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Stimulants reduce ADHD symptoms; learning gains are small

Stimulant medications (methylphenidate, amphetamines) produce moderate-to-large short-term reductions in core ADHD symptoms and improve on-task behavior and work completion in children; but effects on actual academic achievement and learning are small, long-term benefits are not established, and the certainty of the symptom evidence is limited by pervasive unblinding from recognizable side effects.