ADHD Medication Associated With Lower Risk of Substance Abuse

Men and women with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) taking prescribed stimulant medication or atomoxetine face a lower risk of substance abuse issues during and after periods of medication, according to a recent study.

While substance use disorders are associated with excess mortality among patients with ADHD, little information exists on the relationships between pharmacological ADHD treatment and substance-related issues.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

RELATED CONTENT
FDA Approves New ADHD Treatment Option
Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet Linked to Lower Risk of ADHD
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

In their study, the researchers evaluated commercial health care claims made between 2005 and 2014 by 2,993,887 adolescent and adult patients with ADHD (47.2% female).

The researchers defined substance-related events as emergency department visits related to substance abuse disorders. Using within-individual analyses, they compared the risk of substance-related events during time periods when patients received prescribed stimulant medication or atomoxetine, versus time periods when they did not receive medication.

After adjustment, results indicated that male patients had a 35% lower risk of concurrent substance-related events when receiving medication, whereas female patients had 31% lower risk of concurrent substance-related events. Furthermore, male patients had a 19% lower risk of substance-related events 2 years post-medication, while female patients had a 14% lower risk of substance-related events 2 years post-medication.

The researchers noted that although sensitivity analyses supported most findings, they were less consistent for long-term associations among female patients.

“These results provide evidence that receiving ADHD medication is unlikely to be associated with greater risk of substance-related problems in adolescence or adulthood,” the researchers concluded. “Rather, medication was associated with lower concurrent risk of substance-related events and, at least among men, lower long-term risk of future substance-related events.”

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Quinn PD, Chang Z, Hur K, et al. ADHD medication and substance-related problems [Published online June 29, 2017]. Am J Psychiatry. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.16060686.