Studies have shown that there may be a small growth lag but that eventually children reach normal height in adulthood. My son was on Concerta from age 10 until 16 and he is 5'10, which happens to be taller than both my husband and I. And we both have ADHD also but were not diagnosed until adulthood.

My son has a friend who has undiagnosed ADHD and was always the smallest in his class (both height and weight) until he turned 15. Then he suddenly had a big growth spurt. He was never on any medication.

Elaine

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My son has been on Concerta a long time and he gets picked on for being the shortest kid in school. We did take him to a endro and they said his max height will be 5'5 per his bone scans. This doesnt make sense to me at all since my husband and I are both 6 feet. They did a pituatary (SP?) test and all was fine. I suspect its medication but tried to switch him and that was a disaster.

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Hello:

Welcome to the ADDitude forums! Here is a quote from a great article titled Top 10 Questions About ADHD Medications... Answered!

"Researchers continue to debate whether stimulants have any long-term effect on a child's height and weight. "There seems to be a subtle effect in the first year or two," says Dr. Wilens. "Children may be about one to three pounds lighter, and one-quarter to one-half inch shorter, than they would have been had they not taken the medication. However, long-term studies show that, even if kids do drop height and weight initially, they tend to rebound to their normal growth patterns about three years out."

Each time a child goes in for a checkup and a new prescription, the doctor should check his height and weight."

So, yes, it is a possibility that Concerta is stunting your daughter's growth (though there's no research specific to Concerta that I know about, the chance is there). And if that's true, you should speak with her doctor about alternative ADHD medications with fewer side effects.

Good luck!

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