabsorption of serotonin, a neurotransmitter or
  chemical messenger in the brain(NAMI).
• Helps people deal with depression
• Helps combat bulimia
• Helps obsessive/compulsion disorders

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What Vicodin Does

• Vicadin is a painkiller and cough reliever that
  helps relieve moderate to moderately severe pain.
• Raises your pain threshold
• The dosage lasts almost four hours
• Attitude adjustments are a definite positive
  value

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Side Effects of Ritalin

• Decreased appetite
• Stomachaches
• Irritability
• Insomnia
• Staring
• Disinterest
• sadness
• Can make a child hyper
• (DesMoines Register.com)

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Side Effects of Prozac

• Chills
• Hypertension
• Increased appetite
• Weight gain
• Increased urination

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Side Effects of Vicodin

• Fast or Slow heartbeat
• Trouble breathing
• Swelling of the face
• Yellowing of the skin or eyes
• Skin rash
• Hallucinations
• Nausea or Vomiting
• Severe confusion or tiredness

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Reasons Ritalin is Being Over-prescribed

• The US is responsible for 90 percent of the
  worlds Ritalin being used to treat children.
• (The International Narcotics Control Board)
• The drug can erase enough symptoms of ADHD to
  eliminate 82 to 85 of Children.
• (US News)

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Reasons Ritalin IS Being Over-prescribed

• Doctors Prescribe Ritalin to Fast!
• Ritalin being prescribed after a 15 min.
  interview.
• They know it works for most children
• Parents are to Lazy!
• Dont take time
• Dont care about there child being on a drug
• Not enough money

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Reasons Prozac is Being Over-prescribed

• Not fully aware of the side effects
• Can make Suicidal
• Suffering only slight depression
• Loss of Job
• Loss of Boyfriend

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Reasons Vicodin IS Over-prescribed

• So many patients on Vicodin often keep using it
  thinking that the body has not healed
  sufficiently to eliminate the pain itself. In
  fact, Vicodin withdrawal can be the cause of a
  patient's continuing use and more importantly,
  the feeling that more is needed to combat the
  same pain.
• (Alcohol Drug)

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People Who Have Been Addicted to Vicodin

• Michael Jackson
• Nicole Smith
• Chevy Chase
• Brett Favre

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Reasons Ritalin is NOTOver-prescribed

• Report Card
• Interview with Child
• Interview with Parents
• Interview with Teachers
• Prescribed on trial bases

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Reasons Ritalin is NOTOver-prescribed..Cont..

• Arguments on Lazy Parents
• No cure for disease
• Therapy does not always work
• Children getting non-drug therapy for nine
  months, this including eight weeks of summer camp
  were still not cured compared to the child that
  was on the pill. In a short term effect everyone
  knows this pill has a whopping effect. (US News)

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Reasons Prozac is NOT Being Over-prescribed

• The Prozac hype is dwarfed by the
  under-prescription of drugs for those with
  serious illnesses.
• Some people feel that suicide is the only option
  to cure their pain.
• Depression can be a danger to other people if not
  cured.

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Reasons Vicodin is NOT Over-prescribed

• Short term cure
• Helps control attitude of person
• Helps other people deal with the effected person
• Not everybody Abuses the drug

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Is Prozac Over-prescribed?

• The research you have to do to examine the
  problem at that level of detail is expensive and
  intrusive. Anyone who gives you a definite answer
  to that question is stretching beyond what is
  known.
• (ALEX SCHULMAN)

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Is RitalinOver-prescribed?

• The debate on weather or not Ritalin is
  over-prescribed will not be settled any time
  soon.
• (Amy Farlinger)
• Register Pharmacist

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Is Vicodin Over-prescribed

• Many of these painkillers aren't new, and
  "there's not necessarily something wrong with"
  the increase in controlled substances, "But once
  you put something into the food chain, someone's
  going to want to bite.
• (Michael Moy )

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Questions For Discussion

• Do you feel that Ritalin, Prozac, and Vicodin are
  over-prescribed?
• Can a person be diagnosed with ADHD after the age
  of seven?
• Name one reason why Ritalin, Prozac, and Vicodin
  are over-prescribed?

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Cont

• What is one side effect of Ritalin, Prozac, and
  Vicodin?
• Name two famous people that have been affected by
  one of the three illnesses?