Are there any long-term effects associated with taking ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) medications? If so, what are they and what medications are implicated?

This is one of a series of articles answering questions in this POST: 108 Most Asked Questions For Drugstore Marketing Activities

Many parents are concerned about the long-term effects of taking medicines. One of the best sources of information for this question is the Multimodal Treatment Study of ADHD (MTA). This study was a very large study of the treatments typically associated with ADHD, pharmacotherapy, behavioral intervention, and their combination. Evidence regarding the side effects of using stimulant treatment for ADHD shows that long-term use of medicine may decrease stature. However, in children who have continued use of medicine with generally higher doses of methylphenidate, stature differences remain relatively small. The use of stimulants to treat ADHD both in the short-term and long-term is considered safe by most of the major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association.

—-By Answered by Michael Manos, PhD.

While treatment of patients with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is based on a multimodal approach that combines medication with specific psychological interventions, pharmacotherapy alone is generally considered an essential and cost-effective element. This paper aims to comprehensively and critically review factors involved in prescribing and medication use in individuals diagnosed with ADHD, focusing on the difficulties facing patients with ADHD seeking treatment, as well as the safety and tolerability aspects of ADHD pharmacotherapies, with particular attention on the cardiovascular adverse events and the potential risk of misuse or diversion of ADHD medications. A comprehensive and systematic literature search of PubMed/MEDLINE database was conducted to identify studies published in peer-reviewed journals until 1 August 2016. Children, adolescents and adults often encounter significant difficulties in the process of accessing specialist assessment and treatment for ADHD as a consequence of disparities in service organization and available treatment provision. Despite the well-established efficacy and overall safety profile, ADHD medications are not exempt from adverse events. The cardiovascular safety of pharmacotherapies used for treating individuals with ADHD has raised particular concerns; however there is little evidence of serious cardiovascular adverse events, including no serious corrected QT (QTc) abnormalities associated with stimulants, atomoxetine or α2-adrenergic receptor agonists. Although the abuse of prescription stimulant drugs, particularly, short-acting stimulants is a prevalent and growing problem, nonmedical use of prescription stimulants within the clinical context is very limited. In addition, nonstimulant ADHD medications lack any reinforcing effects and consequently any abuse potential.

—-By Jose Martinez-Raga and others