Are stimulants affecting your teen's growth?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why our doc told house to give our child a large, protein breakfast before they take their meds (breakfast burrito filled with meat and beans, grilled chicken, even pork tenderloin), and similar for dinner. Throughout the day, snack type things.

10th grader currently 6' tall, so it must be working

This is good advice, thanks. I need to do better about getting up and making big breakfasts in the morning. He has practice early, so sometimes it's only yogurt and granola, then he doesn't touch lunch or a snack, but he is typically hungry at dinner. This summer I think he's been eating 4000 calories a day (and very active); whereas, in the school year, it's 2000 and only if I force him to drink a protein shake and eat some snacks during the day /

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's discussed by the boys in high school. "yeah, he's real short because he has ADHD." What they mean is, he's on medication for it.

Not necessarily- before meds my kid couldn’t sit still long enough to eat a meal, only a few bites. The condition made him skinny not the meds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC took an Adderall holiday this summer. DC grew 2 inches and gained 15 lbs. I know the growth might be part of a natural growth cycle, but I feel semi-confident that the weight gain is related to DC's enormous appetite this summer while off stimulants. DC's BMI was OK before and after the weight gain, but I think DC looks better now and performs better in sports (other than the mental/focus struggle while off medication). Is anyone else concerned that Adderall is stunting your kids' growth? Adderall has benefited DC during the school year, so I'm not jumping to stop, but I am concerned based on what I saw this summer.

There’s no evidence that delaying the growth until summer (if that’s what happened) impacts the final height.

[Anonymous]

Children and teens have growth spurts. You had them too.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22070-growth-spurts

[Anonymous]

Yes. My DD fell off the growth curve on a higher dose of Vyvanse. So we have her on a dose that’s lower than beneficial for the attention issues, plus we do med breaks on weekends/during breaks/over the summer.

[Anonymous]

Maybe? Hard to know. DS has been on ADHD meds for 7 years. He is 18y and is 5'7. DH is 6'2 and I am 5'4. Maybe he will grow more. Maybe not. He lost a lot of weight in the beginning and then it leveled off after about 6 months.

But what I do know is that he wouldn't have been successful in HS without his meds. With his meds, he played 2 varsity sports, took DE/IB/AP classes and got several merit scholarships to college.

[Anonymous]

Summer is when most older kids have growth spurts. Maybe it’s extra sun/vitamin d, more sleep or food (mine barely eat

I will say that my kid who takes adhd meds is looking to be taller and less thin (still small) than her sister who doesn’t, but it might have delayed her period? Hard to say bc there are genetic differences between siblings either way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ha! My son with ADHD who has been taking Vyvanse since K is now 6 feet tall and a varsity athlete in HS.

My other child who is not on any medications is the shortest in the class and always been sub-10 percent on the growth chart.

So clearly my personal experience does not support your theory...

Maybe he was going to be 6'2