MEDICATION WARNINGS: NEW CONCERNS FOR ADHD AND COMORBID MOTOR PROBLEMS

The FDA committees and the manufacturers of the most common ADHD drugs have recently modified the prescription information to include warnings on sudden death, serious cardiovascular events, and suicidal ideation. The purpose of this article was to document the asso-ciation between traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, and ADHD and to clarify the new warnings for these medications. Suggestions are put forth for parents, teachers, and support personnel. In a previous issue of this journal a bolded warning for Strattera was dis-cussed. Since that publication, additional warnings have been recommended for other commonly prescribed stimulant medications for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Parents and teachers of two groups of students with physical disabilities may find that these warnings are of special interest as ADHD commonly accompanies traumatic brain injury and cerebral palsy. TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY Traumatic Brain Injury is caused by “severe trauma to the head that results in lasting physical and cognitive impairments ” (Werts, Culatta, & Tompkins, 5 2007, p. 212). Motor difficulties such as poor balance and poor coordination are commonly seen in students with TBI (Smith, 2001). Also, numerous citations have substantiated the associations between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). ADHD is a common comorbid condition following TBI. Hill (1999) found that extreme distractibility is a common cognitive change for students with TBI. In 2000 Bowe noted that TBI which involves the pre-frontal cortex often leads to problems associated with attention deficit hyper-activity disorder. An investigation in 2004 revealed that 19–44 % of childre