Myths and Facts about Stimulant Medication

Myth:

Stimulants can cause drug addiction later in life.

Fact:

Research shows that stimulant use reduces the chances of drug addiction. Stimulants help many children focus and have more success at school, home, and play. More success can result in fewer problems, including problems with drugs.

Myth:

Responding well to a stimulant drug proves that a child has ADHD.

Fact:

Stimulants help many people to focus and pay attention. This is whether or not they have ADHD. The improvement is just more noticeable in people with ADHD.

Myth:

Stimulants cause strange or sedating effects.

Fact:

Stimulants don't make children more tired. They make children more alert to things that would normally bore them. One example is routines within a classroom setting.

Myth:

Medication should be stopped when the child reaches adolescence.

Fact:

About 80 percent of those who needed medication as children need it as teens. Fifty percent of these children still need it as adults. The need for medication relates to more to the kind of work the individual ends up doing, not just that they are older.

Myth:

Stimulant medication stunts your child's growth.

Fact:

Growth problems are usually come from poor nutrition, not stimulant use. If your child is losing weight, have him/her eat at the end of the day.

Myth:

Stimulants can cause brain damage and other long-term effects.

Fact:

No long term ill effects have been found. There is some evidence that stimulants have a positive l ong term effect on the brain. For example, long term caffeine use is linked to better memory in the elderly.