Child Health – ADHD Drug Abuse Prevalent Among American Teens | Health News

When researchers evaluated an eight-year period of data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers, they found that calls involving 13- to 19-year-olds related to teen abuse of stimulants, including ADHD drugs, rose from 330 in 1998 to 581 in 2005—a 76 percent increase. Overall, 42 percent of teens involved had moderate to severe side effects and most ended up receiving treatment in emergency rooms. Four of the cases evaluated resulted in death. Study author, Dr. Randall Bond, medical director of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Drug and Poison Information Center, says that because many cases don’t result in calls to poison control centers, the true number of teen abusers who have harmful side effects is likely much higher.