Ritalin Slows Growth In Children: Study

Tuesday, May 27th 2003

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Stimulant drugs routinely used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can slow the rate of growth in children, a study has found.

Growth in children prescribed Ritalin and dexamphetamine was slowed by an average of 1cm a year over the first three years of treatment, the study of 51 Western Sydney children found.

Paediatric specialist Alison Poulton reviewed the records of children treated at her clinic to test her observation that the drugs were having a significant impact on growth.

"I found in fact that the pattern I was seeing was actually occurring." she said. "Many children lost weight during initial treatment with stimulants because the drugs tended to suppress the appetite", she said.

"Over the first three years of treatment they also have a reduction in their height velocity, or how fast they are growing taller," she said. "On average that amounts to about 3cm over three years or 1cm a year for the first three years. In some children, it seems to have very little effect and in some it is more.

She said the reason for the slowdown in growth was not clear, but might be linked to reduced food intake. Previous overseas studies also suggest the drugs could affect hormones, she said.

Dr Poulton said the slowed growth may only be temporary because growth rates appeared to normalise after 2 ½ years. However the effects of the drugs on growth and development during adolescence remained unclear. She said the effect of the drugs on growth could be a cause for concern, because this could reflect dietary insufficiencies that could lead to other developmental problems.

The study highlighted the need for children on ADHD medication to be regularly monitored against height-for-age charts, Dr Poulton said. Parents needed to take the growth factor into consideration when considering medicating their child.

Dr Poulton's study was published in the journal Paediatrics and Child Health.

A study published in the last year found Australian children were the world's third largest consumers of Ritalin and dexamphetamine, behind the USA and Canada.

Previous studies have found almost one in 50 Australian children between the ages of 6 and 17 are being medicated with psychostimulants.

The New Zealand Herald. Monday, May 26 2003

 

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