Govt Exposed for Forcing Foster Kids, Even Toddlers to Take Dangerous Psychotropic Drugs

This just scares the bejeebers out of me:

Govt Exposed for Forcing Foster Kids, Even Toddlers to Take Dangerous Psychotropic Drugs

The report found that nearly 12 percent of kids in California’s child welfare system were prescribed psychotropic medications – including antipsychotics, antidepressants and mood stabilizers – during 2014-2015. This compares to a rate of 4 to 10 percent for non-foster kids.

Some of these vulnerable children were drugged “in amounts and dosages that exceeded state guidelines,” with no follow-up by the county to ensure these prescriptions were appropriate. Some counties also violated the law by failing to obtain court or parental approval for psychotropic medications.

California spent $226 million on psychotropic medications for foster kids over the last decade, which amounts to almost 72 percent of total drug spending for foster youth.

Over the last decade, nearly 15 percent of California’s foster kids were prescribed psychotropic medications, and almost 1 in 4 adolescents were being drugged in this way – part of a growing trend across the country.

As the article points out, given the physical and emotional turmoil of their situation, it's reasonable to expect a greater need for some of these medications... but only with great care and caution!!! And that doesn't seem to be the case. Rather, it's happening with very little oversight, including proper notification and/or consent of parents, and many of these drugs are not only given in dangerously high dosages and combinations with other psychiatric drugs, they are also given to children they are not even approved for! Many of these drugs have long-term adverse side effects, especially with long term use.

I'm not saying it's all about the money, but --

Eli Lilly advised its sales task force: “The competition wins if we are distracted into talking about diabetes.”

This is crazy. It's worse than crazy. It's cruel and sadistic what we do to the least among us, rather than for them. Shame on us.

More reading:

California State Auditor Report

Californi a’s foster care prescribers fuel the medication of vulnerable kids with antipsychotics

Drugging our kids: Children in California’s foster care system are prescribed risky medications

a reply to: Boadicea

Parent of biological kids do it too. Aderrall for instance not pyschotropic but it permanantly negatively alters the brain and doesnt even work more than a few years for what its supposed to.

a reply to: luthier

Yes, unfortunately, parents do it too. I'm sure many don't know any better, knowing (and believing) only what they hear from the doctors pushing them. Many may be at their wits end, and just don't know what else to do. Many are also pressured into it by school officials and other authorities. MedicalKidnap.com has many cases of children taken from their parents for refusing these drugs.

But what I find most disturbing about this article is the blatant misuse and abuse by the doctors prescribing them. What good is the FDA if this is what we get???

It reminds me of the saying (I don't remember by who now) that we should never judge postential legislation by the amount of good it might bring, but by the harm it will bring if administered incorrectly.

a reply to: Boadicea

It is Big Pharma in action.

When my daughter went to live with her dad for college, he immediately got her an antidepressant and adderall for ADD. She does not have ADD. I had her seen by one of the most famous child psychologists in the world who told me she was fine, more than fine. My ex husband did, as a child, have ADD- or so they told him and was medicated.

She has changed. She might have 'acted out' as a child and younger teen, but now most of her personality seems to have gone somewhere. Some of the light in her eyes is not there.

It is not just kids. I went to a dotor recently for a sleep study. I told him I had a TINY bit of a wheeze when I lay down and it is annoying, amongst racing thoughts/etc that keep me from sleeping. He tested me in this frankenstein looking breathing chamber. Before I left, I was deemed to have asthma. Given an inhaler (which I sort of was grateful for so I could use it before bed. I was also given a 'rescue inhaler' and a prescription for singulair in a pill. I have never had an asthma attack or symptoms during the day or exercise.

if I miss picking up any prescription, and the numbers of prescriptions seem to multiply exponentially, Walgreens tests me to death to COME IN TO GET MY REFILLS.





I have to fight for the 50k iu a week Vit D RX to save money, but they will happily throw everything else under the sun at me.

a reply to: reldra

That's just crazy. I almost didn't want to star your post cause I just don't like the sound of that! But decided it deserved one for the information. So thanks for that.

It hurts my heart to think of the change in your daughter... I cannot imagine how much more it hurts your heart. As you described it, I feel like her essence just kinda slipped away. My heart and good thoughts are with you and your daughter. Something will work it all through and out.

Good luck.

ETA: My mom went through something similar with the Vit D. I couldn't believe it. Even after the doctor prescribed it (and potassium) her insurance questioned the "need" for it. Sheesh. I just really don't know what to say to that stupidity.

Would you shut up and just trust your government already? Sheesh.

(But seriously, did you know that Adderall is nearly identical structurally to methamphetamine?

WAKE UP. These "Experts" don't care about your children.)

originally posted by: cooperton
Would you shut up and just trust your government already? Sheesh.

Hmmm... about that... I tried... and failed miserably

(But seriously, did you know that Adderall is nearly identical structurally to methamphetamine?

I knew they were very similar in effect, but not that close in structure. Funny that ephedra -- the source plant for meth -- is listed as Schedule I with no medical benefits. Okay, not funny, but not a surprise either... knowing our FDA and our congress critters and Big Pharma.

WAKE UP. These "Experts" don't care about your children.)

I did know that! But it's worth repeating for those who don't... yet.

They're just prepping the next generation of school shooters and life-long pharma dependants. Nothing to worry about.

a reply to: BelowLowAnnouncement

Yup! That's exactly what they're doing. And the worst part? They must know it. I'm sure they have plenty of excuses and reasons and multiple ways to rationalize it to themselves. It's very hard not to think of them as monsters.

a reply to: Boadicea

I think they'd rather 99.9% of the population be drugged up with brain damaging meds. Just for good measure.

Psychotropic meds are abused and I haven't seen much convincing proof that they do much other than damage someone's mind to the point they'll stop acting out as often as they used to. Sedation strategy.

Thankfully my children and myself do not take any drugs, much less the mind wipers.

My approach is
1) Identify your problems
2) Deal with them directly
3) No need to drug them away

a reply to: muzzleflash

There's really no telling how much damage is being done. And there is no incentive for anyone to find out -- at least not among those who have the power to do so.

I worked for a children's behavioral center in the 90s, and such drugs were prescribed very carefully and sparingly, for only the most severe cases. And only in-patients, at least initially, where observation for adverse effects -- and intervention if necessary -- -- was possible. Almost always monitoring blood concentrations as well. So much has changed since then. (Most of these kids were foster kids who were removed from physically and sexually abusive homes, and really all kinds of abuse.)

Good for you for giving your kids better life skills! More kids these days could use that.

Often kids and adults are drugged up to make the life of so called carers easier

Drugs never cure ... they only deal with symptoms and not causes

Children who are disturbed require patience and love

The title is slightly misleading, as it is not govt that is doing this to children but rather medical practitioners and Big Pharma who have gotten away with doing this to the kids. The state report blamed "failure of oversight" by state and local govts. While some of the children were in govt run institutions, there is the issue of privately run group homes,

“The prevalence of industry-funded, high-prescribing doctors at group homes may be the most troubling discovery,”

an outmoded residential group home industry that relies on sedation to maintain order among the troubled youth it shelters;

While there are good group homes, there are also group homes that care more about the money, the business, of group homes, where their clients receive little in way of treatment or support.

Decades ago, when it was decided to close govt institutions in favor of privatizing care, it was thought to be more humane for the kids. The reality is that some homes should be closed down, as no better than or worse than an "institution". The great promises of being superior to institutions did not always work out.

After contracting out for private medical services, the oversight of these private services is lax, leading to situations like this.

Of course, this drugging of children can happen in any family, too. Not just foster children. An upper middle class family I knew once had ALL their kids on Ritalin. Big Pharma is wreaking havoc on America, killing us with overdosing.

originally posted by: artistpoet
Often kids and adults are drugged up to make the life of so called carers easier

That was one of the points the author of the article made. Teachers, caregivers, etc., want the kid docile and sedated and zombied out because it's good for them.

Drugs never cure ... they only deal with symptoms and not causes

Children who are disturbed require patience and love

Yes. A very few -- those who are a danger to themselves or other -- might benefit from some medication, simply because the risks of not medicating are so much worse. But even then, these medications must be used responsibly and as safely as possibly.

originally posted by: BelowLowAnnouncement
They're just prepping the next generation of school shooters and life-long pharma dependants. Nothing to worry about.

Seems so, like they are trying to destroy them.

a reply to: Boadicea

Oh, Boadicea, I saw your post after I posted mine, and I hate to say that it is hella worse and getting worse all the time. And not just with kids but with adults. Standard practice in most medical settings these days seems to be hand out a drug, any drug for anything. I have family members who line up twenty pills in the morning.... just for the morning!

Privatizing veterans care just means that any current firewall the VA has against Big Pharma is done away with. Big Pharma automatically gets more money for taxpayer funded treatment. Greedy bastards!

People always don't understand the monitoring that you had to do in your job. Now, it's "let's do this in a home setting but without all the monitoring"....no, wait, "leave it up to the untrained patient or family to monitor"!

a reply to: desert

The title is slightly misleading, as it is not govt that is doing this to children but rather medical practitioners and Big Pharma who have gotten away with doing this to the kids. The state report blamed "failure of oversight" by state and local govts.

The government is not the only guilty party, but they definitely own a big part of it. It was under the auspices of government that these kids were put in this situation, and without proper monitoring and oversight, this is the end result. If you're going to go so far as to take a child from its parents and family in the name of safety and protection, then you damn well do better than you accused the parents of doing.

I agree with your comments about group homes. Doesn't matter if it's government or corporate, it's the people who make it good or bad. And too often that crony capitalism gets in the way and government lets corporations get away with murder. We're looking at much the same situation with the VA.

But that just underscores the importance of proper oversight and regulation.

Big Pharma is wreaking havoc on America, killing us with overdosing.

They're sure trying... it sure seems that way anyway.

a reply to: Boadicea

If you're going to go so far as to take a child from its parents and family in the name of safety and protection, then you damn well do better than you accused the parents of doing.

originally posted by: desert
a reply to: Boadicea

Oh, Boadicea, I saw your post after I posted mine, and I hate to say that it is hella worse and getting worse all the time. And not just with kids but with adults. Standard practice in most medical settings these days seems to be hand out a drug, any drug for anything.

That's so very sad to hear. But I'm not surprised. I know the last two good doctors I had retired early because they couldn't deal with the insurance bureaucracy. I never found a good one since. And insurance these days (at least my husbands) doesn't allow for the good old fashioned family doctor.

Privatizing veterans care just means that any current firewall the VA has against Big Pharma is done away with. Big Pharma automatically gets more money for taxpayer funded treatment. Greedy bastards!

Yup -- agreed. I just likened this situation to the VA situation in my previous post!

People always don't understand the monitoring that you had to do in your job. Now, it's "let's do this in a home setting but without all the monitoring"....no, wait, "leave it up to the untrained patient or family to monitor"!

It's really scary, isn't it?

And let me clarify, I didn't provide any kind of treatment. I was their medical transcriptionist, and transcribed all the doctors' reports, so that's how I knew all about their procedures and courses of treatment. It's also how I know there is a better way, that actually caters to the patients' needs and best interests.

a reply to: Boadicea

10% of non-foster vs "nearly" 12% of foster...

Id expect foster kids to need their mood stabilized slightly more than non-foster.

Those poor kids go through untold trauma to be in that program.

Life-long psychological effects.

Surprised its not more.