ADHD Meds Abuse Increases Dramatically
A new study is out in Pediatrics–it’s not online yet–and, according to this account, it found a large increase in the abuse of ADHD drugs:
“The researchers looked for cases of intentional abuse or misuse of ADHD medications in youths 13 to 19 years old from 1998 through 2005.
“They found that over the eight-year study period, the number of calls to poison control centers regarding ADHD medication use went up 76 percent, from 330 calls during the first year to 581 calls the last year.
“At the same time, overall ADHD prescriptions increased by 80 percent for all children and teens, and about 86 percent for kids between 10 and 19 years old.
“The data didn’t include information about whether a teen abusing an ADHD medication was the one who had been prescribed the drug or whether the abuser was a teen without ADHD who was taking the medications.”
How much calls to poison centers mirror abuse in the populations as a whole isn’t clear, but I know of way too many teens and 20somethings who’ve told me they abuse Ritalin and Adderall–and absolutely love it. Most of them buy a few pills through street dealers here and there. Earlier this year, the New Yorker had a piece on the rise of neuroenhancers and the underground sale of ADHD drugs wherein young adults were basically dealing Adderall online.
Whatever you make of ADHD, isn’t it nice that Big Pharma has created a new class of drugs to abuse–or should I more properly say created a class of drugs that mimic speed and cocaine?–and that it’s wrapped in white coat of medicine?
Related posts:
Posted in Furious Seasons