How do you know an epidemic has gotten out of control? When doctors begin using unproven methods to try and reverse it. This is becoming the case the childhood obesity. According to a recent CNN report, a doctor in Illinois used Adderall, an ADHD medication, to help a young boy lose weight.

A number of medications used to treat ADHD and ADD, including Adderall, can cause appetite suppression and weight loss. The problem is they also cause serious side effects including mood swings, depression, irritability and even death if the patient suffers from a cardiovascular condition. These medications have not been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for weight loss, and yet they are being prescribed by medical professionals for that purpose.

We are living in a time where a quick fix is always the first choice. More and more doctors prescribe anti-depressants without a firm diagnosis of clinical depression or without exploring other methods of treatment first. We know that this is mainly because there is a severe shortage of doctors in North America and many of them do not have enough time to dedicate to individual patients. But quick fixes are also beginning to apply to weight loss. Diet and exercise are being replaced with weight loss supplements, surgery and now prescription drugs. When diet and exercise would likely achieve the same results, albeit in a greater amount of time, is a quick fix really worth the gamble of a child’s life?