Rise in Drugs Abused by Teenagers Now Include Stimulants Prescribed for ADHD

A growing worry about drugs abused by teenagers now include stimulants prescribed for ADHD. An alarming new study shows calls to poison control centers regarding teens abusing attention deficit drugs rose 76 percent over eight years.  

The calls were made not only by concerned parents but also by emergency room doctors and others. Four deaths were among the cases evaluated in the study.

Researchers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center evaluated 1998-2005 data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers. Nationwide, during that time, calls related to teenage abuse of ADHD drugs, specifically stimulants, increased from 330 to 581 yearly. Overall, 42 percent of the teens involved had moderate to severe side effects and most ended up obtaining emergency treatment.

The study author Dr. Randall Bond, medical director of the hospital’s Drug and Poison Information Center, said the true number of teen abusers who have bad side effects is likely much higher, because many cases don’t result in calls to poison control centers.

Mark Stein, a psychiatry professor and ADHD expert at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said abuse typically involves crushing and snorting the pills, which speeds up the effects and can produce a buzz or sense of euphoria–along with dangerous side effects.

These life threatening side effects include agitation, rapid heartbeat, and extremely high blood pressure.

Kids who develop serious side effects should be taken to the emergency room, where sedatives can be used to treat the problem, Stein said.

The study lacks information on whether abusers were teens with ADHD but evidence suggests many were not.

Interestingly, Stein said the study should not deter use of ADHD drugs in teens who really need them, particularly since there’s evidence that kids with ADHD who don’t get medication are at risk for abusing illicit drugs.