Muscle-Wasting Side Effect "Rhabdo" Seems To Apply To Entire ADHD Class Of Drugs Given That April 2015 FDA Letter Was Sent To All Manufacturers
(Posted by Tom Lamb at DrugInjuryWatch.com)
We start in the US where an April 15 FDA letter to drug companies like Janssen Pharmaceuticals (regarding Concerta) stated that new safety information pertaining to the association between the use of stimulants used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and rhabdomyolysis, or "rhabdo" for short, should be added to the drug labels for ADHD medications such as these:
Adderall
Concerta
Focalin
Ritalin
Strattera
Vyvanse
According to the PubMed Health page for rhabdomyolysis, from the US National Library of Medicine:
Rhabdomyolysis is a condition in which damaged skeletal muscle tissue breaks down rapidly. Breakdown products of damaged muscle cells are released into the bloodstream. Some of these, such as the protein myoglobin, are harmful to the kidneys and may lead to kidney failure.
Next we turn to an April 2015 Health Canada safety alert about methylphenidate products such as Concerta and Ritalin being associated with prolonged and painful erections -- a medical condition called priapism -- in male patients, including children.
From that Health Canada alert about Concerta and Ritalin:
Priapism is a very rare condition that has been reported during treatment with methylphenidate products, after increasing the dose, or stopping the product even for a short period of time. The prescribing information for methylphenidate products has been updated to include this information.
We will continue to watch for further developments concerning the safety profiles of popular ADHD drugs such as Adderall, Concerta, Ritalin, Strattera, and Vyvanse.
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