The number of teenagers abusing medication for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is up 76 percent since 2002, according to a new study in the journal Pediatrics.

These medications are actually stimulants that have a paradoxical, calming effect on hyperactive children. Teenagers who do not have ADHD and abuse these drugs may appear agitated, hyperactive, and have increased pulse and blood pressure.

"Parents should know the risk and benefits of medication, when the child is taking it, and how long a prescription should last," said Jennifer Setlik, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and author of the new study on ADHD drug abuse.

Labels: prescription drugs, adhd, adderall, ritalin, drug_abuse

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The use of medications for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder among college students who dont have ADHD is increasing. Most students who abuse ADHD meds do so when they have a big test, or need to pull an "all-nighter" to study or finish a project. But experts say that the benefits students believe they are receiving by abusing ADHD meds are largely imagined:

The ideas so simple: Just pop a bill and become Encyclopedia Brown. Hate to break it to you, but thats not how it works. Adderall and Ritalin are prescription medications for a reason. For one thing, they take weeks of regular use before they are properly metabolized for use by the brain: One pill a few hours before class wont suddenly increase your cognitive ability.
-- Source: La Voz Weekly (De Anza College, Calif.)

In addition to delayed or nonexistent "benefits," the abuse of ADHD medications is associated with a wide range of side effects, the La Voz article noted. The abuse of ADHD pills and other prescription medications is approaching epidemic levels in the United States, and is causing many young people to require the types of comprehensive services that are offered in residential rehab centers for teens.

Labels: students, adhd, abuse, medications

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Teens who smoke marijuana may be self-medicating for legitimate medical conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, insomnia, and anxiety, according to a new study from the University of British Columbia.

Dr. Joan Bortoff and her colleagues surveyed 63 adolescents who reported having smoked marijuana on a daily basis. About a third of the adolescents who were surveyed said they had stopped taking prescription drugs such as Ritalin and Prozac for various conditions and substituted marijuana instead. Marijuana was immediately effective in relieving anxiety and other conditions, and did not cause as many side effects as their prescription drugs.

"They did not like how these drugs made them feel or found them ineffective," Dr. Bortoff said. "For these kids, the purpose of smoking marijuana was not specifically about getting high or stoned."

This study appeared in the journal Substance Abuse, Treatment, Prevention & Policy.

Labels: teen_drug_use, marijuana, adhd, anxiety, medications

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Because substance abuse is prevalent among people with ADHD, doctors have struggled to determine which should be treated first and how best to treat them simultaneously. Scott H. Kollins, Ph.D, of Duke University recently presented his recommendations at the U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress meeting.

"In assessment of ADHD, Dr. Kollins suggested collecting a detailed substance abuse history, particularly for high-risk patients - adolescents, those with a family history of substance abuse, and those with comorbid conduct disorder or antisocial personality disorder."

Patients who are at a higher risk for substance abuse should be monitored more closely, and there are alternative medications available for use to treat the ADHD symptoms. The stimulant medication Vyvanse was recently approved by the FDA and is believed to have much less abuse potential than other medications. Read more at PsychiatricTimes.com.

Labels: adhd, stimulants, medications

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