If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Emergency Department Visits Involving ADHD Stimulant Medications
https://dawninfo.samhsa.gov/files/TNDR09ADHDmeds.htm
Excerpts: Emergency Department Visits Involving ADHD Stimulant Medications a.. An estimated 7,873 drug-related emergency department (ED) visits involved methylphenidate or amphetamine-dextroamphetamine, two medications used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). b.. The most frequent reason for these visits was nonmedical use (48%), followed by adverse reactions associated with medical use (34%), accidental ingestion (10%), and suicide attempts (8%). c.. The rates of ED visits involving methylphenidate or amphetamine-dextroamphetamine for patients aged 12 to 17 were higher than the rates for patients aged 18 or older. d.. Over two thirds (68%) of the visits involving nonmedical use of these two drugs also involved another substance, such as alcohol, an illicit drug, or pharmaceutical. Recent studies have indicated that as many as 7 percent of children and 4 percent of adults now meet the criteria for a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).1,2,3 As a result, more prescriptions are being written for the stimulants used to treat ADHD. More prescriptions will likely lead to increases in medical side effects associated with the use of these medications and, potentially, greater use of these drugs for nonmedical purposes as well.4 A recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel recognized the danger of side effects for ADHD stimulants and recommended that they carry a warning of an increased potential for cardiac problems, such as hypertension, cardiac arrests, and stroke.5 The possibility of medical problems may be exacerbated by using ADHD stimulant medications improperly or in combination with other drugs. The potential for greater access of these medications to persons without a prescription is supported by research, which has shown that peers are a common source of ADHD medications.6 Although the potential for diversion has increased, estimates from the 2003 National Survey on Drug Abuse and Health (NSDUH) indicate that nonmedical use of ADHD stimulant medications is still relatively low: 0.3 percent of the population aged 12 or older reported using such stimulants nonmedically during the past year. However, those aged 18 to 25 had a higher rate of nonmedical use than those who were younger or older.7 College students, who may use these drugs as study aids because of their stimulant properties, fall primarily in this 18-to-25 age group. The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), which collects data from a national sample of short-term, general, non-Federal hospitals,8 provides estimates of drug-related emergency department (ED) visits. The findings presented in this issue of The DAWN Report are based on ED visits related to two of the pharmaceuticals commonly used to treat ADHD-methylphenidate and amphetamine-dextroamphetamine. DAWN includes both generic and branded drugs, including methylphenidate marketed as Ritalin© and Concerta© and amphetamine-dextroamphetamine marketed as Adderal©. Based on DAWN data, this report examines the reasons for the ED visits and the relative frequency of these ED visits for different age groups. Finally, for the ED visits involving nonmedical use, DAWN provides the ability to examine the drugs used along with the ADHD drugs. DAWN, which observes drug-related morbidity in ED visits, offers a different view of drug use than the NSDUH, which measures prevalence of nonmedical use in the population at large. Overview In 2004, about 106 million ED visits occurred in short-term, general, non-Federal hospitals in the United States.9 DAWN estimates that about 2 million ED visits in 2004 were drug related, and the ADHD drugs examined in this report were implicated in about 1 percent of those drug-related visits. Methylphenidate was involved in an estimated 3,601 ED visits, and amphetamine-dextroamphetamine was involved in an estimated 4,272 ED visits. Table 1. Estimated ED visits, by reason for ED visit and drug Reason for visit Methylphenidate Amphetamine- dextroamphetamine Total ED visits % of visits ED visits % of visits ED visits % of visits Totala 3,601 100% 4,272 100% 7,873 100% Nonmedical use 1,541 43% 2,228 52% 3,769 48% Adverse reaction (medical use) 1,322 37% 1,320 31% 2,642 34% Accidental ingestion 390 11% 435 10% 825 10% Suicide attempt 348 10% 289 7% 637 8% more at link |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Kids On ADHD Drugs - Dangerous Path To Addiction | john | Kids Health | 49 | July 8th 06 07:45 AM |
Study Examines Risk For Misuse Of ADHD Stimulant Mediciations | Jan Drew | Kids Health | 9 | April 24th 06 11:27 PM |
FDA—KNOWING WILLFUL PARTY TO THE ADHD FRAUD | Ilena Rose | Kids Health | 9 | February 10th 06 10:49 PM |
A Few Simple Truths About ADHD and Stimulant Drugs | Psi | Kids Health | 28 | April 23rd 04 02:40 PM |
Letter to APA 5/03 dubunking BS ADHD | SickofCrazyBS | Kids Health | 0 | November 25th 03 06:48 AM |