new here and have a question on meds | ADHD Information

Yes, one of the potential side effects of concert is stunted growth.  However, usually the child reaches his/her projected height.  The stunting is usually temporary.

I have a child who has been on concerta for over 7 yrs. He was a small child and this past year has grown over 10 ".  And, he's still growing!

My 9 yo daughter has ADHD and also takes concerta.  She is the smallest in her class but her doctors believe it has more to do with genetics than the medicine, her father and I were both very small children.  I would do research on the medicine first and make your decision from there.   Also, please remember that the first medicine that he tries may not work.  You may need dosing changes or different medicines all together since not all children are the same and the medicines don't all work the same for all kids.  Be patient and don't give up.  Don't listen to other people.  Do your own research.Stunted growth is a POSSIBLE side effect.  While some children have serious growth problems due to the meds others do not.  My 12 year old DS has been on Concerta since he was 7 and his growth hasn't been a problem.  Every child handles the meds differently so you have to find what works for your child.  Good luck!

My son has been on Concerta, Aderall XR, Provigil and now Vyvanse. Most of them suppressed his appetite but have not stunted his growth. Provigil was the only one he gained weight on and he gained 35 pounds in  6 months. That was almost 3 years ago and he has only gained 4-5 pounds since then. Our growth has been upward, about 13-15 inches.

When he was in Kindergarten I got a letter from school stating my child was in danger of becoming obese because he had a high BMI. He was all muscle but his ribs were showing. The doctor told me to disregard it.

He will be 13 in November and is 5' 5" and weighs 129 pounds. Sounds like alot but he has a 28 waist.

The best advice is read everything you. Be the best educated parent you can. I have a health notebook that I keep for my son. I keep copies of tests, labs, any correspondence and medicine information sheets in it. I use a duotang notebook with vinyl page protecters, very high tech. I take it to every appointment. This is valuable, especially if your doctors aren't networked together.

I woud advise you to start the new meds on the weekend. You can watch so side effects.

My son has only been on concerta since May 31st.  So far he has been doing ok. Some of the side effects seemed to have gone away or not to bad.  He had stomach aches, headaches, not eating much.  I am not sure about his height yet.

my daughter was TINY at that age and didnt grow much for a long time. She's been on meds for 5 years and on and off stimulants. She has been taking stimulants for the past 10 months though and is mid puberty. She is now 5'3" wears a size 8 shoe, she is still very thin, around 85 pounds, but eats healthy and has grown. Would she be bigger if she never took meds, I really dont have any idea, but I DO know she couldnt have gone through the past 5 years without meds.

Navywife is right you need to do a lot of research and make your own choices. Always know you can change your mind regarding meds at any time. If you dont like what you're seeing, you can stop them. No decision is set in stone.

Hello my son whois 9 has just been diagnosed with ADHD  but he has his TOVA test on monday I am not convinced yet he realy has it so I am holding off giving him the meds Concerta 18 mg someone told me over the weekend that one of the side effects is that it stunts your growth does anyone know anything about this please   ukgirly539607.6039699074 My child has been on meds since he was in 3rd grade.  (He is now going into 8th.)  He is one of the biggest kids in his class.  It has the potential to stunt growth, but since you will be seeing the dr. regularly he or she should be keeping track of proper development (my son's dr. always has).  If there is fear of this, or if they notice problems-they should intervene. Or if you notice that your child is smaller than you think he or she should be, you would want to bring it up--either way, make sure you have all of your questions answered to your satisfaction when you see your dr.  Quite frankly, without my son's medication, I have no idea how he would be passing his classes!
If you are unsure your child has this, please explain why or why not?  What symptoms are you seeing?  Have you seen a child psychiatrist or a pediatrician?  Make sure it is a psychiatrist diagnosing this.  If you want a second opinion--make sure you get one.  Hope this helps.
Yme!39608.6169328704 [QUOTE=ukgirly5]first let me say thank you for your responses they have been great and filled with common sense .We went for the Tova test and it cam out with a score of -7.76 and the dr said my  son had ADHD level 2 on a scale of 1-4  meaning it is moderate . Even though I did not show my son I was shocked I had really convinced my self that this was a load of rubbish and he is just a fidgety cocky little 9 year old I was floored by this .I am not sure what I am going to do right now he is not hyperactive so I can cope with him he has a very negative attitude and is very hard on himself and what takes anyone elses kid 20 mins in homework takes mine an hour and a half ( without this add or adhd) he also is very sensitive  to critiscim so it is hard to correct him I think that I will not give him any medicine while the hols are on and if he has any trouble in SEpt then I might start him but then I think if he is getting b grades without it maybe with it he could be an A+ student so  I am still not sure what to do . He was asked to live his last school as he was an inter district transfer and he had too many citations he was disruptive and he threatened to kill himself and bring a knife to school  so they asked him to leave I have since found out the teacher mentally in my opinion abused him sitting at the front of the class and turning his desk to the wall while the other children looked at his back she also shut him in a corrider in between classrooms and banned him from PE or computer class told him she did not trust him and that he had to earn her trust back  and then when he left and we got him into another school when asked where he was she laughed and told the class we got rid off him too many citations . That child was on his football team told him and now all the kids at his new school know therefore ruining his fresh start I feel like I want to kick her you know what ,she is a teacher trained to deal with kids and this is what she did . His new teacher is an Angel from God she loves him and he is thriving  so that is where I am at except that my husband thinks I am creating all this  for some sort of drama and there is no way he is ever going to take any medicine [/QUOTE]

You are the parent.  It is your duty to fight for your child.  If you do not fight your child's father to put him on meds, you are allowing for a VERY scary future for your child.  Most fathers have a problem with admitting that there is anything wrong with their kids.  They oftentimes also have them less time than mom.  If you have a dr.'s opinion, testing, and your intuition---go with it.  Without my son's medication, he could not finish his homework.  AT ALL.  We aren't even talking about within a decent amount of time.  Your child deserves all the tools available.  Please find a dr. that will explain to your son's father that if you try the meds, and they don't work, you can always stop them.  It will be out of his system within the day.  Nothing is permanent.  Make sure you have him tested for heart problems so that you can dot every i and cross every t.  That way he can't use it against you-not to mention there is a small chance that your child might have a heart defect that would be serious and these might affect that. (which is what they essentially test for.)

As far as the teacher goes: if your child has a serious aversion to going to school and speaks about killing himself--there is something serious going on.   I am shocked as to what occurred and the ignorance that is still out there in the teaching community.  However, if you do not advocate for your child by being intimately involved with your children's teachers-you won't know just how good or bad they can be.

Keep your chin up as you are not alone.  Know that the more love you show your child, now that you know what is going on the quicker the emotional scars will heal for him.  Do not harp on him about things he cannot control--which are a lot.  Read and learn as much as you can.  Make sure his dad does as well.  Good luck to you both.
Yme!39611.7288194444first let me say thank you for your responses they have been great and filled with common sense .We went for the Tova test and it cam out with a score of -7.76 and the dr said my  son had ADHD level 2 on a scale of 1-4  meaning it is moderate . Even though I did not show my son I was shocked I had really convinced my self that this was a load of rubbish and he is just a fidgety cocky little 9 year old I was floored by this .I am not sure what I am going to do right now he is not hyperactive so I can cope with him he has a very negative attitude and is very hard on himself and what takes anyone elses kid 20 mins in homework takes mine an hour and a half ( without this add or adhd) he also is very sensitive  to critiscim so it is hard to correct him I think that I will not give him any medicine while the hols are on and if he has any trouble in SEpt then I might start him but then I think if he is getting b grades without it maybe with it he could be an A+ student so  I am still not sure what to do . He was asked to live his last school as he was an inter district transfer and he had too many citations he was disruptive and he threatened to kill himself and bring a knife to school  so they asked him to leave I have since found out the teacher mentally in my opinion abused him sitting at the front of the class and turning his desk to the wall while the other children looked at his back she also shut him in a corrider in between classrooms and banned him from PE or computer class told him she did not trust him and that he had to earn her trust back  and then when he left and we got him into another school when asked where he was she laughed and told the class we got rid off him too many citations . That child was on his football team told him and now all the kids at his new school know therefore ruining his fresh start I feel like I want to kick her you know what ,she is a teacher trained to deal with kids and this is what she did . His new teacher is an Angel from God she loves him and he is thriving  so that is where I am at except that my husband thinks I am creating all this  for some sort of drama and there is no way he is ever going to take any medicine I'm sorry your DS had such a terribel teacher.  My DS also had a teacher that was verbally abusive to him.  My DS was really hurt by it and we are now having to deal with anxiety and depression.  I might have misread your last post but it sounds like your DS may be depressed (you mentioned he threatened to kill himself, he's hard on himself, etc.).  Please don't take this lightly.  Also, it is my understanding that sometimes anxiety, depression, ect. can "look like" ADHD.  There is a wealth of info on this forum and many great books out there - educate yourself.  Your DS needs you!  Good luck!