Has your kid's physician said anything about possible long-term side effects of ADHD meds?

[Anonymous]

And which one, if you don't mind sharing?

Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

OP, I'm asking this to be clear, not to challenge you (because I can see this going off topic):

Am I right that you are not interested in talking about the longterm effects of these meds themselves, or about what the research shows -- you just want to limit the thread to a discussion of which kids' physicians have had this discussion with the parents? Is that right?

[Anonymous]

DH and I are doctors and research scientists and we pored over the literature to find any credible study about this, as we were concerned about medicating our child.

In 50 years of using ADHD stimulants, we could not find one.

Please note that this does NOT mean there are no long-term side-effects! It just means they are apparently so subtle no one has wanted to spend years from their career on it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm asking this to be clear, not to challenge you (because I can see this going off topic):

Am I right that you are not interested in talking about the longterm effects of these meds themselves, or about what the research shows -- you just want to limit the thread to a discussion of which kids' physicians have had this discussion with the parents? Is that right?

Thanks for asking.

I'm also interested in talking about long-term effects and research, if anyone else is. I asked the specific question about the physicians because I was wondering whether possible long-term effects are of enough concern that many physicians would be talking about them to parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH and I are doctors and research scientists and we pored over the literature to find any credible study about this, as we were concerned about medicating our child.

In 50 years of using ADHD stimulants, we could not find one.

Please note that this does NOT mean there are no long-term side-effects! It just means they are apparently so subtle no one has wanted to spend years from their career on it

Thanks for your perspective.

Have you read this? https://childmind.org/article/know-long-term-effects-adhd-medications/ Under "Research on long-term safety," it talks about one study.

I'm not sure where this information is sourced from: https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/long-term-risks-adhd-medications

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm asking this to be clear, not to challenge you (because I can see this going off topic):

Am I right that you are not interested in talking about the longterm effects of these meds themselves, or about what the research shows -- you just want to limit the thread to a discussion of which kids' physicians have had this discussion with the parents? Is that right?

Thanks for asking.

I'm also interested in talking about long-term effects and research, if anyone else is. I asked the specific question about the physicians because I was wondering whether possible long-term effects are of enough concern that many physicians would be talking about them to parents.

Thanks for answering. I didn't want to veer off course.

This is five years old, but a good summary of the research at that point:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40474-015-0039-5

It may be helpful to be more clear about what you are looking for, both here and for yourself. What does long term mean to you? 3 years? 5 years? 20 years out? Are you only interested in research that is done with people who are taking the medication for the entire 20 years, or are you also interested in looking at whether there are different outcomes 20 years out for kids that, for example, took medications at critical periods for a few years or less at a time?

Are you only interested in the stimulant medications, or the non-stimulants as well? What about studies in other countries?

I ask not because I want to challenge you, but to try to make the thread fit your needs. Best wishes.

[Anonymous]

My doctor said there were no known long term adverse affects. There is some evidence for long-term changes in the brain, but the clinical significance of these are not known. Out doctor believes these changes are neutral or positive, if they exist at all.

[Anonymous]

Google Dr. Leonard Sax

[Anonymous]

No, my son’s dev ped said that the stimulants have been very well studied and havent changed a ton over the years (delivery system changes but not underlying meds). He says he has ADHD and uses meds himself, that they are fast-aCting and leave the system quickly. He says there have been a lot of studies done. This is a doc at KKI. Good luck, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH and I are doctors and research scientists and we pored over the literature to find any credible study about this, as we were concerned about medicating our child.

In 50 years of using ADHD stimulants, we could not find one.

Please note that this does NOT mean there are no long-term side-effects! It just means they are apparently so subtle no one has wanted to spend years from their career on it

Thanks for your perspective.

Have you read this? https://childmind.org/article/know-long-term-effects-adhd-medications/ Under "Research on long-term safety," it talks about one study.

I'm not sure where this information is sourced from: https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/long-term-risks-adhd-medications

DP, but another poster above.

The ChildMind article is both thorough and balanced. I think it's a good resource for you, OP.

[Anonymous]

They age you faster, for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They age you faster, for sure.

Source, please?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My doctor said there were no known long term adverse affects. There is some evidence for long-term changes in the brain, but the clinical significance of these are not known. Out doctor believes these changes are neutral or positive, if they exist at all.

This is what our pediatric psychiatrist said.
And if you google Sax, per PP’s suggestion, you should not read his views on this without also reading his autobiography, which is a total trip. He was brilliant but really off the wall and had a really “complicated” relationship with prescription drugs. At any rate, this was not his area of expertise and he’s been dead many years so his thoughts on it are pretty dated. But his books are super interesting if you are interested in the quirks of the human brain!

[Anonymous]

OP, also always remember the comparison group. You aren't comparing the brain on stimulant meds 10 years later to typical meds. You are comparing it to the brain of someone with untreated ADHD, and those are different from typical brains, too.

[Anonymous]

^^"to a typical brain"