The Los Angeles Times (1/25, Healy) reported in its “Booster Shots” health blog that a study found that between 2005 and 2010, “ADHD medication-related emergency room visits have more than doubled – from 13,379 in 2005 to 31,244 in 2010,” with the increase being “particularly pronounced in those over 18.” The data was “reported Thursday in an issue of the DAWN (Drug Abuse Warning Network) Report, published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, an office of the National Institutes of Health.” About half of the “stimulant-related emergency department visits –15,585 in 2010 – were for ‘non-medical’ use of ADHD medication: They were to treat stimulant-related effects in patients who either had not been diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed the drugs or in patients who were not taking the medication as prescribed.”
Related Links:
— “Emergency room visits for ADHD medications rise sharply, report says, “Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times, January 25, 2013.