Teen ADHD Med Misuse: 1 in 4 Report Abuse, Study Finds
CNN —
A concerning trend is emerging across the United States: a significant rise in the non-medical use of prescription stimulants among middle and high school students. A new study reveals that as many as one in four teens report misusing these medications, intended to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), during the past year. This surge in abuse is prompting a “wake-up call” for schools and families, according to researchers.
A Widening Problem: The Scope of ADHD Medication Misuse
The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, analyzed data collected between 2005 and 2020 from the Monitoring the Future survey, a long-running federal study tracking substance use among secondary school students. Researchers examined questionnaires completed by over 230,000 eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders across a nationally representative sample of 3,284 schools.
Lead author Sean Esteban McCabe, director of the Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health at the University of Michigan, emphasized the breadth of the issue. “This is the first national study to gaze at the nonmedical use of prescription stimulants by students in middle and high school, and we found a tremendous, wide range of misuse,” he said. The study revealed significant variation between schools, with some experiencing minimal misuse while others reported rates exceeding 25% among students.
Nonmedical use of stimulants, as defined in the study, includes taking higher-than-prescribed doses to get high, or combining the medication with other substances like alcohol, according to prior research. Pediatrician Dr. Deepa Camenga, associate director of pediatric programs at the Yale Program in Addiction Medicine, explained that students also often misuse stimulants to cope with academic pressure – “trying to stay up late and study or finish papers.”
Shifting Demographics and a Recent Surge
The study also highlighted demographic shifts in stimulant misuse. Before the pandemic, 48% of new recipients were female; during the pandemic, that number jumped to 59%. The most significant growth in misuse occurred among adults aged 25 to 34, as reported in a separate Canadian study, mirroring similar surges in the U.S., Australia, the U.K., and Finland as reported by Fox News.
Data collected through 2020 showed that schools with higher rates of students currently using prescribed ADHD medications were about 36% more likely to experience stimulant misuse. However, McCabe noted that the problem wasn’t confined to these schools, even those with few students on prescribed stimulants still saw some level of misuse.
The researchers also observed a shortening of the time between a patient’s first ADHD-related healthcare visit and their first prescription during the pandemic. By June 2024, the monthly rate of adults being prescribed stimulants reached 10.4 per 1,000 people, a more than sevenfold rise since the start of the study period.
McCabe identified two primary sources of the misused stimulants: leftover medications from family members, and students obtaining pills from peers, potentially attending different schools.
Risk Factors and Concurrent Substance Use
Schools in suburban areas, across most regions of the U.S. Except the Northeast, showed higher rates of stimulant misuse. Schools with a higher proportion of students from families where at least one parent had a college degree also reported increased misuse. Schools with moderate levels of student binge drinking were more likely to see stimulant abuse.
The study also found a strong correlation between stimulant misuse and other substance use. Adolescents who reported using marijuana in the past 30 days were four times more likely to misuse ADHD medications compared to those who did not use marijuana.
Interestingly, the association between ADHD medication use and misuse remained significant even when students who had never been prescribed stimulants were excluded from the analysis.
“But these findings were not being driven solely by teens with ADHD misusing their medications,” McCabe said. “We still found a significant association, even when we excluded students who were never prescribed ADHD therapy.”
Potential Health Risks and What Can Be Done
Experts caution that improper stimulant use can lead to stimulant use disorder, potentially resulting in anxiety, depression, psychosis, and seizures. Combining stimulants with alcohol or other drugs can also have dangerous consequences, including paranoia, dangerously high body temperatures, and irregular heartbeat. Individuals who misuse ADHD medications are also at a higher risk of developing multiple substance use disorders.
“We know this is happening in colleges. A major takeaway of the new study is that misuse and sharing of stimulant prescription medications is happening in middle and high schools, not just college,” said Camenga, who was not involved with the study.
For children with ADHD who use their medications appropriately, stimulants can be effective treatment. They are “protective for the health of a child,” Camenga said. “Those adolescents diagnosed and treated correctly and monitored do extremely well — they have a lower risk of new mental health problems or new substance use disorders.”
McCabe stressed that limiting access to medication for those who genuinely demand it is not the answer. Instead, he advocates for stronger school-level strategies to curb misuse, including safe medication storage and strict dispensing policies. He also encourages parents to inquire about the prevalence of misuse at their children’s schools.
Parents can also help by discussing responsible decision-making with their children and preparing them for situations where they might be offered stimulants by peers. Storing controlled medications in a lockbox and regularly counting pills are also recommended precautions.
If parents suspect their child is misusing stimulants, McCabe advises contacting their child’s prescriber immediately for screening and assessment.