Concerns Regarding Stimulants
The National Institute of Mental Health states that, "stimulant drugs, when used with medical supervision, are usually considered quite safe." Still, some parents and professionals have raised questions about the side effects of drugs and their long term use. A recent review states that ADHD studies "have major methodological deficiencies which are compounded by their restriction to school-age children, relatively short follow-up, and few data on adverse effects."
The American Heart Association feel that it is prudent to carefully assess children for heart conditions before treating them with stimulant medications. Several studies have found growth and weight suppression for stimulants. Compared to the behavior modification group at 8 years of the government-funded MTA study, the stimulant group had higher level of reported substance abuse.
Read more about this topic: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Management
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