DOZENS of West Australian families will be urged to join a class action in the wake of evidence that children as young as five are suffering dire side effects after taking stimulant drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
West Australian MP Martin Whitely has been campaigning against the over-prescription of stimulants for the past decade and said revelations in The Australian of adverse reactions in children - including strokes, heart attacks and convulsions - came as no surprise.
Mr Whitely, who warned of the dangers of subsidising the cost of the drug in August last year, said he felt vindicated by statistics showing that prescriptions for Ritalin had increased tenfold since it was placed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
Full Article by Amanda Banks
# posted by madthumbs @ 11:57 AM
