CCHR demands urgent reforms to ensure families are fully informed in real time about life-threatening side effects of ADHD psychotropics—a $20 billion market—as millions remain unaware of new global warnings linking one drug to homicidal thoughts.
By Jan Eastgate
President CCHR International
July 18, 2025
CCHR International has called for urgent measures to ensure consumers and parents of children treated for “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” (ADHD) are fully informed of new drug regulatory agency warnings about serious side effects associated with ADHD prescription drugs—especially homicidal thoughts. New alerts from Australia and Germany now warn that atomoxetine, a widely prescribed “non-stimulant” ADHD drug, patented as Strattera, can cause homicidal ideation—adding to its existing warnings about suicidal behavior in children and young adults.
In June 2025, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) updated the product information for atomoxetine hydrochloride to include a special warning and precautions about “severe cases” of “physical assault, or threatening behavior and thoughts of harming others” in children taking the drug.[1] A separate warning issued in May emphasized that the risk was not limited to children, highlighting “aggressive behavior including homicidal ideation.”[2] The product information further notes that “aggressive behavior or hostility was more frequently observed in clinical trials among children, adolescents, and adults treated with atomoxetine compared to placebo.”[3]
In February, Germany’s Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices published a report, Atomoxetine: New warnings about serotonin syndrome and homicidal thought, confirming that the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) of the European Medicines Agency concluded there is a “possible connection” between atomoxetine and cases of serotonin syndrome—a potentially fatal condition causing toxicity—as well as physical assaults, threatening behavior, and homicidal thoughts.[4]
Serotonin syndrome, or serotonin toxicity, is a potentially life-threatening condition resulting from prescription drugs such as antidepressants that build up high levels of serotonin in the central nervous system.[5]
These alarming developments follow a March 2025 action by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which had Glenmark Pharmaceuticals “voluntarily recall” 1.48 million bottles of atomoxetine from the market after tests revealed a potential carcinogen in multiple batches.[6]
The stakes are high: the Atomoxetine Hydrochloride Market was valued at $1.2 billion in 2024,[7] while the overall U.S. ADHD drug market now tops $20 billion annually.[8]
Other Serious Adverse Effects
New studies confirm that atomoxetine’s risks are a small part of much larger concerns with ADHD drugs:
- A September 2024 study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that patients taking higher doses of ADHD drugs were more than five times as likely to develop psychosis or mania. Lead researcher Dr. Lauren Moran emphasized that a clear warning label is needed to alert prescribers and patients to this risk.[9]
- In 2023, Swedish researchers identified a 23% increased risk of heart disease among individuals using ADHD drugs for more than five years compared to non-users.[10]
- The FDA has also acknowledged that ADHD stimulant drugs can cause addiction, even when taken exactly as prescribed. This prompted the agency to add this information to its black box warning.[11] The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classifies ADHD stimulants in the same category of highly addictive substances as OxyContin and fentanyl, warning that they can lead to “severe psychological dependence.”[12]
- Renowned Danish researcher and physician Peter C. Gøtzsche warned that the short-term harms of ADHD drugs can include tics, twitches, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, aggression, and suicidal or homicidal ideation. Stimulants can also cause children to become apathetic or indifferent by suppressing normal mental and behavioral activity. In some studies, more than half of the children on stimulants developed depression and compulsive, meaningless behaviors.[13]
- According to FDA Medication Guides, ADHD drugs can cause new or worsening behavior or thought problems, aggression, hostility, and psychotic symptoms in both children and adults.[14]
- In 2005, Eli Lilly added a black box warning to Strattera (the branded version of atomoxetine) about suicidal thoughts in children and adolescents.[15]
Despite all this, millions of Americans continue to be prescribed these drugs. CCHR, using IQVIA data, reports that in 2020, more than 6.3 million U.S. adults aged 18–65+ were prescribed stimulants for ADHD, including 340,000 seniors over 65.[16] More than 3.1 million children and teens up to age 17 were also prescribed ADHD stimulants—shockingly, this included over 58,000 children aged five or younger, even though these drugs are not FDA-approved for this age group.[17]
A Subjective Diagnosis
Consumers and parents are often unaware that ADHD is diagnosed subjectively—there is no objective test or scan to confirm it. A new study by researchers at the University of Copenhagen reviewed 292 randomized controlled drug trials for adult ADHD and found widespread methodological flaws: reliance on self-diagnosis, automated tools, and staff with minimal training. Over half the studies included participants with other psychiatric diagnoses, muddying the data. The researchers concluded these flaws undermine the scientific reliability of many ADHD drug trials.[18]
This mirrors a 2022 exposé that debunked the “chemical imbalance” myth used to justify antidepressant use—a theory used for decades in pharmaceutical marketing to sell drugs for a non-existent “chemical defect.”[19]
As SciTech Daily reported on the Copenhagen study: “With adult ADHD diagnoses soaring, often driven by online content, the findings raise serious concerns about research reliability and treatment accuracy. If flawed science is shaping how millions are treated, are we getting ADHD all wrong?”[20]
Indeed, there are no medical tests to confirm that ADHD is a neurobiological condition, despite drug ads implying otherwise. For adults, the “symptoms” range from impulsiveness and poor time management to excessive activity, low frustration tolerance, and trouble coping with stress—in other words, behaviors common to millions.[21]
The adult ADHD market has become a major profit driver for drug companies, psychiatrists, and other prescribing physicians. Fierce Pharma highlighted in 2015 that ADHD drug use among adults was expanding nearly twice as fast as the overall market.[22]
Dr. Allen Frances, former chair of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) IV task force, has publicly described the surge in ADHD, autism, and childhood bipolar disorder diagnoses as “three false epidemics.” He remains critical of psychiatry’s ever-expanding boundaries and its tendency to medicalize normal human behavior.[23]
Symptoms for children and adolescents are equally subjective and include:
- “Often fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in school work….”
- “Often avoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort….”
- “Often fidgets with or taps hands or feet or squirms in seat.”
- “Often unable to play or engage in leisure activities quietly.”[24]
In January 2025, The Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine warned: “The real epidemic out there is the epidemic of ADHD diagnosing and prescribing… Lacking proven biological anchoring, syndromal categories are susceptible to cultural trends regarding over-medicalization and societal contagion… We are witnessing a spectacular rise from nothing in the societal profile of ‘adult ADHD’, in part fueled by self-administered checklists… Once something is declared real, it becomes real in its consequences.”[25]
Professor Gøtzsche adds that one cannot “have” ADHD: “We can have a car or a dog, but not ADHD. It’s not something that exists in nature that can attack us like bacteria can. It’s just a name for a certain behavior.” He also notes there is no genetic association with ADHD, and the claims about ADHD brains being smaller have been thoroughly debunked.[26]
He says psychiatrists “are totally absorbed in the drug-focused paradigm.” [27]
The Need for an Informed System
Consumers and parents deserve a transparent system that alerts them to new international warnings and known risks, especially when those risks include psychosis, addiction, cardiac issues, suicidal or homicidal thoughts. As the World Health Organization and United Nations have warned, mental health systems worldwide remain overly reliant on a narrow biomedical approach that too often defaults to drugging.[28]
The idea that a drug prescribed to millions of children and adults could induce homicidal behavior is nothing short of astonishing—yet parents and consumers remain largely in the dark. This is a complete breakdown of a system that should uphold the highest standard of informed consent. CCHR insists that regulators, prescribers, and manufacturers must be held accountable for ensuring that clear, timely warnings reach every patient and parent before a pill is ever taken. Anything less is a betrayal of public trust—and leaves lives needlessly at risk.
[1] Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration “Product Information safety updates – May 2025, Product Information safety updates,” 26 June 2025, https://www.tga.gov.au/news/safety-updates/product-information-safety-updates-june-2025
[2] Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration “Product Information safety updates – April 2025,” 22 May 2025, https://www.tga.gov.au/news/safety-updates/product-information-safety-updates-april-2025-0
[3] AUSTRALIAN PRODUCT INFORMATION APO-ATOMOXETINE (ATOMOXETINE HYDROCHLORIDE) CAPSULES
[4] “Atomoxetine: New warnings about serotonin syndrome and homicidal thoughts,” Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, 7 Feb. 2025, https://www.bfarm.de/SharedDocs/Risikoinformationen/Pharmakovigilanz/EN/RI/2025/RI-atomoxetin.html
[5] https://www.uptodate.com/contents/serotonin-syndrome-serotonin-toxicity
[6] https://www.medcentral.com/behavioral-mental/adhd/nearly-1-5-million-bottles-of-adhd-drug-atomoxetine-recalled
[7] https://www.verifiedmarketreports.com/product/atomoxetine-hydrochloride-market/
[8] https://www.cchrint.org/2023/12/01/new-study-on-adhd-drugs-warns-of-cardiovascular-risk/, citing Patrick Hahn, “ADHD: The Money Trail,” Mad In America, 4 May 2022, https://www.madinamerica.com/2022/05/adhd-money-trail/
[9] https://www.cchrint.org/2024/09/20/new-study-warns-of-high-dose-adhd-drugs-inducing-psychosis/, citing Akshay Syal, M.D., “High doses of ADHD drugs linked to a greater risk of psychosis,” Yahoo! News, 12 Sept. 2024, https://www.yahoo.com/news/high-doses-adhd-drugs-linked-110000596.html; “A new warning about common ADHD meds from Boston-area psychiatrist,” NBC Boston, 12 Sept. 2024, https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/adhd-medication-warning/3485513
[10] https://www.cchrint.org/2023/12/01/new-study-on-adhd-drugs-warns-of-cardiovascular-risk/; Deidre McPhillips, “People taking ADHD medications should closely monitor their heart health, study suggests,” CNN, 22 Nov. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/22/health/adhd-medication-heart-disease-risk-wellness/index.html; Zhang, et al., “Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Medications and Long-Term Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases,” JAMA Psychiatry, 22 Nov. 2023, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2811812
[11] https://www.cchrint.org/2023/05/16/fda-finally-adds-addiction-to-black-box-warning-on-adhd-drugs/; “FDA updating warnings to improve safe use of prescription stimulants used to treat ADHD and other conditions,” FDA, 11 May 2023, https://www.fda.gov/media/168066/download
[12] https://www.cchrint.org/2023/04/05/millions-adhd-drugs-without-knowing-side-effects/; “Methylphenidate (A Background Paper),” Drug Enforcement Administration, 1995, https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/methylphenidate-background-paper
[13] Peter C. Gøtzsche, MD “Critical Psychiatry Textbook, Chapter 9: ADHD (Part Two).” Mad In America, 14 Aug. 2023, https://www.madinamerica.com/2023/08/critical-psychiatry-textbook-chapter-9-part-two/
[14] https://www.cchrint.org/2023/05/16/fda-finally-adds-addiction-to-black-box-warning-on-adhd-drugs/ citing Patrick Hahn, “ADHD: The Money Trail,” Mad In America, 4 May 2022, https://www.madinamerica.com/2022/05/adhd-money-trail/; Jim Rosack, “FDA Orders New Guides for ADHD Prescriptions,” Psychiatric Times, 16 Mar. 2007, https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/pn.42.6.0001a
[15] Jim Rosack, “Lilly Agrees to Add Warning On Strattera Labeling,” Psychiatric News, 21 Oct. 2005, https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/pn.40.20.00400001a
[16] https://www.cchrint.org/psychiatric-drugs/people-taking-psychiatric-drugs/
[17] https://www.cchrint.org/psychiatric-drugs/children-on-psychiatric-drugs/
[18] “Misdiagnosed Millions? Why ADHD Science May Be Leading Us Astray,” SciTechDaily, 8 July 2025, https://scitechdaily.com/misdiagnosed-millions-why-adhd-science-may-be-leading-us-astray/
[19] https://www.cchrint.org/2022/07/22/cchr-lauds-study-disproving-chemical-imbalance-causes-depression/; Joanna Moncrieff, Ruth E. Cooper, Tom Stockmann, Simone Amendola, Michael P. Hengartner and Mark A. Horowitz, “The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence,” Molecular Psychiatry, 20 July 2022, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0
[20] “Misdiagnosed Millions? Why ADHD Science May Be Leading Us Astray,” SciTechDaily, 8 July 2025, Astrayhttps://scitechdaily.com/misdiagnosed-millions-why-adhd-science-may-be-leading-us-astray/
[21] https://www.cchrint.org/2023/12/01/new-study-on-adhd-drugs-warns-of-cardiovascular-risk/; “Diagnosis of ADHD in Adults,” CHADD, https://chadd.org/for-adults/diagnosis-of-adhd-in-adults/
[22] https://www.cchrint.org/2023/12/01/new-study-on-adhd-drugs-warns-of-cardiovascular-risk/; https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/adults-are-now-prime-market-for-adhd-drugs-u-s
[23] Derek Summerfield, “‘Adult ADHD’ and ‘neurodevelopmental disorder’ – a critique of the latest socio-psychiatric ‘epidemic,’” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 22 Jan. 2025, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11755421/
[24] https://www.cchrint.org/2023/12/01/new-study-on-adhd-drugs-warns-of-cardiovascular-risk/; “Diagnosis of ADHD in Adults,” CHADD, https://chadd.org/for-adults/diagnosis-of-adhd-in-adults/
[25] Derek Summerfield, “‘Adult ADHD’ and ‘neurodevelopmental disorder’ – a critique of the latest socio-psychiatric ‘epidemic,’” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 22 Jan. 2025, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11755421/
[26] Peter C. Gøtzsche, MD, “How Danish Journalism Misleads About Psychiatry.” Mad In America, 30 Apr. 2024, https://www.madinamerica.com/2024/04/how-danish-journalism-misleads-about-psychiatry/
[27] Peter C. Gøtzsche, MD “Critical Psychiatry Textbook, Chapter 9: ADHD (Part Two).” Mad In America, 14 Aug. 2023, https://www.madinamerica.com/2023/08/critical-psychiatry-textbook-chapter-9-part-two/
[28] https://www.cchrint.org/2023/12/01/new-study-on-adhd-drugs-warns-of-cardiovascular-risk/, citing: World Health Organization, OHCHR, “Guidance on Mental Health, Human Rights and Legislation,” 9 Oct. 2023, p. 4, https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/WHO-OHCHR-Mental-health-human-rights-and-legislation_web.pdf
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