Medication, Weight loss, Growth stunt?

I have been prescribed medication for ADD, which has lead to a decrease in appetite for me. I never want to eat while im on the medication or I just cant be bothered - is anyone else in a simalar situation? Also - someone told me it stunts your growth; is this true? I am 17 and my boobs have dropped a size since losing about 12 kg which I understand but I dont want a growth to stunt and result in never getting my boobs back!

Without knowing the meds I couldn't tell you if developmental delay is a noted side-effect. However virtually all medication comes with literature outlining the side-effects of the drug. If not, ask your doctor for the drug monograph. The monograph should tell you not only the side effects but what portion of the Phase III clinical trial group had them.

Considering that you dropped 12Kg your reduction in...er..bust size is more likely related to that. If you eat more regularly and put on some weight it will likely go up again. Many of my friends in high-school mentioned this effect to me.

I'm a pharmacist. It doesn't stunt your growth. That's probably coming from the mentality that coffee stunts your growth. Lack of appetite on ADD meds is very common, and is the reason why many turn to these drugs illegally to lose weight. Common prescription weight loss agents have the same effects, which are why they work. Add meds are stimulants, and for people with ADD, it helps make them more focused, for people that do not have ADD they are just very speedy and may lead to decreased cognition.

If your medication is causing you to not eat properly then go back to your doctor and ask for an alternative.  Boobs aside..... if you start suffering from malnutrition because you're not eating you can add anxiety, anaemia and possibly depression to your list of symptoms

These drugs are clinically tested and approved by the FDA. She needs them for ADD, they may choose to lower the dose, an Alternative will most likely have the same side effects. We should not encourage non-compliance with medication. Once she is regulated on her medication, the side effects will subside.

All drugs are approved by the FDA but individuals can have bad reactions to them.  I'm allergic to penicillin - a lot of people are - so it cannot be prescribed to me and the side-effects would not 'subside' if I continued to take it..... that's a ridiculous idea.

Any patient is entitled to go back to their doctor if a particular medication is not agreeing with them.  Alternative drugs are often available and there is every possibility that they can do the same job without resulting in the same side-effects.

I did not mention 'non-compliance' and never would.  The OP should keep taking the medication until they've had a chance to discuss their case with their doctor.

I know i said i'm a pharmacist, but i'll say it again. What you are describing is an allergic reaction, what she is describing is a normal side effect of the medication. They are completely different and side effects, oftentimes are dose limiting which means they go away the longer you take the drug, a simple idea from pharmacology 101. SO NO IT IS NOT RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was trying to help her and let her know this is normal, but these forums are full of people who speak to what they do not know. After 6 years and a doctor of pharmacy degree, i'm pretty sure i probably know a little more about drugs than you do. This is the reason why i left retail pharmacy and moved to research, because people think they know all the answers when you have a professional saying, no, you're wrong. So, you're wrong.. end of story I won't be replying to this thread any longer.

It's a good job you're not in retail pharmacy any more with that kind of evil temper... LOL!    Even if this is a normal side-effect the OP is entitled to go back to the GP and query whether it's something she has to put up with, for how long and whether there's anything else that could be prescribed.