The DOI matches its Crossref record; 42 of the 42 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Growth on stimulant medication; clarifying the confusion: a review
Open accessAbstract
AIMS: To get an overview of the studies of growth in height in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treated with stimulant medication, to establish the consistencies and to try to resolve the discrepancies. METHODS: Twenty nine studies were reviewed following a Medline search: 22 related to children, six to late adolescents or adults, and one to children and adults. RESULTS: Children: Eleven studies gave results consistent with height attenuation on stimulant medication: eight were longitudinal, one was cross-sectional, and two showed growth rebound on ceasing medication. Studies with negative findings were inadequately powered (n = 3), lacked controls or statistical analysis (n = 3), measured height velocity without reference to treatment duration (n = 2), or used inappropriate growth parameters (n = 1), controls (n = 1), or normative data (n = 1). Late adolescents/adults treated with stimulant medication in childhood: Two studies associated childhood gastrointestinal side effects with attenuated late adolescent or adult height; all six cross-sectional studies had negative findings. The methodologies varied widely but there was some consistency in the degree of attenuation shown in studies with positive findings. The most sensitive methods analysed the changes in z-scores (standard deviation scores) or calculated the height deficits from paired measurements taken before and after an initial period of treatment with stimulant medication. The height deficit amounted to approximately 1 cm/year during the first 1-3 years of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is needed into the causal mechanisms, the rate of physical maturation, and the long term implications for final stature.
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“Studies providing longitudinal data suggest that treating children with ADHD with stimulant medication generally results in a reduction in both height and weight gain [37, 112].”
From European guidelines on managing adverse effects of medication for ADHD (2011) · cites this paper as [112]
In the citing paper
“Periods of treatment cessation (drug holidays) seem to result in rebound growth for children who experienced deficits during treatment, with children seeming to return to their normal growth percentiles and trajectory [37, 112].”
From European guidelines on managing adverse effects of medication for ADHD (2011) · cites this paper as [112]
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“These results are consistent with previously reported evidence that psychostimulants are associated with loss of appetite and weight loss.”
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Items 101–129 of 129
Stein, J., Jorge, B. C., Nagaoka, L. T., Reis, A. C. C., Manoel, B. D. M., Godoi, A. R., Fioravante, V. C., Martinez, F. E., Pinheiro, P. F. F., Pupo, A. S., et al. (2024) · Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology · doi:10.1016/j.taap.2024.116867 · Cited by 1
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Jeffers, A. J., & Benotsch, E. G. (2016) · Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks · doi:10.1057/978-1-137-53535-1_9 · Cited by 1
Trouble de l’hyperactivité avec déficit de l’attention
Millet, B., Vanelle, J., & Benyaya, J. (2014) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-2-294-74176-0.00036-2
Endocrine Dysfunction and Growth in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
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“Because of the difficulties sited above, the actual long-term growth effects, if any, of ADHD or its treatment have remained unclear and controversial ( Spencer et al.,1998, Pliszka, 1998, Poulton, 2005, Negrao & Viljoen, 2011).”
InfluentialMetilfenidato y hormona del crecimiento. A propósito de un caso
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Growth Monitoring on Psychotropic Medication
Poulton, A. S. (2011) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-1795-9_104
Self-citationThe Under Reported Story: ADHD, Stimulants, and the FDA
Jackson, G. E. (2006)
Growth on stimulant medication; clarifying the confusion: a review
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Pharmacologic and nutritional influences on growth
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Millichap, J. G. (2005) · Pediatric Neurology Briefs · doi:10.15844/pedneurbriefs-19-8-12
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Hyperactivité: une taille définitive réduite?
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Trouble de l’hyperactivité avec déficit de l’attention
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“• 1 cm annually in years 1–3 [18]; • 3 cm with long-term use [19]; and • standard mean difference (SMD) of 0.”
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PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT STRATEGIES FOR ADHD: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Grzesikowski, P., Klich, P., Bekier, K., Kubiak, J., Górski, J., Nowicka, H., Liszka, D., Joks, M. M., Ordon, E., & Ostromecka, K. (2025) · International Journal of Innovative Technologies in Social Science · doi:10.31435/ijitss.3(47).2025.3814 · Cited by 1
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Hopkins, K., McCarthy, E. D., Babiker, M., Lane, C., Whelan, R., & McGrath, J. (2025) · Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/ipm.2025.10097
“…associated with higher stimulant doses (MTA Cooperative Group 2004; Faraone et al. 2008), and that these effects attenuate over time, with possible resumption of the normal trajectory of weight gain after several years (Poulton, 2005; Swanson et al. 2007; Faraone et al. 2008; McCarthy et al. 2018).”
Levine, B. H. (2008)
Metadata
- Authors
- Poulton, A.
- Affiliations
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Poulton, A
- ORCID
- Poulton, A
- Venue
- Archives of Disease in Childhood
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2005-08-01
- Volume
- 90
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 801-806
- ISSN
- 0003-9888 (ISSN-L)
- 1468-2044
- PMC
- PMC1720538
- OpenAlex
- W2154426538
- Cited by
- 129
- References
- 42
- Citations by year
- 2025: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 4.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Archives of Disease in Childhood (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Growth Hormone and Insulin-like Growth Factors
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Pharmaceutical studies and practices
- Keywords
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, stimulant medication, height growth, gastrointestinal adverse effects, children, adolescents, adults, height velocity
- MeSH terms
- Central Nervous System Stimulants, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Body Height, Child, Child, Preschool, Cross-Sectional Studies, Depression, Chemical, Female, Growth Disorders, Humans, Infant, Longitudinal Studies, Male
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