In Some U.S. Schools, 1 in 4 Kids Said They've Misused an ADHD Drug

In Some U.S. Schools, 1 in 4 Kids Said They've Misused an ADHD Drug

According to a recent study, American schools with a high proportion of pupils who have ADHD medicine prescriptions also frequently have a high proportion of students who abuse the medication.

Researchers discovered that some of the almost 3,300 middle and high schools in the United States have a significant issue with pupils abusing prescription stimulant drugs. More over a quarter of students at some schools admitted to doing narcotics in the previous year.

Additionally, the issue was worse in schools where a big number of students had valid prescriptions for stimulants, which may indicate that some of these students are sharing the medicines with their friends.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs, including well-known brand names like Ritalin (methylphenidate), Adderall (amphetamine/dextroamphetamine), and Concerta (methylphenidate), are at issue.

The medications can assist children who genuinely have ADHD in focusing, exercising more restraint, and performing better academically. However, the drugs are also frequently abused, frequently by young people or college students who obtain tablets from acquaintances who have valid prescriptions.

Sean Esteban McCabe, the director of the University of Michigan's Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking, and Health, stated that there are frequently multiple reasons why people misuse substances.

He claimed that some students adopt the false notion that stimulants will sharpen them and improve their academic performance. Occasionally, they utilize narcotics to "get high," toeither to experiment or to lose weight. McCabe, the study's lead author, cautioned that these medications should not be used carelessly. According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, stimulant usage carries a risk of overdose as well as adverse effects include irregular heartbeat, dangerously high body temperature, and seizures. It may eventually result in a substance use disorder. In a previous study, McCabe and his colleagues discovered that the usage of stimulants by students varies greatly among American colleges: it is barely noticeable at some and a significant issue at others. However, little is known about what goes on in middle and high schools. Therefore, for the present study, the researchers examined information from a government survey of pupils at schools throughout thethe nation. More than 230,000 students were polled between 2005 and 2020, providing them with information.

The study discovered that the overall impression was very similar to that of college campuses.

According to McCabe, the use of stimulants ranged from nil to over 25% at different institutions.

And the extent to which pupils in a certain school were taking stimulants to address their ADHD was a factor in this disparity. Children who attended schools with a high proportion of ADHD medication use—12% or more of pupils taking the medication—were 36% more likely to admit to abusing stimulants than children who attended schools with no ADHD medication users.

According to McCabe, that was not the complete story. Despite few students using ADHD medication, stimulant addiction was nonetheless prevalent in some schools.

He also emphasized that nobody was advocating that children who require drugs be denied access to them.

However, McCabe noted that those children must be ready in case they are ever persuaded to share their medications by other students.

He claimed that "many of them simply don't know what to do." "Therefore, they must be prepared with something to say."

Similar arguments were made by Linda Richter, vice president of preventative research and analysis for the charitable Partnership to End Addiction. Richter, who was not involved in the study, said that parents should start talking to their children about prescription drugs when they are young and act as a reliable source of knowledge about the dangers of using any medication that has not been expressly prescribed for you.

Parents, McCabe continued, can assist them in determining that.

Children "should understand that sharing their prescribed medication with a friend could be putting that friend at risk," the expert advised. In addition to such discussions, McCabe advised parents to count their children's tablets to detect any medicine sharing or misuse and to keep their children's prescriptions in a lockbox. Richter noted that any lasting changes in a child's behavior, relationships, sleep, or eating patterns could be evidence that they are abusing stimulants. However, she added, "the best way to tell if your child is misusing drugs is to have an open and honest relationship, spend time with them frequently, and watch their movements and activities.

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