ADHD medications tied to teenage weight gain

[steve2470]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/18/us-adhd-medications-idUSBREA2H1HD20140318

(Reuters Health) - Stimulant medications, rather than the childhood ADHD they are used to treat, could be linked to weight gain during the teenage years, according to a new analysis of medical records.

As of 2011, 11 percent of U.S. kids ages four to 17 had been diagnosed with ADHD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About half of those kids were taking stimulant medications like Adderall or Ritalin.

Previous studies suggested ADHD could be a risk factor for childhood and adult obesity (see Reuters Health story of March 5, 2014 here: reut.rs/1iW11pd). But this is the first to tie their medication use to later weight gain, Dr. Brian S. Schwartz told Reuters Health.

Schwartz worked on the new study at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. He said the results change researchers' understanding of how ADHD relates to obesity.

[blue neen]

1. That's an interesting study.

Most ADHD medications are some form of amphetamines, which suppress appetite. With the shorter acting ones like Ritalin, the kids are ravenous when the med wears off during the day. Maybe it's a rebound effect.

[cthulu2016]

2. Good post. I haven't a word to add.