EKG Now Recommended if You Are Taking Stimulant Medications

Given recent findings, Advanced Pediatrics now recommends that all children taking stimulant medications have an EKG done prior to getting a refill. Stimulant medications are the most common drugs used to treat ADHD. They include amphetamine (Adderall, Vyvanse) and methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, Methylin, Metadate, and Daytrana). All of these medications have been linked to rare instances of sudden cardiac death, and a simple screening EKG appears to offer the hope of preventing many of these tragic events. So if your child is taking one of these medications, please call your preferred hospital and schedule a simple EKG. Advanced Pediatrics would also be very pleased to help arrange for your child to get the EKG.  An EKG is simple to arrange, simple to do, and pain free.  So arrange for the EKG if your child is taking a stimulant medication.

Soon we will not be refilling these medications unless a normal EKG is on file.

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*Disclaimer*
The comments contained in this electronic source of information do not constitute and are not designed to imply that they constitute any form of individual medical advice. The information provided is purely for informational purposes only and not relevant to any person's particular medical condition or situation. If you have any medical concerns about yourself or your family please contact your physician immediately. In order to provide our patients the best uninfluenced information that science has to offer,we do not accept samples of drugs, advertising tchotchkes, money, food, or any item from outside vendors.

A New Study for 6-17 Year Olds with ADHD at Advanced Pediatrics

People with attention deficit disorders typically have abnormal sleep function, too. Recent studies have linked exposure to strong white light after sunset to disruptions in normal sleeping. And so, we at Advanced Pediatrics are curious about whether limiting exposure to light before bedtime might help improve sleep and, in turn, improve attention during the day. In a study designed in collaboration with scientists at John Carrol we are now able to offer a study that limits the exposure to blue light before bedtime to see what impact this has on your child's attentional abilities. The interventions are:

• Taking a 10 minute test of attentional skill with Dr. Weitman.
  
• Wearing amber-tinted glasses for some time before bedtime every day, using an amber-tinted nightlight and/or light bulb for middle of the night lights.
  
• Keeping a diary of sleep and attention functions
  

Do this for 10 weeks and then repeat the attention test with Dr. Weitman.  We have obtained formal certification from the University Hospitals Institutional Review Board for this study.

There is no cost to participate.

If interested, simply call our office, we will enroll the first 30 who meet the entry criteria of being 6-17 years old and having ADHD.

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*Disclaimer*
The comments contained in this electronic source of information do not constitute and are not designed to imply that they constitute any form of individual medical advice. The information provided is purely for informational purposes only and not relevant to any person's particular medical condition or situation. If you have any medical concerns about yourself or your family please contact your physician immediately. In order to provide our patients the best uninfluenced information that science has to offer,we do not accept samples of drugs, advertising tchotchkes, money, food, or any item from outside vendors.