Interview Dr Choong-Siew Yong, Chair, AMA Public Health Committee, ABC Radio - 'Kiddie speed' prescriptions jump no surprise: AMA

COMPERE:   The Australian Medical Association (AMA) says it is not surprising that more than a million prescriptions have been filled over the past four years for the drug dexamphetamine, otherwise known as 'kiddie speed'.

The drug is used to treat children diagnosed with attention deficit disorder or ADD.

Dr Choong-Siew Yong from the AMA's executive council says dexamphetamines are prescribed for lower socio-economic families as it is the only ADD treatment funded by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

YONG:            "The only one which is easy for parents to get is the medication," he said.  

"It's hard to get the other things going.  We don't have enough resources in schools, we don't have enough support for parents and families."

COMPERE:   Democrats health spokeswoman Lyn Allison says new Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme figures show an alarming increase in use of the drug since 1999.

She says the figures do not include other drugs prescribed for ADD such as Ritalin or drugs bought privately.

Senator Allison says while the drug does solve an immediate problem by calming children down, research is urgently needed into its prescription.

ALLISON:      "We don't know if they have an addictive quality and we certainly... don't know the long-term mental impacts of those drugs," she said.

COMPERE:      Doctor Bill Pring, a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, says there is strong debate within the medical community about what is the right rate of prescription.

PRING:           "We'd need to have studies that actually look at a population of children and show what the prevalence is of the condition in the community," he said.

"Then we could have some idea whether the amount of prescribing is appropriate to the whole of Australian population."

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