Treatments for ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) have long come under fire from critics concerned with giving otherwise healthy children daily doses of amphetamines, such is what is contained in the popularly prescribed drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall. While there are many other concerns with the safety and long-term side effects of these prescription drugs, a recent study suggests that Ritalin’s side effects include stunted growth in children, particularly children that begin taking the drug in preschool.
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry published the findings of a 70 week study that monitored the development of children taking Ritalin and found that due to factors that include, but are not limited to, decreased appetite, these children show slowed growth in height and weigh less than children not taking the drug or its generic counterparts.
The issue of over-prescribing children stimulant-based ADHD medication has been raising questions about the long-term mental and emotional effects of the drugs, but the possible physiological implications have largely been ignored.
The summary does state that “The possibility of growth retardation resulting from stimulant use has been a concern. Decrease in expected weight gain is actually small, although it may be statistically significant. Effect on height is rarely clinically significant, and can be minimized by establishing drug-free periods.” However, how many physicians that are prescribing Ritalin to youngsters are advising their parents to establish drug-free periods often enough, if at all?
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