Objective:
To assess the prevalence, patterns, acquisition, administration routes, and health consequences of ADHD stimulant medication misuse among US adults.
Approach:
- Study Selection: Researchers searched PubMed and PsycINFO for US-based studies published from 2004 through September 2024, including 64 studies across 71 publications.
- Risk of Bias Assessment: Risk of bias in cross-sectional studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Checklist, and in longitudinal studies using the Quality in Prognosis Studies tool.
Key Findings:
- Past-year misuse of Adderall among adults aged 19 to 30 years declined from 7.8% in 2022 to 3.7% in 2023.
- Past-year misuse of Ritalin was 1.2% in 2023, with no significant change over the past decade.
- 1.4% of Americans aged 12 years and older misused ADHD stimulant medications in 2023.
- High-frequency misuse was associated with obtaining stimulants from physicians or dealers rather than friends or relatives.
- Intentional exposures to stimulants were linked to higher critical care and psychiatric admission rates.
Interpretation:
ADHD stimulant medication misuse among adults is declining.
Limitations:
- Many university studies used convenience samples and had low response rates, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.
- The literature relied on self-reported data without toxicologic confirmation, which may affect the accuracy of misuse estimates.
- Longitudinal studies did not assess potential long-term neurologic or cardiovascular health effects of stimulant misuse.
Conclusion:
Research gaps remain regarding long-term health outcomes of stimulant misuse.
Sources:
This content is an AI-generated, fully rewritten summary based on a published scholarly article. It does not reproduce the original text and is not a substitute for the original publication. Readers are encouraged to consult the source for full context, data, and methodology.
