Critical analysis: stop medical experimentation on our children

Critical Analysis: Stop Medical Experimentation on Our Children Nobody likes to experiment feeding their children with medicine without any serious illness diagnosed. Unfortunately this was not the case in the USA some decades ago and they were confronted with major problems in the society that led to imbalance both in social as well as political life. Maureen Salaman Gordon, in her article titled “ Stop Medical Experimentation on Our Children”, raises the issue of early anti-psychotic medication being conveniently prescribed to children as young as 6 years old. This has its side effects as worst as killing someone as close as one’s own parents. How would this be justified by the pharmaceutical companies which have bound the doctors and patients into this vicious circle of abnormalities and deaths? The answer lies in abandoning man-made chemicals which “ have no place in our lives and the health of our children” (Gordon 7). In her article “ Stop Medical Experimentation on Our Children”, Gordon traces instances from real life where children had to suffer in the hands of drugs they were conveniently prescribed for psychological disorders like obsessive compulsive (OCD), anxiety and depression. A case in 1961 caused a two year old girl named Julie to suffer the side effects of heavy tranquilizers that she received for showing “ normal behavior” at home with siblings, for a girl her age. Later, after forty years, FDA and the companies making drugs confessed their mistake of prescribing medication for children as young as Julie. Research shows that 80% of the medications prescribed for children are for adults use only. Each year 100, 000 children die because of such mishaps (Gordon 2). These drugs are likely to damage children’s “ hearing, cause seizures and cardiac arrest, asthmatic children whose growth is stunted by inhaling high doses of corticosteroids” (Gordon 5). The issue is serious but because the FDA has to maintain a balance between the pharmaceutical companies and its public health awareness, little is done to speed up the process of eradication of drugs that cause seizures and skin diseases in children. It is very unfortunate to be a part of the system where one is left with no choice when it comes to making decisions about health of a family member, that too of children who are unconsciously been victimized. Gordon also narrates instances in past where taking of certain drugs caused children to react adversely and the children ended up killing their parents and injuring their children. The drugs responsible for these accidents were anti-depressant like Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft, which were selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Drugs like Luvox have side-effects like manic and psychotic reaction the symptoms of which include “ delusions of grandeur, intense irritability, rages and delusional thoughts” (Gordon 3) Dilemma is that only a few pharmaceutical companies are willing to test the drugs before making it available for the masses. The sales for adults in the pharmaceutical companies in USA are much higher than those for children. Use of medication for pediatrics is even lesser than the other two. Antibiotics are another serious threat to infants who are treated for precaution against a disease found in the mother. This is not the only solution if its side-effects can kill the infants. Certain infections are caused by food allergies. Giving antibiotics can cause them to have asthma before the age of four (Gordon 7). Gordon had justified her claims perfectly well. There is no excuse for feeding the children such harmful medicines because medicines are about saving lives not ending them deliberately. Pharmaceutical companies need to be brought in limelight for growing lack of research and experimentation before allowing any drugs in the stores. Psychiatrists, as in the case of Julie failed to see that it was very much normal to show that kind of irritability and discomfort by a two year old, because they are more prone to prescribing medications than judging the behavior of a patient like psychologists do before sending them to a psychiatrist. It is probably for this reason that these are two separate fields. Patients need not visit a psychiatrist unless there is a serious medical record that shows they have previously encountered a physical breakdown. Medication is one thing that requires careful study before prescription. It cannot be equated to a natural remedy which may not cause as much harm as man-made chemicals have done ever since they have succeeded in the field of science and technology. It would be better, as Gordon suggests, scrutinizing the pharmaceutical companies before giving them the permission to distribute drugs of lethal side-effects. Works Cited Gordon, Maureen, S. Stop Medical Experimentation on Our Children News With Views. (n. d.)