Does the drug Ritalin , commonly prescribed for Hyperactivity/ADD, inhibit the growth of beards in later life?
That is, if a male child is given Ritalin, does it interfere with the later growth of facial hair?
Other secondary sexual characteristics?
I have checked “MEDLINE” as well as a recent review article on the area. I could find no reference to such a side effect. It may occur, but must be very, very rare.
The only related adverse effect, and it’s quite tangential, is of, perhaps, a very minor degree of slowing in growth (less than one inch over two years, and then only if there was no interruption of therapy during the summer). This is not a consistently reported finding and is somewhat controversial.