Do you think stimulants permanently affected your child?

[Anonymous]

Here is a study-- it's brand new and demonstrates just how little is known about stimulant medication, its long term effects, or even the short term effects that we cannot easily see/measure. A lot of drugs are like this-- SSRIs are like this. It's finally in the mainstream that SSRIs are addictive even when we use euphemisms like "discontinuation syndrome" we may as well be saying "withdrawal."
I think medications can be helpful, in some cases, necessary and life saving, but they are not without risks, even if we don't know what these risks are as of yet.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181212200800.htm

[Anonymous]

I have long thought exactly what is quoted in the report. That we are conducting a giant study using our children as subjects without really knowing anything. Except that no one seems to care. It’s usually full steam ahead. There’s no question that the stimulants address the short term issues (not to be underestimated) but what are the longterm consequences? To say that we know is just not true. But I guess a whole generation of people will find out soon enough. It’s very scary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have long thought exactly what is quoted in the report. That we are conducting a giant study using our children as subjects without really knowing anything. Except that no one seems to care. It’s usually full steam ahead. There’s no question that the stimulants address the short term issues (not to be underestimated) but what are the longterm consequences? To say that we know is just not true. But I guess a whole generation of people will find out soon enough. It’s very scary.

They have been using Ritalin since the 1960's, so we already have a generation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have long thought exactly what is quoted in the report. That we are conducting a giant study using our children as subjects without really knowing anything. Except that no one seems to care. It’s usually full steam ahead. There’s no question that the stimulants address the short term issues (not to be underestimated) but what are the longterm consequences? To say that we know is just not true. But I guess a whole generation of people will find out soon enough. It’s very scary.

They have been using Ritalin since the 1960's, so we already have a generation.

https://www.additudemag.com/ritalin-use-childhood-long-term-effects-on-adhd-brain/

And a different article about the same study

https://www.psypost.org/2017/07/study-ritalin-use-childhood-cause-long-lasting-alterations-neurotransmission-49241

[Anonymous]

This is super depressing. I already feel like there are no good options for my kids, and that everything I do as a parent is wrong. I'm definitely feeling damned if I do, damned if I don't on the medication front right now.

[Anonymous]

My perspective is that most unmedicated adults do not reach full potential and often suffer extensively from comorbid conditions. I chose to medicate and have no regrets. DC is on track to graduate college in 4 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is super depressing. I already feel like there are no good options for my kids, and that everything I do as a parent is wrong. I'm definitely feeling damned if I do, damned if I don't on the medication front right now.

I posted this study:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181212200800.htm

All it does is show how little is known about stimulant medication- it's not necessarily critical.

If my DS was failing in school, unable to make friends or maintain relationships, and unlikely to come close to meeting his potential, I wouldn't hesitate to use stimulant medication if it could help him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My perspective is that most unmedicated adults do not reach full potential and often suffer extensively from comorbid conditions. I chose to medicate and have no regrets. DC is on track to graduate college in 4 years.

This - happened to my sibs that were undiagnosed so when DS was dx as a teen and wanted to try stimulants we said ok. Not without issues but it's working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My perspective is that most unmedicated adults do not reach full potential and often suffer extensively from comorbid conditions. I chose to medicate and have no regrets. DC is on track to graduate college in 4 years.

I know unmedicated ADHD adults who have lost jobs, wrecked cars, failed marriages, etc. I also know many NT people who have also done those things. I would say that most people have bad things happen in life, do not reach full potential.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have long thought exactly what is quoted in the report. That we are conducting a giant study using our children as subjects without really knowing anything. Except that no one seems to care. It’s usually full steam ahead. There’s no question that the stimulants address the short term issues (not to be underestimated) but what are the longterm consequences? To say that we know is just not true. But I guess a whole generation of people will find out soon enough. It’s very scary.

They have been using Ritalin since the 1960's, so we already have a generation.

Very few kids were put on Ritalin in the 60s and 70s so the sample size is small. There was more stigma even in the 80s so it is hard to follow these people.

Doctors will tell you kids with ADHD are at risk of getting into car accidents, being unemployed, suffering depression, etc without meds, but the old studies on ADHD were likely on severe cases. I suspect at least 25% of the cases of kids diagnosed today do not fit into that level of "at risk." We don't truly know the risk of medicating with those kids. Sure in the very high risk kids the risks of NOT medicating far outweight the risks of medicating, but we the scope of ADHD got broadened and we are experimenting on the kids who would not have been diagnosed years ago. In the short term I suspect most are better off with meds (higher grades, better self esteem, better athletic performance, feeling more in control), but we don't know enough about long term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My perspective is that most unmedicated adults do not reach full potential and often suffer extensively from comorbid conditions. I chose to medicate and have no regrets. DC is on track to graduate college in 4 years.

I know unmedicated ADHD adults who have lost jobs, wrecked cars, failed marriages, etc. I also know many NT people who have also done those things. I would say that most people have bad things happen in life, do not reach full potential.

We know that the risks of those things are higher without medication.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My perspective is that most unmedicated adults do not reach full potential and often suffer extensively from comorbid conditions. I chose to medicate and have no regrets. DC is on track to graduate college in 4 years.

I know unmedicated ADHD adults who have lost jobs, wrecked cars, failed marriages, etc. I also know many NT people who have also done those things. I would say that most people have bad things happen in life, do not reach full potential.

We know that the risks of those things are higher without medication.

I have seen doctors who say this but the studies I've read do not differentiate between those who are/were medicated and those who weren't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is super depressing. I already feel like there are no good options for my kids, and that everything I do as a parent is wrong. I'm definitely feeling damned if I do, damned if I don't on the medication front right now.

I posted this study:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181212200800.htm

All it does is show how little is known about stimulant medication- it's not necessarily critical.

If my DS was failing in school, unable to make friends or maintain relationships, and unlikely to come close to meeting his potential, I wouldn't hesitate to use stimulant medication if it could help him.

This is the key. If your kid is severe enough to have these problems, then medication benefits outweigh risks. If your kid is not as severe, and you can manage with just behavioral interventions, then medication may not be worth it.

In our case, my kid absolutely needs medication and could not function without it. In the days before medication, she would have been regarded as a "bad kid," and a lost cause.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My perspective is that most unmedicated adults do not reach full potential and often suffer extensively from comorbid conditions. I chose to medicate and have no regrets. DC is on track to graduate college in 4 years.

I know unmedicated ADHD adults who have lost jobs, wrecked cars, failed marriages, etc. I also know many NT people who have also done those things. I would say that most people have bad things happen in life, do not reach full potential.

We know that the risks of those things are higher without medication.

I have seen doctors who say this but the studies I've read do not differentiate between those who are/were medicated and those who weren't.

Here is one study comparing accident rates in medicated vs. unmedicated adults.
https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-medications-reduce-the-risk-for-car-crashes/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My perspective is that most unmedicated adults do not reach full potential and often suffer extensively from comorbid conditions. I chose to medicate and have no regrets. DC is on track to graduate college in 4 years.

I know unmedicated ADHD adults who have lost jobs, wrecked cars, failed marriages, etc. I also know many NT people who have also done those things. I would say that most people have bad things happen in life, do not reach full potential.

We know that the risks of those things are higher without medication.

I have seen doctors who say this but the studies I've read do not differentiate between those who are/were medicated and those who weren't.

Here is one study comparing accident rates in medicated vs. unmedicated adults.
https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-medications-reduce-the-risk-for-car-crashes/

There are plenty of people with mild ADHD roaming around without getting into constant wrecks and becoming addicts. Those are the people who probably do not need meds. Unfortunately, the kids like this could end up pushed toward meds in the wrong environment.

Few people dispute those with dsevere ADHD need meds and it is worth the risks. For some though I do think the risk are not worth it.