An FDA advisory panel recommended that prescription medications to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) come with strong black box warnings saying that the drugs may increase the risk of heart problems in some patients. According to an earlier report prepared by the FDA, 24 deaths have occurred among patients who took the attention deficit treatment amphetamine-dextroamphetamine (Adderall) through 2003. Another 16 deaths were reported through 2003 in patients who took methylphenidates.
The FDA report did not state that the medications were responsible for the fatalities, but it recommended close monitoring of cardiac problems in children who take these medications.