ADHD and Methylphenidate Use in Prepubertal Children and Adult BMI and Height

This is not known enough.

I was prescribed Ritalin when i was 6 years old, and was considered one of the short kid my entire childhood (and suffered the consequences).

I decided to stop taking meds when I was 17, and in a few years became the tallest of my friend group.

I'm older now, and occasionally have periods where I take what I consider "better" meds like Vyvanse, but there ain't no way i'm letting my kids take ANYTHING until they are much much older and can decide for themselves.

The BMI being higher is slightly interesting (you would guess it would be the reverse), but the height differential seems vanishingly small.

Concerns that stimulant meds taken as children reduced adult height have been around for three decades.

To my mind, the bigger take away here is that ADHD meds don't significantly impact adult height.

Patients with ADHD, particularly those treated with MPH, had a higher BMI and shorter height at adulthood than individuals without ADHD.

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