America Is Overmedicating Children America Is Over-Medicating

America Is Overmedicating Children

America is over-medicating its children. Recently, the studies and the reports have shown that there is a great increase in the usage of prescription as well as nonprescription drugs within the American children. There are three main classes of drugs being used on the children; psychotropic drugs, antibiotics and asthma medications. Why are the drugs being used on the children in increasing rates? Has there been an increase in these illnesses, or are these drugs being used without a reason. There are three main areas of concern on which the paper will concentrate.

Antibiotics

These are the first kind of medications that were used on a wider scale. Penicillin is an important example. Since the 1940s, when the drug was released in the market, the advantages as well as the pitfalls of usage have been seen (United States Congress House Of Representatives, 2010, p. 56). It was observed that average lifespan of a person was increased by 8 years by the antibiotics. But the pitfall is the development of an increased resistance in the bacteria. The American children have been prescribed this drug for many years. Based on the great disadvantages that the drugs pose, there has been a slight decrease in the rates of antibiotic prescription to the children.

2. Asthma Medication

Within the last two decades, there has been a great increase in the number of children diagnosed with asthma, thus an increase in children being prescribed asthma medication. There is a growing belief within the scientists that the rise in asthma is due to an acierated use of antibiotics. The antibiotics are known to fight against bacteria and when used, it is seen that pathogenic as well as normal flora of bacteria is harmed. It has negative effects on a normal person's ability to resist changes in the environment and the body (Longoria, 2000, p. 45). This is also the reason of an increase in the allergies that cause asthma. Thus an over usage of one kind of medication had led to the over usage of another kind. Another lobby has argued that total cleaning of the body with medications has also led to a great decrease in the ability of the body to make antibodies. An important fact that needs to be argued here is that the asthma medications do not treat the illness but can only work on the symptoms. Still, the children are being prescribed the drugs in an accelerated manner (Warner, 2011, p. 90).

3. Psychotropic Drugs

This includes the class of drugs that are the most controversial when it comes to an increase in prescribing drugs to the children. Most of these drugs are used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). One of the studies published in Journal of the American Medical Association, the number of preschool children being treated by medications of ADD tripled between the year 1990 and 1995. In the last 15 years, the rate has increased to more than 111%. Within the last decade, production of Ritalin, an important drug against ADD has increased to more than 3% per year (Patton, 2011, p. 78).

Alternatives to medications