News

Ignore Scare Tactics About AD/HD Meds

Claims that using stimulant medication to treat Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) leads to substance abuse fly in the face of scientific research, according to ADDA - the Attention Deficit Disorder Association.

When programs - like the MTV "True Life" show "I'm On Adderall" - purport to show the dangers of prescription AD/HD medications, they pose the real danger of inducing people who should be treated for AD/HD to conclude that medications lead to drug abuse. But the truth is: failing to properly treat AD/HD is really a step down that road.

Unfortunately, MTV made little effort to balance its story with other points of view. In fact, the overwhelming weight of scientific study shows stimulant medication is effective in the treatment of AD/HD, safe to use, and beneficial in preventing substance abuse.

ADDA, the world's leading adult AD/HD organization, encourages people follow the recommendations of medical and mental health professionals who say that an accurate diagnosis made at the earliest sign of AD/HD followed by proper treatment is the surest way to prevent future substance abuse.

Wendy Richardson, MA, MFT, CAS, an expert in treating addictions - and a member of ADDA's professional advisory board - notes, "Stimulant medication such as Adderall, Dexedrine, and Ritalin are generally abused by those who are drug seeking, or addicted. Most people who take stimulant medication to treat their AD/HD do not abuse it."

A 1999 study led by Dr. Timothy Wilens, published in the journal Pediatrics, concluded that "untreated AD/HD was a significant risk factor for substance use disorder in adolescence" and that treating AD/HD in adolescents with the indicated pharmaceutics "was associated with an 85% reduction in risk" for substance abuse in AD/HD youth. Another study published last year by a group led by Dr. Russell Barkley found "no relationship between stimulant treatment, either in childhood or high school, and risk for any . . . substance dependence or abuse disorders in adulthood."

A consensus statement in 2002 by a group of 75 prominent scientists from major international institutions of higher learning including Harvard, Princeton, NYU, Columbia, Berkeley, University of Toronto, University of Amsterdam, and others declared that overwhelming scientific evidence showed medication treatment of AD/HD was effective, but that left untreated the disorder could lead to substance abuse and other problems.

Dr. Thomas E. Brown, PhD, of the Yale Medical School faculty and associate director of the Yale Clinic for Attention and Related Disorders, told attendees at this year's ADDA Conference that there is no significant disagreement in the scientific community about AD/HD. He added that medications to treat AD/HD are more thoroughly tested than almost any pharmaceutical on the market. He said there have been some 200 studies of AD/HD medications, compared to about 3 for most medications for other purposes. Stimulant medications have been in medical use since the 1930's. Only a very few medications have a longer track record of effectiveness and proven safety.

Links to studies on AD/HD and substance abuse, and related topics . . .

• For the complete report from the Dr. Wilens group, click here.
• The complete study by Dr. Barkley's group is available by clicking here.
• The 2002 consensus statement of 75 leading scientists is available by clicking here.