Houseof4
I am not pretending expertise but simply reporting what seems to be the current state of research. All of this is publicly available. I just have been following the research on ADHD for a number of years.
As far as the relationship between growth and appetite is concerned: Up to now only a small number of cases are seen as having a connection between lack of appetite and growth. It can absolutely happen and I have seen some case reports showing this. Therefore this is something the parent should monitor since appetite suppression is a major side effect of the stimulant medications. I have heard reports of some docs giving medications to stimulate appetite but I cannot remember the name of the med.
So as a recap: there are some kids who have a growth response to the lack of nutrition but the numbers have not been seen as great. Mostly the growth issue has been linked to the nature of ADHD itself. This view is now being challenged. It is now seen as possible the medication as possibly being able to cause some significant growth issues. This is new and needs to be confirmed with other studies.
Please remember in most studies they are comparing the differences between the means of two groups. A few contrary incidents are real but not seen as statistically significant. That does not help your kid is one of the exceptions. Mine was reactive to yellow #5. This is rare but my son was one of them and we had to deal with it. If your child is experiencing growth issues due to nutrition then you should carefully monitor and work with a knowledgeable doc.
This is your child and like no other. Monitor and be an advocate for your kid. If you don't advocate for this child then no one else will and the child will fall between the cracks. Seen it too many times.
Good luck. With ADHD kids there are no easy answers, only hard work.
Dizfriz
Dizfriz,