ADHD Drugs Not Linked to Increased Risk of Substance Abuse in Adulthood: Study

Medication used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) does not place children at a higher risk of being addicted to drugs in the future, researchers reveal.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral disorder that affects children. Children experiencing ADHD face problems in paying attention, difficulty in controlling impulsive behaviors (acting without thinking about the consequences), and are prone to hyper activity.

The negative impact of ADHD drugs on children has long been a topic of controversy. Stimulants like methylphenidate (Ritalin, Metadate, Concerta, Daytrana), amphetamine (Adderall), dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine, Dextrostat), lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (Vyvanse) and nonstimulant medication atomoxetine (Strattera) are some of the medications commonly used to treat ADHD in children.

Previous studies have shown that alcohol and drug abuse is higher among children with ADHD. Researchers of the current study had found in 2011 that children with ADHD were at a three-time greater risk of developing many serious substance abuse problems later. So the safety of these drugs has been a major concern among parents.

To examine whether the use of these stimulants during childhood increased the risk of substance abuse problems (use of alcohol, marijuana, nicotine or cocaine) in teenage and adulthood, researchers at the University of California in Los Angeles looked at  2,500 ADHD children from 15 published and three unpublished studies. The studies were from different parts of the world and included information about the participants, aged 8 to 20.

At the end of the study, the researchers found that a significant number of the ADHD children were experiencing depression, anxiety, academic and social relationship problems. However, they couldn't find solid evidence to prove the role of the stimulant medications during childhood in alcohol and substance-use disorders later.

"We found the children were neither more likely nor less likely to develop alcohol and substance-use disorders as a result of being treated with stimulant medication," lead author of the study Kathryn Humphreys said in a news release. "We found no association between the use of medication such as Ritalin and future abuse of alcohol, nicotine, marijuana and cocaine."

The findings of the study have been published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

According to previous records from the CDC, nearly one in 11 American children suffers from the disorder, which cannot be fully cured and lasts into adulthood. However, a study conducted by a team of researchers from the Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) Medical Group recently showed that the number of American children diagnosed with ADHD has gone up considerably in the recent past. They found more than 840,000 children aged between 5 and 11 receiving care at the center during the period, and of the total, 39,200 (4.9 percent) children receiving an ADHD diagnosis.