Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental health disorder that increases hyperactive and impulsive behaviors above their usual level. Individuals with ADHD may also have difficulty focusing their attention on a single task. Other symptoms of ADHD include fidgeting, acting without thinking, irritability, persistent repetition of words, and constant mood swings. As of 2016, about 6.1 million children were diagnosed with ADHD in the United States. About 388,000 of the children were aged 2-5 years, 2.4 were between 6 and 11 years, and 3.3 million children were aged 12-17 years. Read more
Children below three years diagnosed with ADHD were given Adderall, dextroamphetamine, Dextrostat, or dextroamphetamine oral solution. However, children aged six years and above can be treated with medications such as Metadate CD, Desoxyn, Ritalin, Ritalin LA, Strattera, and Quillivant XR, to mention but a few. The mentioned medication help reduce hyperactivity and improve attention in children with ADHD. Also, the drugs help improve children’s ability to cope with frustrations, focus, learn and work.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
One of the notions widely propagated by people about ADHD drugs in children is that it
causes stunted growth. However, evidence-based research on the topic reveals that both
stimulant and non-stimulant medication have no relationship with stunted growth. Researchers and health professionals agree that stimulant medication does not affect the final height of children. This means that there is no height difference between children who take ADHD medication and those who did not. This is despite the fact that boys treated with stimulant drugs for a period exceeding three months exhibited a later growth spur than boys who did not take the drugs.
The only negative side effect of stimulants when treating ADHD among children is that it causes loss of appetite and increases the production of dopamine. This has the effect of slowing down the growth effects, although it is short-lived. Another misconception widely held by people is that ADHD medication in children
increases the risk of drug abuse in adulthood. However, this is not true, and there exists no evidence to show that. The evidence-based data on the topic reveals that stimulant medication in treating ADHD does not automatically cause drug addiction in adulthood. Further investigations show that adolescents and adults who have never take ADHD medication in their childhood make the largest segment.
Mental Health
Other researchers believe that stimulant medications among children diagnosed with ADHD neither increases nor decreases the risk of substance abuse in adulthood. Therefore, the notion that ADHD medication increases the risk of developing substance use disorders is false. It should be noted that ADHD itself increases the risk of developing substance use disorders and not the medications. Research shows that young adults and adolescents with ADHD are twice or thrice as likely to develop alcohol use disorder as their counterparts without the condition. Therefore, the risk of developing substance use disorder is in the condition and not the treatment.