Posted on September 8, 2009

The abuse of prescription medications has been a growing problem for the past 20 years. Now, new research suggests the abuse of stimulants prescribed for ADHD, amphetamines in particular, is rapidly gaining among teenagers.

Med Page Today issued a report focusing on this new research from the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. According to Jennifer Setlik, MD, calls to poison centers regarding the use of ADHD drugs jumped 76 percent between 1998 and 2005.

“The sharp increase, out of proportion to other poison center calls and general poison center use, suggests a rising problem with abuse, teen abuse, and particularly teen ADHD stimulant medication abuse," the researchers said in Med Page Today. "It may be that abuse is rising, or it may be that increased calls are a result of the escalating severity, perhaps reflecting the shift toward amphetamine use."

Part of the increase is blamed on the belief that these drugs are safe to use for anything and at any time because they are prescribed by a physician. Teens will often use these medications to relieve pain and anxiety, to aid sleep and to help them concentrate.

According to researchers, amphetamine exposure rates rose faster than amphetamine sales. Within the ADHD category, amphetamine/dextroamphetamine-related calls experienced a 476 percent increase over the study period. By comparison, prescriptions jumped 133 percent for persons age 13 to 19 years old.

Of those teens that made the calls to the poison centers, 42 percent experienced moderate or major effects. Some eventually experienced death. Researchers did highlight that previous studies had shown prescribing stimulants for ADHD did not lead to drug abuse or addiction. This study suggests other research ignored important variables and that this is a major problem that must be addressed immediately.