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Abuse of ADHD medications by teens: an urgent report
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The Iowa Statewide Poison Control Center (ISPCC) has issued an urgent report to Iowa physicians concerning the abuse of medications for attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In the past two days, the ISPCC has seen an increase in the number of teens and young adults, ages 13 to 24, who have abused or misused medication prescribed for ADHD. These cases included abuse of Adderall™(dextroamphetamine+amphetamine), Concerta™(methyphenidate), Ritalin LA™(methylphenidate), and Vyvanse™(lisdexamfetamine).
Cases: A total of seven patients became ill from misusing or abusing prescription ADHD medications. The average age of the patients was 19.3 years and ranged from ages 13 to 24 years old. Two of the reported patients intentionally misused the medication when it was not indicated (for example, to stay up studying) and the other five were abusing the medications to get high. Six of the patients presented to hospitals in eastern Iowa; one on June 11, 2009, three on June 14, 2009, and two on June 15, 2009. The seventh patient called the ISPCC directly on June 14, 2009 because of symptoms, but refused evaluation by a health care professional. Of the six patients who sought treatment, two were admitted to the hospital and the other four were treated and released. All six patients recovered.
Symptoms: The symptoms of overuse or abuse of ADHD meds in these patients included high blood pressure, fast heart rate, agitation, vomiting and tremor (shaking). Some of the involved patients had multiple symptoms.
Summary and discussion: A total of seven young eastern Iowans were treated for symptoms resulting from the improper use of medications for ADHD over a five day period this month. The number of teens and young adults misusing and abusing prescription drugs has become a significant problem in the past few years. A 2008 Iowa Youth Survey (taken voluntarily by high school students) reported that 4 percent of those who took the test admitted taking prescription drugs without a doctor's prescription. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health report in 2009 that 6.4 percent of full time college students had misused Adderall™ within the past twelve months.
Recommendations: The ISPCC recommends the following:
1) Become educated about the dangers of abuse and misuse of prescription drugs and about the danger of taking someone else's medications.
2) Know which drugs have the potential to be abused and store them in a locked medicine cabinet or lock box.
3) Dispose of unused medications properly. If your community has an agency that will collect unused medication, use it. If not, mix the medications with cat litter or coffee grounds, put in a sealed container and throw in the garbage.
4) If your teenager needs medication at school, make sure you know how it is distributed during school and make sure that any left over medications are returned to you.
For further information go to AntiDrug.org and to the ISPCC hotline (1-800-222-1222) for poisoning or overdose advice from nurses and physicians trained in poisoning diagnosis and treatment, overdoses, and adverse effects from abuse of prescription medications.
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