'Wide-Range' Abuse of ADHD Medication Discovered in US Schools: Teens Overuse Due to 'Stress Around Academics'

Teens in some United States middle and high schools have been abusively taking ADHD medication, a new study reveals.

More than one out of four American teens divulged that they have abused and misused prescription stimulants for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during the past years, CNN Health reported.

According to Sean Esteban McCabe, lead author of the research and director of the Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking, and Health at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, their study is the first to look at the "nonmedical use of prescription stimulants" by middle and high-schoolers in a national level. Alarmingly, they found a "tremendous, wide range of misuse."

"In some schools, there was little to no misuse of stimulants, while in other schools, more than 25% of students had used stimulants in nonmedical ways," revealed McCabe, a professor of nursing at the University of Michigan School of Nursing.

'Major wake-up call'

Nonmedical uses of ADHD medications include having more than the normal doses just to get high or taking prescription stimulants along with alcohol or other drugs to boost a high, as discovered by an older study published in the National Library of Medicine journal.

Dr. Deepa Camenga, pediatrician and associate director of pediatric programs at the Yale Program in Addiction Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, also revealed that students abuse medications to survive academic pressure and stress.

They "use a pill that someone gave them due to a sense of stress around academics - they are trying to stay up late and study or finish papers," Dr. Camenga expressed.

She further stated that ADHD medication abuse was known to be happening in colleges. However, now that the new study discovered the same abuse happening in middle and high schools as well as "a major takeaway of the new study."

Another major thing, McCabe proclaimed, is that their study is also "a major wake-up call" for parents, schools, and the government.

Read More: Parents Unaware that 1 in 10 Teens Use 'Study Drugs' Without Prescription

Parents Need To Step Up

The new study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open Tuesday, analyzed a collection of data gathered between 2005 and 2020. Questionnaires were distributed to over 230,000 teenagers under eighth, tenth, and 12th grades in 3,284 secondary schools nationwide.

"We know that the two biggest sources are leftover medications, perhaps from family members such as siblings, and asking peers, who may attend other schools," McCabe further revealed.

New statistics might have just confirmed the result of the latest research as prescriptions for stimulants increased at ten percent in 2021 among most age groups. In fact, it was also this year that the country experienced a shortage of Adderall, one of the most popular ADHD drugs, which led to many patients unable to fill and refill their prescriptions.

When asked about the solution to this alarming concern, McCabe emphasized what should not be done - limiting use of the medications for kids who are really in need of them.

"Instead, we need to look very long and hard at school strategies that are more or less effective in curbing stimulant medication misuse. Parents can make sure the schools their kids attend have safe storage for medication and strict dispensing policies. And ask about prevalence of misuse - that data is available for every school," McCabe explained.

He also encouraged parents and caregivers to always ensure that controlled medications are stored in a lockbox. They should also not be afraid to count the pills and keep up to date on early refills.

"Finally, if parents suspect any type of misuse, they should contact their child's prescriber right away. That child should be screened and assessed immediately," the doctor stressed.

Related Article: Adderall Shortage: Its Impact and What You Can Do