Do you think stimulants permanently affected your child?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard anecdotally that some people think it shot their metabolism and lead to weight problems. Makes some sense. if your appetite is low on them and you aren't eating enough calories for a long period of time, your metabolism gets messed up.

Have also heard people complain by adulthood they habituated to it and could not keep going up in dose to it became somewhat useless.

If my kid ends up needing meds, I will probably avoid stimulants.

Stimulants are by far the safest, PP. Talk to your psych.

Not according to the physician we spoke with. There's a reason they are regulated. He said decades ago they used to say it's as safe as drinking coffee and that just isn't so. Some kids with real ADHD are forming addictions and abusing once on their own in college, etc. There also used to be this myth that only those qwith ADHD respond ideally to stimulants. Not true. Almost all of us would perform better on stimulants and reap benefits. These benefits can last for years on it and then eventually for some there is a point where the stimulants are useless, you have habituated, but you are mess off them and you cannot increase the dose because it's is not safe to do. Good luck getting all the facts. I am impressed with the study someone linked to earlier. It is a big risk to your career to research and try to publish studies that don't support use of meds like stimulants.

Your doctor is in the minority at least as far as pre-adolescent children are concerned. There is a known problem with abuse and diversion in high school and college. There is also a known problem of ADHD teens using illegal drugs or engaging in other risky behaviors. Parents should be aware of the risks and judge whether the benefits outweigh the risks. If someone chooses to go off stimulants, the safest way to do so is to gradually lower the dose under a doctor's supervision. Most adults who took stimulants as children no longer take them, so it is possible to stop without major problems.

There are in fact studies on alternatives to stimulants, so I don't see a career risk there. But except for Strattera, they haven't found an alternative to stimulants that is equally effective and safe.

A study suggesting another drug is as effective as or better than stimulants is not a career risk. Heck that drug may even be made by the same drug company as stimulants. Finding stimulants pose harm is more of a career risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard anecdotally that some people think it shot their metabolism and lead to weight problems. Makes some sense. if your appetite is low on them and you aren't eating enough calories for a long period of time, your metabolism gets messed up.

Have also heard people complain by adulthood they habituated to it and could not keep going up in dose to it became somewhat useless.

If my kid ends up needing meds, I will probably avoid stimulants.

Stimulants are by far the safest, PP. Talk to your psych.

Not according to the physician we spoke with. There's a reason they are regulated. He said decades ago they used to say it's as safe as drinking coffee and that just isn't so. Some kids with real ADHD are forming addictions and abusing once on their own in college, etc. There also used to be this myth that only those qwith ADHD respond ideally to stimulants. Not true. Almost all of us would perform better on stimulants and reap benefits. These benefits can last for years on it and then eventually for some there is a point where the stimulants are useless, you have habituated, but you are mess off them and you cannot increase the dose because it's is not safe to do. Good luck getting all the facts. I am impressed with the study someone linked to earlier. It is a big risk to your career to research and try to publish studies that don't support use of meds like stimulants.

You are wrong. I am a research scientist and have read the primary literature on this. Stimulants are far safer than other drugs currently used to treat ADHD. This is calculated in terms of frequency and gravity of side-effects of each type of medication. Simple and undeniable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about Intuniv? It is a non-stimulant. Any thoughts about it? Especially for kids who develop tics on the stimulants?

My 10 yo and I both take intuniv. It’s been a great complement to stimulants, reducing the “crash” when the stimulant wears off and making the stimulant more effective while it’s in our system (so we can take lower doses than we did before adding intuniv). But on its own, it hasn’t been enough to manage symptoms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard anecdotally that some people think it shot their metabolism and lead to weight problems. Makes some sense. if your appetite is low on them and you aren't eating enough calories for a long period of time, your metabolism gets messed up.

Have also heard people complain by adulthood they habituated to it and could not keep going up in dose to it became somewhat useless.

If my kid ends up needing meds, I will probably avoid stimulants.

Stimulants are by far the safest, PP. Talk to your psych.

Not according to the physician we spoke with. There's a reason they are regulated. He said decades ago they used to say it's as safe as drinking coffee and that just isn't so. Some kids with real ADHD are forming addictions and abusing once on their own in college, etc. There also used to be this myth that only those qwith ADHD respond ideally to stimulants. Not true. Almost all of us would perform better on stimulants and reap benefits. These benefits can last for years on it and then eventually for some there is a point where the stimulants are useless, you have habituated, but you are mess off them and you cannot increase the dose because it's is not safe to do. Good luck getting all the facts. I am impressed with the study someone linked to earlier. It is a big risk to your career to research and try to publish studies that don't support use of meds like stimulants.

You are wrong. I am a research scientist and have read the primary literature on this. Stimulants are far safer than other drugs currently used to treat ADHD. This is calculated in terms of frequency and gravity of side-effects of each type of medication. Simple and undeniable.

But you're not a doctor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard anecdotally that some people think it shot their metabolism and lead to weight problems. Makes some sense. if your appetite is low on them and you aren't eating enough calories for a long period of time, your metabolism gets messed up.

Have also heard people complain by adulthood they habituated to it and could not keep going up in dose to it became somewhat useless.

If my kid ends up needing meds, I will probably avoid stimulants.

Stimulants are by far the safest, PP. Talk to your psych.

Not according to the physician we spoke with. There's a reason they are regulated. He said decades ago they used to say it's as safe as drinking coffee and that just isn't so. Some kids with real ADHD are forming addictions and abusing once on their own in college, etc. There also used to be this myth that only those qwith ADHD respond ideally to stimulants. Not true. Almost all of us would perform better on stimulants and reap benefits. These benefits can last for years on it and then eventually for some there is a point where the stimulants are useless, you have habituated, but you are mess off them and you cannot increase the dose because it's is not safe to do. Good luck getting all the facts. I am impressed with the study someone linked to earlier. It is a big risk to your career to research and try to publish studies that don't support use of meds like stimulants.

You are wrong. I am a research scientist and have read the primary literature on this. Stimulants are far safer than other drugs currently used to treat ADHD. This is calculated in terms of frequency and gravity of side-effects of each type of medication. Simple and undeniable.

But you're not a doctor.

DP. A research scientist is better trained than a doctor to understand the results, implications and limitations of research studies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard anecdotally that some people think it shot their metabolism and lead to weight problems. Makes some sense. if your appetite is low on them and you aren't eating enough calories for a long period of time, your metabolism gets messed up.

Have also heard people complain by adulthood they habituated to it and could not keep going up in dose to it became somewhat useless.

If my kid ends up needing meds, I will probably avoid stimulants.

Stimulants are by far the safest, PP. Talk to your psych.

Not according to the physician we spoke with. There's a reason they are regulated. He said decades ago they used to say it's as safe as drinking coffee and that just isn't so. Some kids with real ADHD are forming addictions and abusing once on their own in college, etc. There also used to be this myth that only those qwith ADHD respond ideally to stimulants. Not true. Almost all of us would perform better on stimulants and reap benefits. These benefits can last for years on it and then eventually for some there is a point where the stimulants are useless, you have habituated, but you are mess off them and you cannot increase the dose because it's is not safe to do. Good luck getting all the facts. I am impressed with the study someone linked to earlier. It is a big risk to your career to research and try to publish studies that don't support use of meds like stimulants.

You are wrong. I am a research scientist and have read the primary literature on this. Stimulants are far safer than other drugs currently used to treat ADHD. This is calculated in terms of frequency and gravity of side-effects of each type of medication. Simple and undeniable.

But you're not a doctor.

DP. A research scientist is better trained than a doctor to understand the results, implications and limitations of research studies.

You're refuting doctors' experience, which is as valuable or more than a study, which by its nature is limited.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard anecdotally that some people think it shot their metabolism and lead to weight problems. Makes some sense. if your appetite is low on them and you aren't eating enough calories for a long period of time, your metabolism gets messed up.

Have also heard people complain by adulthood they habituated to it and could not keep going up in dose to it became somewhat useless.

If my kid ends up needing meds, I will probably avoid stimulants.

Stimulants are by far the safest, PP. Talk to your psych.

Not according to the physician we spoke with. There's a reason they are regulated. He said decades ago they used to say it's as safe as drinking coffee and that just isn't so. Some kids with real ADHD are forming addictions and abusing once on their own in college, etc. There also used to be this myth that only those qwith ADHD respond ideally to stimulants. Not true. Almost all of us would perform better on stimulants and reap benefits. These benefits can last for years on it and then eventually for some there is a point where the stimulants are useless, you have habituated, but you are mess off them and you cannot increase the dose because it's is not safe to do. Good luck getting all the facts. I am impressed with the study someone linked to earlier. It is a big risk to your career to research and try to publish studies that don't support use of meds like stimulants.

You are wrong. I am a research scientist and have read the primary literature on this. Stimulants are far safer than other drugs currently used to treat ADHD. This is calculated in terms of frequency and gravity of side-effects of each type of medication. Simple and undeniable.

But you're not a doctor.

DP. A research scientist is better trained than a doctor to understand the results, implications and limitations of research studies.

You're refuting doctors' experience, which is as valuable or more than a study, which by its nature is limited.

No, a doctor’s recollection of a handful of anecdotes mixed in with some general speculation is not more reliable data than peer-reviewed medical research.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard anecdotally that some people think it shot their metabolism and lead to weight problems. Makes some sense. if your appetite is low on them and you aren't eating enough calories for a long period of time, your metabolism gets messed up.

Have also heard people complain by adulthood they habituated to it and could not keep going up in dose to it became somewhat useless.

If my kid ends up needing meds, I will probably avoid stimulants.

Stimulants are by far the safest, PP. Talk to your psych.

Not according to the physician we spoke with. There's a reason they are regulated. He said decades ago they used to say it's as safe as drinking coffee and that just isn't so. Some kids with real ADHD are forming addictions and abusing once on their own in college, etc. There also used to be this myth that only those qwith ADHD respond ideally to stimulants. Not true. Almost all of us would perform better on stimulants and reap benefits. These benefits can last for years on it and then eventually for some there is a point where the stimulants are useless, you have habituated, but you are mess off them and you cannot increase the dose because it's is not safe to do. Good luck getting all the facts. I am impressed with the study someone linked to earlier. It is a big risk to your career to research and try to publish studies that don't support use of meds like stimulants.

You are wrong. I am a research scientist and have read the primary literature on this. Stimulants are far safer than other drugs currently used to treat ADHD. This is calculated in terms of frequency and gravity of side-effects of each type of medication. Simple and undeniable.

But you're not a doctor.

You are not a doctor either. If you have research to back up his claims, then show it. Otherwise it's just one doctor against most of the research and the majority of other doctors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard anecdotally that some people think it shot their metabolism and lead to weight problems. Makes some sense. if your appetite is low on them and you aren't eating enough calories for a long period of time, your metabolism gets messed up.

Have also heard people complain by adulthood they habituated to it and could not keep going up in dose to it became somewhat useless.

If my kid ends up needing meds, I will probably avoid stimulants.

Stimulants are by far the safest, PP. Talk to your psych.

Not according to the physician we spoke with. There's a reason they are regulated. He said decades ago they used to say it's as safe as drinking coffee and that just isn't so. Some kids with real ADHD are forming addictions and abusing once on their own in college, etc. There also used to be this myth that only those qwith ADHD respond ideally to stimulants. Not true. Almost all of us would perform better on stimulants and reap benefits. These benefits can last for years on it and then eventually for some there is a point where the stimulants are useless, you have habituated, but you are mess off them and you cannot increase the dose because it's is not safe to do. Good luck getting all the facts. I am impressed with the study someone linked to earlier. It is a big risk to your career to research and try to publish studies that don't support use of meds like stimulants.

You are wrong. I am a research scientist and have read the primary literature on this. Stimulants are far safer than other drugs currently used to treat ADHD. This is calculated in terms of frequency and gravity of side-effects of each type of medication. Simple and undeniable.

But you're not a doctor.

DP. A research scientist is better trained than a doctor to understand the results, implications and limitations of research studies.

You're refuting doctors' experience, which is as valuable or more than a study, which by its nature is limited.

Pp, my child is on a non-stimulant so I am not opposed to your position... but it sounds like you are taking one doctor’s opinion over that of the bulk of the research plus the opinions of most doctors. Have you looked into this other than asking your doctor? Stimulants are considered the first line of defense and the gold standard . Most doctors go to stimulants first because doctors read and care about the research done by the scientists. You should know that your doctor is the one going against the grain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard anecdotally that some people think it shot their metabolism and lead to weight problems. Makes some sense. if your appetite is low on them and you aren't eating enough calories for a long period of time, your metabolism gets messed up.

Have also heard people complain by adulthood they habituated to it and could not keep going up in dose to it became somewhat useless.

If my kid ends up needing meds, I will probably avoid stimulants.

Stimulants are by far the safest, PP. Talk to your psych.

Not according to the physician we spoke with. There's a reason they are regulated. He said decades ago they used to say it's as safe as drinking coffee and that just isn't so. Some kids with real ADHD are forming addictions and abusing once on their own in college, etc. There also used to be this myth that only those qwith ADHD respond ideally to stimulants. Not true. Almost all of us would perform better on stimulants and reap benefits. These benefits can last for years on it and then eventually for some there is a point where the stimulants are useless, you have habituated, but you are mess off them and you cannot increase the dose because it's is not safe to do. Good luck getting all the facts. I am impressed with the study someone linked to earlier. It is a big risk to your career to research and try to publish studies that don't support use of meds like stimulants.

+ a million

As someone who has ADHD and is now grown and was put on stimulants as a child, I wish I was never ever given them. I have friends who take it because they have ADHD and function just fine as an adult but enjoy the pep in their step, and I warn them that pep is gonna go away one day and then they won’t be able to live with them, and won’t be able to live without them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stimulants have a rebound/withdrawal effect when you stop taking them where behavior can get worse than it was pre-medication, and it can take at least a week to get through it and back to baseline. You’re not seeing what his baseline really is because you’re not giving his body enough time to adjust.

This. OP, please check back in with us in a couple days and tell us how it is going. My child was like this the first couple days off the medication and then returned to his old self after close to a week. We cannot do single days or weekends off medication because of this. I think it depends on the medication and child, but there can definitely be a withdrawal when you are going off the medication.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard anecdotally that some people think it shot their metabolism and lead to weight problems. Makes some sense. if your appetite is low on them and you aren't eating enough calories for a long period of time, your metabolism gets messed up.

Have also heard people complain by adulthood they habituated to it and could not keep going up in dose to it became somewhat useless.

If my kid ends up needing meds, I will probably avoid stimulants.

Stimulants are by far the safest, PP. Talk to your psych.

Not according to the physician we spoke with. There's a reason they are regulated. He said decades ago they used to say it's as safe as drinking coffee and that just isn't so. Some kids with real ADHD are forming addictions and abusing once on their own in college, etc. There also used to be this myth that only those qwith ADHD respond ideally to stimulants. Not true. Almost all of us would perform better on stimulants and reap benefits. These benefits can last for years on it and then eventually for some there is a point where the stimulants are useless, you have habituated, but you are mess off them and you cannot increase the dose because it's is not safe to do. Good luck getting all the facts. I am impressed with the study someone linked to earlier. It is a big risk to your career to research and try to publish studies that don't support use of meds like stimulants.

You are wrong. I am a research scientist and have read the primary literature on this. Stimulants are far safer than other drugs currently used to treat ADHD. This is calculated in terms of frequency and gravity of side-effects of each type of medication. Simple and undeniable.

But you're not a doctor.

DP. A research scientist is better trained than a doctor to understand the results, implications and limitations of research studies.

In their field, yes. But "research scientist" covers a lot of ground and most research scientists don't have the background in medicine, human anatomy, human biochemistry, human microbiology or pharmacology to judge medical interventions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard anecdotally that some people think it shot their metabolism and lead to weight problems. Makes some sense. if your appetite is low on them and you aren't eating enough calories for a long period of time, your metabolism gets messed up.

Have also heard people complain by adulthood they habituated to it and could not keep going up in dose to it became somewhat useless.

If my kid ends up needing meds, I will probably avoid stimulants.

Stimulants are by far the safest, PP. Talk to your psych.

Not according to the physician we spoke with. There's a reason they are regulated. He said decades ago they used to say it's as safe as drinking coffee and that just isn't so. Some kids with real ADHD are forming addictions and abusing once on their own in college, etc. There also used to be this myth that only those qwith ADHD respond ideally to stimulants. Not true. Almost all of us would perform better on stimulants and reap benefits. These benefits can last for years on it and then eventually for some there is a point where the stimulants are useless, you have habituated, but you are mess off them and you cannot increase the dose because it's is not safe to do. Good luck getting all the facts. I am impressed with the study someone linked to earlier. It is a big risk to your career to research and try to publish studies that don't support use of meds like stimulants.

Your doctor is in the minority at least as far as pre-adolescent children are concerned. There is a known problem with abuse and diversion in high school and college. There is also a known problem of ADHD teens using illegal drugs or engaging in other risky behaviors. Parents should be aware of the risks and judge whether the benefits outweigh the risks. If someone chooses to go off stimulants, the safest way to do so is to gradually lower the dose under a doctor's supervision. Most adults who took stimulants as children no longer take them, so it is possible to stop without major problems.

There are in fact studies on alternatives to stimulants, so I don't see a career risk there. But except for Strattera, they haven't found an alternative to stimulants that is equally effective and safe.

A study suggesting another drug is as effective as or better than stimulants is not a career risk. Heck that drug may even be made by the same drug company as stimulants. Finding stimulants pose harm is more of a career risk.

+1. Effective ADHD medications are a huge market, but the old stimulant formulas coming off patent have forced drug companies to innovate on those medications to get new patents. If a researcher found something new that was even more effective, big pharma would be falling all over each other to get it first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard anecdotally that some people think it shot their metabolism and lead to weight problems. Makes some sense. if your appetite is low on them and you aren't eating enough calories for a long period of time, your metabolism gets messed up.

Have also heard people complain by adulthood they habituated to it and could not keep going up in dose to it became somewhat useless.

If my kid ends up needing meds, I will probably avoid stimulants.

Stimulants are by far the safest, PP. Talk to your psych.

Not according to the physician we spoke with. There's a reason they are regulated. He said decades ago they used to say it's as safe as drinking coffee and that just isn't so. Some kids with real ADHD are forming addictions and abusing once on their own in college, etc. There also used to be this myth that only those qwith ADHD respond ideally to stimulants. Not true. Almost all of us would perform better on stimulants and reap benefits. These benefits can last for years on it and then eventually for some there is a point where the stimulants are useless, you have habituated, but you are mess off them and you cannot increase the dose because it's is not safe to do. Good luck getting all the facts. I am impressed with the study someone linked to earlier. It is a big risk to your career to research and try to publish studies that don't support use of meds like stimulants.

You are wrong. I am a research scientist and have read the primary literature on this. Stimulants are far safer than other drugs currently used to treat ADHD. This is calculated in terms of frequency and gravity of side-effects of each type of medication. Simple and undeniable.

Thanks for this! I am not a research scientist, so it's helpful to have someone interpret the studies. My doctor says the same thing. She thinks I need to stop worrying about the meds (my DD takes Concerta and Zoloft). She also said that my child, because she is medicated, has a lower chance of self medicating, which the doctor normally starts to see around my child's age (14).

[Anonymous]

Off every weekend, never seen withdrawal/rebound