Adderall, Ritalin & Others May
Cause Heart Attack

The FDA has issued its strongest warning label to Adderall,
Ritalin and similar medications. Heart attacks, stroke,
and sudden death are possible side effects.

On February 9, 2006, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel narrowly voted to recommend adding its strongest warning label – a “black box” label – to Ritalin, Adderall, Focalin, Methylin, Metadate, Concerta and similar medications used to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The decision was based on an FDA report that found 25 children and adults had died suddenly from 1999 to 2003 after taking ADHD drugs.

Drugs used to treat ADHD are stimulants, and the panel recommends stricter language for the drugs’ side effects, which include increased risk of sudden death, heart attacks or strokes. The recommended warnings could trouble parents and doctors. Both should question whether or not the drugs are necessary. Doctors wrote more than 31 million prescriptions for stimulant ADHD drugs, according to IMS Health, a pharmaceutical information company.

The concern about cardiovascular risk associated with ADHD drugs was so high in Canada, that Health Canada (the FDA counterpart in Canada) pulled Adderall off the market a year ago. However, sales there later resumed. Adderall, the only amphetamine among the top-selling ADHD brands, already carries a boxed warning about how misuse can cause sudden death, heart attack or stroke.

The FDA is expected to require the black box warning because the agency typically follows the advice of its advisory committees. The panel also recommended that the FDA require "Medication Guides" that would explain possible risks in plain English to patients and their families. Some of the drugs already have such guides.

If you or a loved one has taken ADHD medications and experienced sudden death, heart attacks or strokes, you may have a right to seek compensation from the drug companies that have caused you pain.

At Brown & Crouppen, we believe that drug companies who place profit above people must be held accountable for their negligence and the damage they cause to innocent victim’s lives.

Brown & Crouppen’s skills, credentials and resources have helped our clients get compensation from the manufacturers and suppliers of unsafe drugs and products. If you have been injured by a dangerous drug, the manufacturer may have failed in its duty to design, make, inspect and label the product appropriately.

Brown & Crouppen can help you make informed decisions about your legal rights, so please call Brown & Crouppen at Toll-Free: 866-991-4700 for your FREE legal consultation, or save time with our claim evaluation form.