Extended Use of ADHD Medications May Suppress Adult Height

Posted on March 14, 2017

Photo: flickr

As a follow-up of a large-scale study on the effectiveness of ADHD treatments that was first conducted in the 1990s (the Multimodal Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (MTA) Study), it has been found that an extended use of medication to treat ADHD may stunt one’s vertical growth. These new findings show that while a short-term use of pharmaceuticals can be effective, the long-term costs of medication may not be worth the symptom-related benefits in the long run.

ADHD has become increasingly prevalent in recent years: in the United States alone, approximately 2 million more children and adolescents between 4 and 17 years of age have been diagnosed with ADHD in 2011, as compared to 2003. Of those who currently have ADHD, more than 66 percent of them are taking medication to treat it.

Certainly, medication does help some people, but what is important is for both the individual and his or her parents to know whether these medications are beneficial for the child in both the short and long term.

For those who wish to attain their full growth potential, the long-term results of prolonged ADHD medication are perhaps not worth the suppressed growth.


Category(s):Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Source material from Psychology Today