Dr. B,

I just wondered what your thoughts, etc... were on the long term of effects of stimulants in kids with ADHD. I have seen several things recently like what is in this article. http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/201...long-term-risks

Ethan has been on Concerta for 4 years now. He has been on 27 mg for 3 of the years. Just wondering if you have any concerns because I think he will be on some type of medical for years. He was also just placed on 25 mg of Zoloft and I just really want to be sure that we aren't just going to cause problems later in life.

Kristy

Hi,

No. I don't have any concerns about long term effects. When you read an anecdotal story like that article, it's usually something unrelated like that's just how he was and it's not due to the med. Study after study show no long term effects and these meds have been around for decades. You can't look at one person and blame it on the medicine. You have to look at properly controlled long term studies on multiple people to get real results on side efffects.