Hello everyone,

thank god I came across this subreddit, it's extremely comforting knowing we're not the only ones going through a similar struggle. I had a question for those with children/teens who've been taking medication long term. I've read through many posts on here of people starting ADHD medication, but nothing following up in the long term.

Has anyone noticed any drastic changes in the long term?

We're about to start our 7 year old on medication and are fearful of any long term effects. I've long suspected Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) ultimately led to his ADHD, we lost his heartbeat for about 8 minutes during childbirth. I've been reading carefully any articles pertaining to HIE and medication that can help. He's such a smart and loving child, but becomes too overly emotional and distracted by any little thing. It's extremely heartbreaking to sit in meeting after meeting hearing about how your child is struggling in school...

Anyways,

I want to see if anyone had any personal experiences starting their child on medication, any pros and cons? I know it's going to be a lot of trial and error, but I think we do not have any alternatives at this point.

Lastly, I've been reading a lot on recent research on these medications..and here were some of the articles I found of some concern:

1. "Our findings suggest that long-term MPH use may be associated with a decreased risk of depression, conduct disorders and ODD. Moreover, the long-term use of MPH does not increase the risk of psychotic disorders. Long-term MPH administration may be considered as a favourable treatment strategy for children and adolescents with ADHD regarding depressive, conduct, and psychotic disorders." (https://capmh.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13034-022-00515-5)
2. "Growth retardation (decreased height, weight, and bone marrow density) is observed when taken long-term in children." (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482451/#:\~:text=Insomnia and nervousness are the,taken long-term in children.) and (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149763420305923)
3. "Long-term ADHD medication use associated with increased cardiovascular disease" (https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-11-long-term-adhd-medication-cardiovascular-disease.html)
4. "While the stimulating effects of many ADHD medications normally suppress appetite and may initially cause weight loss in children and adolescents, these drugs are also linked to the possibility of significant weight gain later in life." (https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/adhd/does-adhd-medication-cause-weight-gain)

Thank you for any feedback and experiences!