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New research indicates that preschoolers taking Ritalin—a popular drug prescribed for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—are more prone to suffer side effects than children over six years of age.
While Ritalin provided clear benefits for children with severe ADHD, those under six-years-old required extra close monitoring because of their increased risk of adverse events such as insomnia, slowed growth, weight loss, and more.
Study Details
The new findings come from the first long-term government study—prompted by reports of the increasingly growing number of young children being prescribed psychiatric drugs—that looks at the effects Ritalin has on preschool-aged children.
The study involved children with severe cases of ADHD, whose behavior included playing with fire, hanging from ceiling fans, jumping off high playground equipment, and other dangerous activities.
Nearly 40 percent of the young participants in the study experienced Ritalin side effects and about 11 percent dropped out due to the adverse events including serious weight loss, irritability, insomnia, and more. Additionally, researchers found that preschoolers taking Ritalin gained about two pounds less than predicted during the course of the study and only grew about half an inch.
The research is published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
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