The last few days I can only describe as “high stake” news — at an unbelievable level. There have been scenes played out in the news of the former POTUS literally dodging a bullet that without divine intervention should have killed him. Everyone was captivated by the news media and the endless videos, first-hand witness reports and conspiracy theories.

There is little information being provided on the 20-year-old shooter other than he was a loner and bullied in school. His parents are reportedly social workers. I am patiently waiting to hear if the shooter was prescribed any central nervous system stimulants such as Adderall or Ritalin to deal with his school and social issues. It will eventually be confirmed or will be a moot issue. If anyone is not familiar with these named stimulants, the below will give you an understanding.

Adderall is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. Adderall contains a combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine. Amphetamine and dextroamphetamine are central nervous system stimulants that affect chemicals in the brain and nerves that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control.

Ritalin can worsen psychosis in people who are psychotic, and in very rare cases it has been associated with the emergence of new psychotic symptoms.

In 2012, I wrote an article regarding the dangers of prescribing a flu medication for children called Tamiflu. The link is shown here:  Tamiflu Causes Psychosis, Delusions, and Paranoia, but FDA Says its ‘OK’ for Newborns? – Salem-News.Com

My concern with the FDA approving psychotic induced drugs is not something new to them. I have been challenging the FDA for over 22 years on their lack of responsibility to putting infants and children at risk. There has been a total lack of accountability from the FDA.

As a personal side to this commentary, when my son, Michael was a newborn and I lived in N.J., I had a neighbor who called me when I came home from the hospital and told me there was something called “autism” that was going to ravage our country. She advised me not to let Michael receive full vaccinations at his pediatric visits, but rather have half a dose in a three-week timeframe. My pediatrician was not happy and said I would have to pay for two visits. No problem. I knew nothing about autism until years later when I witnessed how it was ravaging our young people.

I visited my son’s middle school one day and noticed a line of children winding around the hall to the nurse’s office. They were all receiving their dose of Ritalin during the school day. I could not believe what I was witnessing. I remember years ago, the FDA promoted Valium as “mothers’ little helper”, OxyContin as “nurses’ little helper” and at that moment in the school, I wondered if I was witnessing “teachers’ little helper.”

We don’t know if the shooter who fortunately will not be remembered as a Lee Harvey Oswald had been prescribed any central nervous system stimulants — but I await toxicology reports on him.