The New York Times (5/30, A17, Schwarz, Subscription Publication) reports that according to a meta-analysis published online May 29 in JAMA Psychiatry, “children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [AD/HD] who take stimulant medication do not have a lower risk over all for later substance abuse, contradicting the longstanding and influential message that such medicines tend to deter those with the disorder from abusing other substances.” The analysis “determined that, on average, medications like Adderall [amphetamine, dextroamphetamine mixed salts] and Ritalin [methylphenidate] had no effect one way or the other on whether children abused alcohol, marijuana, nicotine or cocaine later in life.”
Related Links:
— “No Link Seen Between Child Stimulant Use and Later Drug Abuse, ” Alan Schwarz, New York Times, May 29, 2013.