Misuse of prescription drugs used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has dropped sharply among American adults, according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. The research reports that misuse among adults under 30 has dropped by half since 2016, with about 3.7% of adults under 30 misusing the medications in 2023, down from 7.5% in 2016.
Study Findings
Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC found that the decline may be tied in part to a nationwide shortage of ADHD medications that began in 2022. Among adults who took prescription stimulants in the year before a late-2023 survey, 71.5% had difficulty filling a prescription because the drug was scarce, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Misuse remains most common among younger adults, white adults, city dwellers, and college students. The review found two patterns: one group, mostly adults 18 to 30, occasionally takes the drugs without a prescription to study or concentrate, usually swallowing pills they get free from friends or relatives. A second group uses seven or more days a month and is more likely to be over 30, to lack a college degree, to be divorced or separated or on work disability, and to obtain the drugs from a dealer or by visiting multiple doctors.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
