Advertising Disclaimer
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow View eLetters
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Web of Science (70)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Barkley, R. A.
Right arrow Articles by Fletcher, K.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Barkley, R. A.
Right arrow Articles by Fletcher, K.
Related Collections
Right arrow Neurology & Psychiatry
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Facebook   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

PEDIATRICS Vol. 111 No. 1 January 2003, pp. 97-109

Does the Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder With Stimulants Contribute to Drug Use/Abuse? A 13-Year Prospective Study

Russell A. Barkley, PhD*, Mariellen Fischer, PhD{ddagger}, Lori Smallish, MA{ddagger}, Kenneth Fletcher, PhD*

* Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts
{ddagger} Department of Neurology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

--> Objective. To examine the impact of stimulant treatment during childhood and high school on risk for substance use, dependence, and abuse by young adulthood.

Methods. A total of 147 clinic-referred hyperactive children were followed approximately 13 years into adulthood (mean: 21 years old; range: 19–25). At adolescent (age 15) and adult follow-up, probands were interviewed about their use of various substances and duration of stimulant treatment.

Results. Duration of stimulant treatment was not significantly associated with frequency of any form of drug use by young adulthood. Stimulant-treated children had no greater risk of ever trying drugs by adolescence or any significantly greater frequency of drug use by young adulthood. Stimulant treatment in high school also did not influence drug use in adulthood except for greater use of cocaine. This difference was no longer significant after controlling for severity of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorder in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Stimulant treatment in either childhood or high school was not associated with any greater risk for any formal Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition, Revised drug dependence or abuse disorders by adulthood. Treatment with stimulants did not increase the risk of ever having tried most illegal substances by adulthood except for cocaine. Subsequent analyses showed that this elevated risk was primarily mediated by severity of conduct disorder by young adulthood and not by stimulant treatment in childhood.

Conclusion. This study concurs with 11 previous studies in finding no compelling evidence that stimulant treatment of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder leads to an increased risk for substance experimentation, use, dependence, or abuse by adulthood.

Key Words: hyperactivity • attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder • stimulants • illicit drug use • drug abuse • conduct disorder

Abbreviations: ADHD, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder • CD, conduct disorder • SD, standard deviation • DSM, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders • CPRS-R, Conners Parent Rating Scale Revised • WWPARS, Werry-Weiss-Peters Activity Rating Scale • OR, odds ratio • SE, standard error

Received for publication Jan 2, 2002; Accepted Jul 31, 2002.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Facebook Facebook   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J Atten DisordHome page
T. Frodl
Comorbidity of ADHD and Substance Use Disorder (SUD): A Neuroimaging Perspective
J Atten Disord, September 1, 2010; 14(2): 109 - 120.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 J Atten DisordHome page
A. Halmoy, O. B. Fasmer, C. Gillberg, and J. Haavik
Occupational Outcome in Adult ADHD: Impact of Symptom Profile, Comorbid Psychiatric Problems, and Treatment: A Cross-Sectional Study of 414 Clinically Diagnosed Adult ADHD Patients
J Atten Disord, September 1, 2009; 13(2): 175 - 187.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 J Atten DisordHome page
C. Advokat
What Exactly Are the Benefits of Stimulants for ADHD?
J Atten Disord, May 1, 2009; 12(6): 495 - 498.
[PDF]

Home page
 J Atten DisordHome page
B. S. G. Molina, K. Flory, O. G. Bukstein, A. R. Greiner, J. L. Baker, V. Krug, and S. W. Evans
Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of an After-School Program for Middle Schoolers With ADHD: A Randomized Trial in a Large Public Middle School
J Atten Disord, November 1, 2008; 12(3): 207 - 217.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
T. E. Wilens, J. Adamson, M. C. Monuteaux, S. V. Faraone, M. Schillinger, D. Westerberg, and J. Biederman
Effect of Prior Stimulant Treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder on Subsequent Risk for Cigarette Smoking and Alcohol and Drug Use Disorders in Adolescents
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, October 1, 2008; 162(10): 916 - 921.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 FocusHome page
J. Biederman, M. C. Monuteaux, T. Spencer, T. E. Wilens, H. A. MacPherson, and S. V. Faraone
Stimulant Therapy and Risk for Subsequent Substance Use Disorders in Male Adults With ADHD: A Naturalistic Controlled 10-Year Follow-Up Study
Focus, July 1, 2008; 6(3): 358 - 365.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am. J. PsychiatryHome page
J. Biederman, M. C. Monuteaux, T. Spencer, T. E. Wilens, H. A. MacPherson, and S. V. Faraone
Stimulant Therapy and Risk for Subsequent Substance Use Disorders in Male Adults With ADHD: A Naturalistic Controlled 10-Year Follow-Up Study
Am J Psychiatry, May 1, 2008; 165(5): 597 - 603.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am. J. PsychiatryHome page
S. Mannuzza, R. G. Klein, N. L. Truong, J. L. Moulton III, E. R. Roizen, K. H. Howell, and F. X. Castellanos
Age of Methylphenidate Treatment Initiation in Children With ADHD and Later Substance Abuse: Prospective Follow-Up Into Adulthood
Am J Psychiatry, May 1, 2008; 165(5): 604 - 609.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
S. E. McCabe
Screening for Drug Abuse Among Medical and Nonmedical Users of Prescription Drugs in a Probability Sample of College Students
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, March 1, 2008; 162(3): 225 - 231.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Atten DisordHome page
C. Advokat
Literature Review: Update on Amphetamine Neurotoxicity and Its Relevance to the Treatment of ADHD
J Atten Disord, July 1, 2007; 11(1): 8 - 16.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
M. Ernst, D. A. Luckenbaugh, E. T. Moolchan, M. K. Leff, R. Allen, N. Eshel, E. D. London, and A. Kimes
Behavioral predictors of substance-use initiation in adolescents with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Pediatrics, June 1, 2006; 117(6): 2030 - 2039.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
L. Furman and R. A. Barkley
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Treatment and Later Drug Use
Pediatrics, December 1, 2003; 112(6): 1459 - 1460.
[Full Text] [PDF]

eLetters:

Read all eLetters

relationship between untreated adhd and substance abuse
joanne shorser-gentile
Pediatrics Online, 14 Jun 2009 [Full text]