ADHD Drug Stunts Growth

Do the ADHD drugs commonly used for children of attention or hyperactivity disorder face the likelihood of being smaller than they would have been without Ritalin? The question has likely crossed the mind of every parent faced with the decision of whether to use the most common treatment for ADHD, Ritalin. As any parent knows, giving the child a life as near normal as possible is the first order of business. And to many, Ritalin seems a lifesaver. But then the Ritalin growth issue comes into focus and parents are faced with making the decision all over again.

The child with ADHD may seem larger than life simply because of the manifestations of his disease, but studies show that children with this disorder are likely to be smaller than their peers. It’s seems unlikely that the stunted growth is a result to the Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. The ADHD drugs - mainly Ritalin - is more likely the cause.

There are bound to be many questions. What are the long-term ADHD growth rates? What alternatives are there to Ritalin? And what should the parent do - wait for the experts to complete their studies and hope that it will turn out alright or look for an alternative now? The most important advice to parents with ADHD children is that you know your child better than anyone. Unless you have a very recent diagnosis, you’ve probably already read all the literature you can find and have also begun to sift through the information to determine what’s fact and what’s purely fiction. Unfortunately, for the parent of an ADHD child, time is the enemy. Everyday you delay making a decision, your child is either taking a drug that you may or may not eventually come to trust or is struggling to make it through each day, usually dragging an entire family support system with him. While experimenting with alternatives is something that should never be taken on without a qualified health care professional, there is an alternative.

Before you dismiss the idea that a simple vitamin treatment regimen could be the answer consider your own health. As an adult, what do you do when you know cold season is coming on? Do you believe in the power of Vitamin C as an immune booster? Do you remember learning about the children who suffered from rickets simply because of a shortage of Vitamin D in their diet? Do you get enough vitamins from your own diet to meet all your body’s needs? Do you feel better when you eat right, exercise right and take better care of yourself? While “nutritional supplements” may rank right up there with washing in stump water to cure a wart in your opinion, most people dealing with an ADHD child will still be ready to try a less intrusive ADHD treatment option before (or maybe even after) Ritalin. The answer is here. Addasil is an easy-to-take supplement that does nothing more than build on the body’s natural ability to become healthy. There’s no prescription side-effects, including the growth issue that has recently come to light with Ritalin use. The experts say that there’s no way to know whether these kids with stunted growth will recover the lost ground by adulthood. With Addasil children's vitamins, time is on your side and you can wonder about the results without having to worry about your child.

Reference:
http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/news/20070720/adhd-drug-does-stunt-growth