After agonizing and agonizing for months over whether or not I should medicate my 6 year old daughter, I have recently made the decision to medicate.  She is taking Ritalin .5mg 3 x a day.  We started yesterday and I have already noticed results.  Unbelievable.  It's working for her BUT I am concerned about the long term effects of long term use of ADHD medications.  I am concerned that someday when she is ready to have children the meds might have an effect on her ability to start a family.  I checked the NIMH website and found nothing.  Does anyone have an answer?  This, I feel, is a major concern.  I don't know what the future will hold for her if she is on medication for years.  Any help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks.

Stimulants have been used for something like 60 years and I've yet to see a report or study saying it has had a detrimental impact on people.

I know I have been on Adderall for 4-5 years now and have never had a problem. I had concerns before deciding whether to try meds or not. I saw so, so many web sites that say the possible causes (guesses) at what prolonged stimulant use will have on adults and children. Yet I have still never seen anything that proves that the medication does anything these sites claim.

Of course any individual can have a bad reaction to any medication but I figure if ritalin or adderall really had horrible long term effects we would have heard about them. I think 60 years is a long enough trial period so I feel pretty safe.

Stimulants have been used for something like 60 years and I've yet to see a report or study saying it has had a detrimental impact on people.

I know I have been on Adderall for 4-5 years now and have never had a problem. I had concerns before deciding whether to try meds or not. I saw so, so many web sites that say the possible causes (guesses) at what prolonged stimulant use will have on adults and children. Yet I have still never seen anything that proves that the medication does anything these sites claim.

Of course any individual can have a bad reaction to any medication but I figure if ritalin or adderall really had horrible long term effects we would have heard about them. I think 60 years is a long enough trial period so I feel pretty safe.

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Thank you - that info was reassuring.  However, do you know of any websites that could provide me with any info re long term studies on girls? 

I'll keep my eyes open and try to find one. With girls it's tougher cus we were pretty much ignored when it came to identifying and treating ADHD after all up until fairly recently it was thought to affect only male children. Know we know it effects girls and adults, I know I had to wait until I was an adult for doctors to recognize I had it.

Stimulants have been used for something like 60 years and I've yet to see a report or study saying it has had a detrimental impact on people....

My daughter has been on ritalin or concerta now for about 3.5 years. I also have two nieces with ADHD and most of the immediate family members on my husband's side have ADHD although most of the older members have not been officially diagnosed or treated.

There are some interesting recent research studies to be aware of.

Ritalin works in the ADHD brain by increasing free dopamine which enhances neurotransmission. The neurotypical person already has normal levels of dopamine. The increased neurotransmission enables the ADHD person to focus and inhibit distracting signals and impulsive behavior.

PET studies at Brookhaven National Laboratory examined the different action of Ritalin vs. Methamphetamine on the brain. Meth hits the brain very fast (within minutes) and this causes a massive dopamine release which creates the "high" which is what is addictive. Ritalin is absorbed into the brain very slowly when ingested orally at the correct dosage level. Dopamine levels are slowly and mildly increased and there is no high, thus no addictive effect. I can say that I have noticed my daughter has no dependance on Ritalin. She goes without it on weekends or vacations without showing any need for it.

Studies have also shown that those individuals who are medicated for their ADHD have less of a chance of substance abuse later in life. Many people who are untreated for ADHD self medicate using various substances including nicotine, pot, alcohol or cocaine in an attempt to deal with their disorder.

Recent studies suggest that as well as a chemical disturbance, people with ADHD may have irregularities in the "wiring"- the fiber networks of the brain. A study of children who had been treated with stimulant medications for 2.5 years or more found that the brain irregularities were decreased, suggesting that these medications could help normalize the brain. More research will be done to explore this further.

The decision to medicate is a personal one. For us, it has had a positive effect on my daughter's life. We have mainly seen positive results from medication, with minor negative side effects such as decreased appetite (not a problem now). The most important thing is that my daughter, now aged 13, has positive self esteem about herself because she is able to succeed in school. Her pediatric neuropsychologist told me at one point that this is the most important part of his job.

Most people who develop psychological dependancies on them are not taking them for medical reasons. They use them as recreational drugs so they aren't prescribed or regulated. Recreational users are taking them whenever and as much as they want. I'm not surprised in the least that these people would get addicted.

Besides the fact that the only long term side effect I've seen mentioned is psychological addiction, which if you think about it people can get psychologically addicted to anything. Hell people get psychologically addicted to chocolate, television shows and even other people. All of which could ultimately be dangerous but the majority of people will not have a problem.

When I think about the possible dangers I want to know if it is proven that stimulants cause heart failure, liver or kidney disease that kind of thing. Like how it was proven that Vioxx or other recalled drugs have caused major health problems or death. 

Yes they can all be psychologically addictive but I've yet to see any major health concerns - All are schedule 2 narcotics and all have been around for at least 20 years 

Ritalin has been prescribed to ADHD kids since the 1940's.

Adderall (marketed under the name Obetrol and used for weightloss originally) has been around for about 20 years. First used for ADHD in 1996

Dexedrine has been used since the 1920's. Originally prescribed for depression and obesity it was officially used in children with ADHD in 1940's

So I ask again if they are so dangerous where is the recall. Where are the people who took these drugs in the 1920's through the 1950's surely if there was a real serious danger we would have seen it and at least one of these medications would have been recalled or at least be under serious investigation.

I have been taking ritalin since I was 8yrs old.  I am now 31 and I have not had any side affect or long term complications.  The only thing I can say is that my doctor does request a blood test every six months just to make sure there is no liver damage of any kind.

I have been taking ritalin since I was 8yrs old.  I am now 31 and I have not had any side affect or long term complications.  The only thing I can say is that my doctor does request a blood test every six months just to make sure there is no liver damage of any kind.

THAT'S GREAT TO HEAR!  Thanks so much for your response.  Take care.

ultrafast wrote:
A good place for definitive information is found here

Oh really? I guess you havent read the disclaimer on the site. As for the other posters that responded to the original poster, thanks for providing accurate information.

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