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Does Stimulant Medication Stunt Children's Growth?
Along standing concern about the ongoing use of stimulant medications such as Ritalin is that it will lead to growth deficits in children who take it for a sustained period. This concern has arisen because of the appetite loss that stimulant produce in some children, and there has been initial evidence presented that stimulant medications may inhibit childrens' growth - at least at some phases of their development.
The impact of stimulant medication on children's growth was the subject of a study that appeared in the August, 1998 issue of the journal Pediatrics (pages 501-506). In this study 124 subjects with ADHD, along with control subjects without ADHD were followed from early to late adolescence. Some of the teens with ADHD were receiving stimulant medications and some were not.
The authors report that small but significant height differences were found between children with and without ADHD. These height differences, however, were evident in early adolescence but were not present several years later. In addition, the height deficits in early adolescence that were found, were not related to the use of medication. In other words, young teens with ADHD who were not receiving medication were just as likely to show this small height differences compared to non-ADHD children as those who were. In addition, there was no evidence of weight deficits in children with ADHD relative to controls.
The results of this study suggest that ADHD may be associated with temporary deficits in height gain through mid-adolescence, but that ADHD teens appear to "catch up" later on. For parents who have been concerned about the effect that ongoing use of stimulants may have on their child's growth, it is important to note that stimulant medications did not seem to be responsible for even this temporary lag in growth. Apparently, there is something about the biology of ADHD itself that can lead to small and transient differences in growth patterns, and this does not seem to be exacerbated by the use of stimulants.
If you have been reluctant to use medication with your child because of growth-related concerns, this study will hopefully alleviate this concern. It is important to note, however, that although stimulant medication may not have the general effect of inhibiting children's growth, individual children may possibly be affected in this way. That is why it is important to discuss this issue with your physician and to pay attention to it with your child. As the results of this study demonstrate, however, this is quite unlikely to be a problem.
Note: This article originally appeared in Attention Research Update, an online newsletter written by Dr. David Rabiner, a Duke University psychologist and former member of CHADD's Professional Advisory Board. You can learn more about Attention Research Update and sign up for a free subscription at www.helpforadd.com.