ADHD Meds: Are They Safe Long-Term? What the World's Largest Study Just Told Us

You’re sitting in the paediatrician’s office, staring at a tiny tablet in your hand, wondering if giving it to your child makes you a bad parent—or a better one. Sound familiar?

In this solo episode, Jane breaks down the world’s biggest ADHD medication study—just published in The Lancet Psychiatry—and unpacks what it really means for neurodivergent families. We’re talking hard data, real side effects, long-term unknowns, and the emotional load mums carry when we’re asked to medicate our kids. This episode is your crash course in science and lived experience. No moral panic, no TikTok nonsense. Just the facts—and how they actually apply to real-life parenting.

💡 What We Cover:

• What the new research says about long-term safety of ADHD meds for kids and teens
  
  
• The truth about stimulants vs non-stimulants (both affect vitals)
  
  
• Why we need to track more than behaviour—and what to watch for
  
  
• The real-life variables the study didn’t cover (puberty, co-regulation, family chaos)
  
  
• How to use your lived experience to advocate during appointments
  
  
• Questions to ask your paediatrician now, based on the new data
  
  
• Why clinical reassurance alone isn’t enough—and never replaces your gut
  
  
• The difference between data-backed parenting and paranoia (and why you’re probably not overreacting)
  
  

🔗 Resources & Links:

• 🧪 The full Lancet Psychiatry study – [link in show notes]
  
  
• 🎧 Related episodes:
  
  
• • From Skeptic to Advocate – Medication, Neuroplasticity & Motherhood
    
    
  • Stimulants vs Non-Stimulants – What’s the Difference?
    
    
  • ADHD Meds & Pregnancy – with pharmacist Dr Rodney White
    
    
    
• 📚 Referenced researchers: The Lancet, ADHD Australia, Dr Ari Tuckman, Rodney White (UTS Pharmacy)
  
  

🎧 Listen Now

If you’ve ever spiralled at 2am wondering if your child’s meds are doing more harm than good—or if you're exhausted from explaining your choices to well-meaning relatives—this episode will ground you in real data and real life.

Hit play, send it to your co-parent or GP, and take this study to your next appointment.

#ADHDMumsPodcast #ADHDMedicationStudy #ParentingWithADHD #NeurodivergentKids #ADHDMumLife #ADHDAndMedication #ADHDSafety #StimulantMedication #ParentAdvocacy #MedicationTracking

JOIN THE COMMUNITY:

Have questions or want to talk to other mums navigating ADHD meds and emotional whiplash? Join our Facebook group [here].

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LEAVE A REVIEW:

Your review helps more overwhelmed mums find this podcast—and feel less alone in the chaos.

COLLABS:

For interviews, speaking, or partnership enquiries: jane@adhdmums.com.au

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

ADHD medication study, ADHD meds and safety, stimulant vs non-stimulant ADHD, Ritalin Vyvanse Intuniv, ADHD in children, medicating neurodivergent kids, paediatric ADHD, ADHD parent guilt, ADHD and blood pressure, ADHD mum podcast, ADHD and tracking symptoms, how to talk to your paediatrician ADHD, lived experience and medication, medication decisions for kids, ADHD research explained, ADHD and monitoring, ADHD study Lancet Psychiatry, neurodivergent parenting, ADHD crash management, ADHD support for mums

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Okay, so you’ve screamed into your car steering wheel.

Now what?

In Part 2, Jane and clinical psychologist Dr Jacinta Thompson return to bring the goods: the actual, practical tools ADHD mums can use to manage rage without pretending to be zen all the time. From self-coaching scripts to nervous system hacks, this episode gives you permission to be angry—and shows you what to do with it that’s actually effective.

Because no, you don’t need to just 'try yoga' again. And no, you’re not the only one who wants to punch the air when your partner asks what’s for dinner.

💡 What We Cover:

• How to spot rage earlier (before you hit full explosion)
• DBT’s ‘BUT to AND’ method for flipping shame spirals
• Why screaming into a pillow can be a regulation strategy
• How to coach your partner to be useful in the heat of the moment
• The link between sensory load and delayed rage meltdowns
• Releasing anger without suppressing it (and modelling this for your kids)
• Medication and mum rage: what no one tells you
• Jane’s own messy beliefs—and how she’s rewriting them out loud

🔗 Resources & Links:

• 🧠 Guest: Dr Jacinta Thompson – Time to Untangle
• Blog from Jacinta here on this topic.
• 📚 Referenced approaches:
• • DBT dialectical thinking
  • Emotional regulation via stress cycle completion
  • Agomelatine & SSRIs for ADHD irritability
• 🎧 Related episodes:
• • Ep 71 – 7 Honest Reasons ADHD Mums Stay Silent About the Mental Load
  • Listen on Spotify
  • Listen on Apple
  • Ep 32 – Realising Autistic Burnout: Self-Awareness Part 1
  • Listen on Spotify
  • Listen on Apple

🎧 Listen Now

You’re allowed to feel rage. You’re also allowed to not be destroyed by it.
This one’s for every mum trying to hold it together while everyone needs a snack, a hug, or your last nerve.

#ADHDMumsPodcast #MumRage #EmotionalRegulation #DBTForADHD #Burnout #NeurodivergentWomen #MentalLoad #TooMuchIsValid #ADHDRealTalk #ParentingWithADHD

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you've ever felt like you were about to rage-clean the entire house, scream in your car, or book a one-way ticket to anywhere then here, this episode is for you.

We’re diving into mum rage, sensory overload, and the shame spiral that follows—because if just regulating your emotions was that easy, none of us would be listening to this episode.

Dr. Jacinta Thompson is back to break down why ADHD mums experience explosive frustration and what’s actually happening in your brain when you hit breaking point.

💡 What We Cover:
✔️ Why mum rage happens & how ADHD makes it worse
✔️ How sensory overload builds up (no… it's not just the loud noises)
✔️ The patriarchy’s role in why women suppress anger
✔️ The rage-shame cycle and why it’s so hard to break
✔️ Why we lash out at our partners (um.. it’s not actually always their fault… mostly)
✔️ How to recognise the early warning signs before you explode

🔑 Key Takeaway: Mum rage doesn’t mean you’re a bad mum—it means you’re overwhelmed, overstimulated, and probably undersupported.

Find out more about Jacinta Thomson here

Blog from Jacinta here on this topic.

Related Episodes:

ADHD and Autistic Traits in Mums:

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple

💬 What’s your biggest mum rage trigger? Drop it in the comments!

#ADHDMums #MumRage #NeurodivergentParenting #SensoryOverload #ADHDMentalLoad

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.