Long-Term ADHD Medication Use To Boost Heart Disease Risk

Long-Term ADHD Medication Use To Boost Heart Disease Risk

It has been reported that the long-term ADHD medication use has huge risks for one’s health for the heart. Check out the latest reports about this below.

ADHD medication and health risks

A recent study from Sweden suggests that the prolonged use of medication to treat Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The risk may be more pronounced with longer medication use.

The study was published in JAMA Psychiatry and highlights the potential risks of long-term ADHD medication.

According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 6 million children between the ages of 3 and 17, which is roughly 1 in 10, have been diagnosed with ADHD.

Additionally, approximately 8.7 million adults in the United States have ADHD. People with ADHD may have difficulty paying attention, find it hard to sit still, or act without thinking, and the symptoms may vary from person to person.

According to researchers, medication has been the standard treatment for ADHD for several decades.

They noted that there has been a significant increase in the use of ADHD medication among children and adults over the past few years.

The medication therapies used for treating ADHD include stimulant and non-stimulant therapies, which are selected based on the patient’s specific needs.

A recent study analyzed the medical records of over 278,000 individuals aged between 6 and 64 with ADHD, over a period of 13 years.

The study found that the longer an individual used ADHD medication, the higher their risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The risk of heart disease increased by an average of 4 percent for each additional year of medication use.

The results of the study suggest that people who use ADHD medication for more than five years have a 23 percent higher risk of heart disease than those who have never used it. The risk is the same for both children and adults, as well as for males and females.

Cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and artery disease have been found to be linked to ADHD medication. However, there was no increased risk of other associated conditions like heart failure, arrhythmias, thromboembolic disease, and arterial disease.

The study confirms previous research that suggests that patients who take stimulant ADHD medication, such as Ritalin or Adderall, are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease than those taking non-stimulant ADHD medication.

This is likely because the stimulants in the drugs are known to elevate blood pressure, arouse the nervous system, and make the heart work harder.

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