ADHD Stimulants Do Not Make Children Addicts

Drugs prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) do not push children into becoming drug addicts in later life, a latest study reveals.

It is generally feared that stimulants for ADHD children might lead to drug addiction in adulthood. Proving this notion wrong, the study researchers stated that "that treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder with stimulant medication neither protects nor increases the risk of later substance use disorders."

Researching 15 previous long-term studies of ADHD children between1980 and 2012, the scientists found little or no difference between the children who were given the drugs and who weren't. This means that ADHD drugs cannot protect children from taking up smoking or drugs in later life.

According to a previous study, girls with ADHD who were prescribed stimulants had fewer chances of becoming drug addicts in life, reported Medical News Today. 

"I always doubted the whole 'protection' argument, and I wasn't the only one, but that message was really out there," Liz Jorgensen, adolescent addiction specialist, told the New York Times."Hopefully, this message will be heard loud and clear."

"Pediatricians and child psychiatrists also must weigh the potential costs and benefits of various treatment options," Kathryn Humphreys, study author and a doctoral student in psychology at University of California, Los Angeles stated.

"Our study provides an important update to clinicians. Particularly for those who are concerned that stimulant medication is a 'gateway' drug or increases the risk for later substance use, there is no evidence at the group level for this hypothesis," she said.

The study is published in the JAMA Psychiatry Journal.