Doctors Must Exercise Caution While Prescribing ADHD Medication

A recent study by University of Sydney found that adolescent boys on medication for ADHD experienced stunted growth during puberty. In a way, the medication can hamper their growth as researchers found that ADHD boys are much shorter and thinner than their counterparts.

"If a child stays on medication for three years they are about three centimeters shorter than they would be otherwise”, researchers said.

The boys were much leaner, and researchers found that the growth rate reduced according to the dosage. It appears that bigger the dose, slower is the growth during puberty.

Doctors should keep this in mind and exercise some caution when they prescribe medicines to children.

"If a child is having a lot of trouble functioning at school or with their friends and the decision is made to treat, it is important to give a dose that's high enough to give that child the maximum benefit. But of course you don't want to give more medication than they need because of course the higher the dose, the more the effect.”, researchers cautioned.

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Source-Medindia