Before we look at the generic ADHD drugs, I want to give you some statistics about this enormous industry and how it is worth well over $1 billion a year. The most popular brand name drugs such as Adderall and Ritalin sell for a total of almost 200 million units but the generics sell about 700 million units.
Many health insurance plans will only cover the generics because they are cheaper. That is one reason why they are so popular, of course. The second reason is that they are practically the same as the brand name although they are allowed to have up to 20% variance in the amount but they do have to contain exactly the same chemical.
The reason generics exist is that they are copies of drugs whose patents have expired. There is a period of time so that the company who originally paid for all the research in developing and marketing the drug, can get some money back on their initial investment. I was astonished to read that the cost of developing and bringing on the market just one drug can cost about $900 million!
Lots of people are trying to get generic ADHD drugs for their children and when shortages occur, then there is a general panic. Of course the brand names may be available but they cost more and some estimates say that this could make a difference of a minimum of $25 to a maximum of $75 a month, which is considerable, if taken over a whole year.
When we consider the overall figures of this enormous industry, we realize that of the 5 million children diagnosed with ADHD, about 66% of them are on some form of medication. These are from figures released by the Canters For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
We have looked at the cost criterion which is an important consideration. But we need to look at other criteria and see whether the idea of putting our children on generic ADHD drugs is really worth the risk and all the trouble. The well established facts are:-
* nobody knows how these drugs work on a child's brain cells
* nobody is sure of the long term effects
* nobody is sure about the possible risk of addiction
* there is a dearth of information on the research into health risks such as heart disease and sudden death.
While the drugs are great for relieving symptoms of hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity, the fact is that they can only be a short term measure. They have to be supplemented with behavior therapy and a suitably ADHD friendly environment. That means setting up structures and routines and so on.
There are alternatives to these generic ADHD drugs and I can tell you that they are much cheaper and they are also much safer. I have set this all out on my website so why not check it out for yourself.
Matthew Gant has written extensively on ADHD and Mental Health for many years. Experts now tell us that child behavior modification combined with a natural treatment for ADHD is by far the most effective ADHD treatment. Check out this site for more parenting and ADHD advice.
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