Study: Reports of teen misuse of ADHD drugs soared 76%

Submitted by anthony on Tue, 2009-08-25 15:27

Story here. Keep in mind, boys are prescribed ADHD medications at a much higher rate then girls. Excerpt:

'CHICAGO - Calls to poison-control centers about teens abusing attention-deficit drugs soared 76 percent over eight years, sobering evidence about the dangerous consequences of prescription misuse, a study shows.

The calls were from worried parents, emergency-room doctors and others seeking advice on how to deal with the problem, which can be deadly. Four deaths were among cases evaluated in the study, published today in Pediatrics, a medical journal.
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Researchers from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center evaluated 1998-2005 data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers. During that time, calls related to teen abuse of ADHD drugs increased from 330 to 581 yearly, and there were four deaths.

The true number of teen abusers who have bad side effects is likely much higher, because many cases don't result in calls to poison-control centers, said study author Dr. Randall Bond.'

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