ADHD medication has become a popular resource throughout the country, used to combat against a disorder that also seems to be increasing in popularity. While opinions on this particular medication differ from person to person, there are a few potential side effects that have yet to really shine in the limelight until recently.
One such potential side effect includes the suppression of height as an adult, when a child uses an ADHD medication growing up. A recent study performed by The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry suggests that some of the stimulants used to treat ADHD in childhood may actually suppress height, without taking care of ADHD symptoms in the process.
Clinical results have been published for years, following a 1990s study on popular ADHD treatment, and its long-term effects. Follow-up data to this data continues to surface, and some of it can raise cause for concern.
Lasting Effects from Long-Term Use
In most cases, it’s been found that short-term use of ADHD stimulants doesn’t cause many long-term issues. In fact, in some cases, short-term application is completely justified. Unfortunately, short-term use is fairly rare for children who start out on a medication regimen from an early age. Long-term use has started to show growth issues in adults. These issues can severely outweigh the benefits a child may get from a stimulant.
Because of issues like these, it has been recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics that both diagnosing and treating ADHD be looked at differently, and the methods of treatment should be expanded. Unfortunately, the rate at which children under the age of seventeen years take ADHD medication continues to rise.
According to the Journal of the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, the number of children diagnosed with ADHD (between the ages of 4-17) grew by two million from 2003 to 2011. Most of those children were on consistent medication for the disorder, which in turn, can contribute to the ongoing problem of extended symptoms that continue to show up later in life.
The MTA Cooperative Group, who initially performed the study on the relationship between growth and ADHD treatment, suggests that extended use of the medication could suppress an adult’s full height by age 25.
Should I Be Worried About ADHD Medication?
Like any medication that is typically prescribed to children, discretion is always advised. As a parent, of course, the final judgment comes down to individual cases of ADHD and other disorders diagnosed at childhood.The more you can educate yourself on the latest findings of any medication, the better. This suppression of height is just the latest finding in other potential long-term effects from ADHD stimulants.
What may potentially be the ‘worst’ part of these findings is that the medication used didn’t significantly reduce the symptoms associated with the problem. It’s not hard to determine why the findings suggest that the risks outweigh the benefits of ADHD stimulants in these childhood cases.
If your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, or is currently on medication, talk with your doctor about possible alternatives. Or, seek out the opinion of a second medical professional. If a different diagnosis or treatment plan is available, it’s worth looking into. While the long-term effects of ADHD medications haven’t yet proven to be anything life-threatening, they are lasting effects that may limit your child as an adult. What’s more, with new findings surfacing regularly, we still aren’t entirely sure what other long term effects could eventually show up.