Focalin is Ritalin without the inert compounds so if your child has taken Ritalin he had the same side effects as Focalin. Because it is an appetite suppressant it can affect growth. But the best person to talk to about your child's growth is your DR. Your pediatrician should be charting his growth and will be able to see if he has always been on the small side or if there has been significant depression of growth. Meanwhile healthy late night snacks and Boost or Pediasure might be able to offset lack of appetite during medicated hours. Good Luck

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JD,

The most recent research on height shows that there is no effect on height. If anything the difference in height is only 1 millimeter. This is the latest research according to an ADHD child psychiatrist. Is it possible that since some of these children are developmentally behind other children (several years worth)that that might also be a factor?

My son is on Concerta and Focalin and he is 5'10", taller than my husband who did not take any ADHD medication until he was in his forties. Elaine

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My son has tried several different meds. for the past two years, and I had the same concerns. We saw the psy. the other day, and he had gained 3 lbs. since Feb. He is on the Daytrana patch which seems to have the least effect on his appetite. Height wise, he in the normal range as well.

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My son is 8 and has been on Focalin XR since last September. We have seen no significant side effects at all. He is gaining weight and growing as he should. Not effecting his sleep either. This is our fourth medication, and overall, the best one.

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Temporary effects on growth with the active substance of Focalin are specifically mentioned by Novartis in the full prescribing information for the medicine. Most prescription medicines have side-effects, about which a doctor should tell patients in advance. I presume that your child's doctor must have done this in your case. I hope that your child will recover in time from any set backs to development, and can suggest some Yoga postures to help with height. Let me know if you are interested.

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From the recent studies that I have read, yes there is evidence of slowed growth. It really doesn't add up to a whole lot...I think over 3 years,kids on meds were 1/2 to 1 inch shorter than those not on meds. Obviously if its in the package insert,it has been proven or they wouldn't want/have to put that in there. I think it totally depends on the child.I've seen some grow just fine and others are smaller,but who knows what they were going to be on/off meds. Just have your dr track it and make sure they are not going down in the percentiles. Push foods. For a while,there was some controversy that the reason that kids weren't growing as tall is because stimulants can effect the production of growth hormone...but i"m not sure (study wise)what has become of that.

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Because of supressed appetite, naturally your child isn't putting on weight. My son was very skinny. He was 25 pds lighter than his same age cousins. He was also short. These concerned me greatly that he was getting adequate nutrients for a growing child. It was summer so we took him off the meds. Naturally, he put on weight and grew. Whew!! What is interested at that same time we had taken him for orthdontic work. The orthodontist without knowing his medical history proclaimed his mouth development (teeth) was clearly 2 years behind. YIKES!

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jdjd said: Hi, My child has just started Focalin. He has been on various meds.for 5 years. I can't judge his reaction to the Focalin yet as it's only been 2 days and he has a bad cold. I noticed that the pamphet for the drug stated that height can be affected by taking the drug.Prior to this I don't remember any of his meds stating the possibiliy of stunted growth so definately. My son is small for his age. I'm wondering if anyone has an update on this and also I'm curious how all you children are fairing height wise on their meds. Do other Moms see that their children on meds are smaller the most others in their classes

My daughter at 9 years old and is 4ft 5in. and 62lbs (which for height is the 75th percentile and weight around the 50th), most of her life, she has been above the 95th for both height and weight, before and during the meds, she has been on meds since she was 7, she's been on Adderall, Concerta and Daytrana. She is the 3rd tallest in her class, but definitely one of the thinner kids in her class too.

My son, at 5 years old is currently 4ft 3in and 59lbs, which for both are off the charts (above the 100th), my doctor says that the medication hasn't either hindered his growth nor his appetite (which has always been pretty bad), so far, he's only been on Vyvanse. He is the 2nd tallest in the class and definitely the thinnest!

I don't think that my kids are necessarily the norm though. Our doctor says that if my son keeps growing at this rate, he'll be 6ft 5in by the time he's 16 (although he expects that he'll slow down soon, I'm not so optimistic), in the last two years, he's grown two sizes per year and several shoe sizes. I expect that by the end of this year, he'll be at least two shoe sizes bigger, he always is.

Just monitor it and try not to worry too much. All of the medications that my kids have been on have had the Long-Term Suppression of Growth (which has the information about stunted growth) paragraph on the product insert (which I read all of them from top to bottom, no matter how long they are). All of the stimulants seem to have the same risks - as well as the NON-stimulants. I have noticed that my daughter since being on the Daytrana patch, has had a lot less of all of these side effects. But has stomach aches all the time, the doctor says that this is a normal side effect and I just give her tums for it and it seems to help.

I learned a while ago, if I let myself worry about everything that they say about the medication, that's all I'll do is worry (tics, aggression, growth issues, loss of appetite, mood changes, headaches, stomach aches, etc...it's enough to drive you insane). Just be sure that the doctor is checking all vitals on a regular basis - my son goes every two months (because he's only 5) for a developmental and my daughter every 3-4 months. They check ALL vitals, including BP. I used to think that it really stunk going back and forth to the doctor all the time, but now I know that it's really necessary to do it.

Overall, my children are doing way better on the meds than off, but there are always unfortunately going to be the side effects.

Hope this helps Lori

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My son was on strattera for several years his father is tall and he just didn't seem to be growing very much. He would hardly ever eat. I took him off his meds last year a couple of six weeks before the end of his 8th grade year. We decided to try mountain Dew AMP drinks, they worked to help him stay focused. He would drink one in the mornings and then another at lunch. I didn't see much of a change in his grades after we took him off, but he did struggle with impulse issues, like getting up at inappropriate times and there is the lack of organizational problems. I just didn't feel like that the meds really helped with any of that any way. He is a freshman in high school his eating as improved 100% and he has grown 6" in just 9 months. He was wearing a size 27X34 jeans when he stopped taking strattera and he is now in a 29X40 and almost as tall as his dad. I also worried about stunted growth and the Dr. did say yes it will slow his growth while he was taking it , but that he felt he would catch up when he stopped. He as caught up but it was a lot at once so there was some pain with the sudden growth spurts.

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My son is 11 years old and has been on focalin for a few years now and he is growing normally. I hope that helps somewhat.....

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My son is ten years old. He was been taking Focalin XR, 10mg, 3 times a day for over 2 years now. His weight and height have continued to increase with each visit to his doctor. The only adverse reaction he has had is his decrease in apetite. This is only the case within 1 - 2 hours of taking the medication. We have learned to time his doses just right so the apetite loss doesn't affect him too much. I have an ADHD and LD blog and invite you to read it @ www.adhdguide.blogspot.com.

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I have what you will call a testimony. We relocated our entire family a year ago. Due to a new job, we went without insurance so could not continue my African American son on Concerta for ADD. He had been on medication for 3 1/2 years. Several different types until we found the right one and dose. In the short time spam of 6 months, my son gained 30 pounds and grew 3 inches. I really didn't pay much attention until I began sending out school photos to relatives at Christmas.

As we know the medication affects their appetite so he began eating us out of house and home. I have to focus on reaching him by other means but I am happy that I have my son back.

For a note: We have enrolled him in a program entitled Learning RX and give him Omega 3 vitamins. We have received measurable outcomes. We are pleased!

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My son had taken Adderall XR for about a year and a half. He has never tried Focalin, nor was it mentioned by his Doctor. During this time, he had headaches, stomaches, and lack of appetite. I could swear that he did not grow for that entire year. He is now on Metadate, and has started growing again. I can tell, because hispants are getting shorter.

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The medical research says stimulant meds for ADHD children might reduce adult height by about an inch at most -- a small price to pay for success in school and life. ADHD kids often seem to be slow developers in all ways, including height. My son grew so slowly, I was very concerned, but when he reached puberty he shot up like a weed. I know of two other cases where boys on Ritalin were perceived as growing too slowly at age 12, but grew up to be well over 6 feet tall. Parents should not be concerned about children on meds growing slowly.

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I just wanted to mention that my son has a friend whom we have known for 10 years. I'm pretty sure he has inattentive ADHD as is his mom, but he has never been officially diagnosed and is not on any medication. He has always been one of the smallest in his class and for his age. He continued to stay short and slight throughout middle school and the beginning of high school. He could have easily passed for a child much younger because of his small size. Just this past year, he finally grew several inches and filled out. Now he looks more like a typical kid his age. His older brother had his growth spurt during his junior year of high school.

Since many times children with ADHD are developmentally a few years behind their peers in maturity and behavior, it might be possible that their growth rate is behind also. It makes sense to me and my son's friend who likely has ADD, had a growth delay and he wasn't on any type of medication. Elaine

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My ADHD daughter was on Ritalin and then Adderall for over 11 years. Years ago, we were told by her child psychiatrist at Mass General that she MIGHT lose some height growth rate while she was on the medication but that she'd probably even out at the end of her growth overall, with maybe a loss of an inch or two, tops. Her height estimate at age 2 was a whopping 6 feet, or 6'1". Mercifully, she topped out at 5' 81/2 ". Did the Ritalin "stunt" her growth? We don't think so, her father may be 6'3" and I am 5'9", but we think someone overestimated her height.

Bottom line: The loss of an inch or two in height is better than going through the hell that life can be for having ADHD without treatment.

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my son has been taking some form of Adderall or Aderrall XR since he was 6. He just turned 14 in November. Our doctor always told us that his growth may be a little behind his peers due to the medication. He has been one of the smallest in his class for quite a few years, but we were relieved that he has grown over 5 inches in the last 7 months and has gained 10 pounds since last year. Hope this helps.

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My son is 11 and has taken Strattera, Daytrana & now Vyvanse. All of them decrease his appetite alot enough that he notices. He has been falling off the growth charts according to his Dr since taking these meds (even though they say t is not the meds?). I can tell the difference in his focus and improvement in school, but really worry about his growth, he is small for his age & only weighs 55lbs. He has had to go thru stem testing with thoughts of possible hormone shots due to his lack of growing. Seeing others going thru the same questions/concerns is again got me wondering what the answer may be??

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My son is 12 years old and has been on meds for ADHD for a little over 4 years. We experimented with a few different kinds and finally settled on a combination of Straterra and Focalin. this seems to work well for him. Initially he lost approximately 10 ponds , which concerned me alot ! he can be a fussy eater so I learned to pick my battles, he goes through periods where he cannot seem to get enough food and other times when he just has very little appetite. Overall he eats healthy and I keep a supply nutrition drinks on hand for when he is in his fussy moods ( Equate makes a great one comparable to boost) He seems to being doing fine in regards to height and weight. Breakfast seems to be the biggest challenge so I just keep an eye on what he is eating throughout the day and if he is making up the calories then I do not worry. Hope this has helped to alleviate some concerns.

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My daughter (age 9) also has growth issues and we put her on focalin. At the end of the day, when it was wearing off, she became manic. Keep your eyes open for similar behavior. We took her off the medication within a few weeks.

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My son is now 9 years old, and this has been a topic weighing HEAVILY on my mind for some time now. Up until he was 5 years old, he was 95th percentile for both height and weight - he was diagnosed at 5 with adhd and we settled on Adderall XR. He was on that for several years, and his height slowed considerably. By 6 years old, he was at the 75th percentile, and by 7 he was at the 50th percentile. We got in touch with a GI who put him on an appetite booster, and while he IS STILL making progress (moving upward) he has STILL dropped down near the 25th percentile over the last two years. His weight had also slowed considerably, and we've tried other meds. We tried the patch, but it didn't help him concentrate as well. We are now on Vyvanse, and we've managed to keep his weight up by the 75th percentile, but his height continues to be an issue - he's still keeping pace at the 25th percentile. When mom is 5'10 and dad is 6'2, this is unusual to say the least. Up until this past summer, I had always kept him on his adhd meds on the weekends and vacations - now, I am taking him off any day he is off from school, to try to counterbalance the effects of the meds.

It's AGONIZING - it feels like a different version of Sophie's choice - I'm having to choose between my child's MENTAL development and PHYSICAL development - its AWFUL, and keeps me up nights, and brings tears to my eyes as I'm typing this.

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Dr S Banerji said: Temporary effects on growth with the active substance of Focalin are specifically mentioned by Novartis in the full prescribing information for the medicine. Most prescription medicines have side-effects, about which a doctor should tell patients in advance. I presume that your child's doctor must have done this in your case. I hope that your child will recover in time from any set backs to development, and can suggest some Yoga postures to help with height. Let me know if you are interested.

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My son has been on risperidone, citalopram, and 2 different doses of methylphenidate simutaniously for about three years, and he is growing at a rather alarming rate (which I do believe has nothing to do with the meds). He's 10 years old and 5'1". His doctor charts his growth at the equivalancy of a thirteen and a half year-old.

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My son who's almost 9 has been very small for his age too, but since he's growing some, his perdicatrian is not alarmed. He's in the 50% height/weight for his age, and was 1 of the 2 shortest boys on his basketball team. I give him an Ensure every night - switched to the Chocolate Plus since it has 350 calories. He started out with Focalin, and then Concerta, Adderall, now Vyvanse with a Focalin booster... We usually try to take a medicine break on the weekends so he can eat more, but we have to be very patient! He's usually starving at 9-10pm and I feed him even though he should be in bed. It's a constant stuggle but it could be worse.

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Hi, My Son is 8 1/2 years old. He just started Focalin for ADD yesterday. After reading about the possibility of weight and height outcome, I'm interested in hearing more about Yoga poses that he could benefit from. Thank You.

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colorado said:

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Dr S Banerji said: Temporary effects on growth with the active substance of Focalin are specifically mentioned by Novartis in the full prescribing information for the medicine. Most prescription medicines have side-effects, about which a doctor should tell patients in advance. I presume that your child's doctor must have done this in your case. I hope that your child will recover in time from any set backs to development, and can suggest some Yoga postures to help with height. Let me know if you are interested.

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