Will a stimulant medication affect my child's growth?
by
Larry Silver, M.D.
This question was first studied in the 1980s. The conclusion was that stimulants had either no impact or minimal impact on growth. And, in cases of growth delays, the children caught up when stimulant medication was stopped.
Recently, a group of researchers reviewed all of the published literature on stimulants and growth. They supported the conclusion that stimulants may cause a very small reduction in height and weight gain, but that growth rates increase once stimulants are stopped.