CNN
–
In some U.S. middle and high schools, 1 in 4 teens report abusing prescription stimulants for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a new study finds.
“This is the first national study to look at the non-medical use of prescription stimulants by middle and high school students, and we found a remarkable, wide range of abuse,” said lead author Sean Esteban McCabe, director of the Center for the Study. on Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.
“At some schools stimulant abuse was not very low, while at other schools more than 25% of students used stimulants in non-medical ways,” said McCabe, who is also a professor of nursing at the University of Michigan School of Nursing. “This study is a big wake-up call.”
Non-medical uses of stimulants can include taking higher than normal doses or taking the drug to get high Alcohol or other drugs to increase height, Previous studies found
Students also overdose on medication or “use a pill someone gave them because of the stress around academics — they’re trying to stay up late and study or finish papers,” said pediatrician Dr. Deepa Kamenga, associate director of the pediatrics program. Yale Program in Addiction Medicine New Haven, Connecticut.
“We know this is happening in colleges. “A big takeaway from the new study is that the abuse and sharing of stimulant prescription drugs is happening not just in college, but in middle and high school,” said Kamenga, who was not involved in the research.
Published in the Journal on Tuesday JAMA Network OpenThe study analyzed data collected between 2005 and 2020 by Monitoring the Future, a federal survey that has measured drug and alcohol use among middle school students nationwide every year since 1975.
In the data set used for this study, questionnaires were administered to more than 230,000 adolescents in eighth, 10th, and 12th grades in a nationally representative sample of 3,284 secondary schools.
Schools with the highest rates Teens using prescribed ADHD medications Students were about 36% more likely to have abused prescription stimulants in the past year, the study found. McCabe said the problem was far less common in schools that currently use such treatment, but it hasn’t disappeared.
“We know that the two biggest sources are leftover drugs, perhaps from family members such as siblings, and asking peers, who may attend other schools,” he said.
According to the study, suburban schools in all U.S. regions except the Northeast had higher rates of adolescent ADHD drug abuse, as did schools where at least one parent had a college degree.
Schools with more white students and moderate levels of student drinking were also more likely to see adolescent substance abuse.
At the individual level, students who said they had used marijuana in the past 30 days were four times more likely to abuse ADHD medication than teens who did not use weed, according to the analysis.
Also, adolescents who said they currently or in the past used ADHD medication were about 2.5% more likely to abuse stimulants than those who did. Peers who had never used stimulants, the study found.
“But these findings aren’t just being driven by teens with ADHD abusing their medications,” McCabe said. “We still found a significant association, even when we excluded students who had never received ADHD therapy.”
Data for the study was collected through 2020. since then, New statistics Prescriptions for stimulants are expected to increase by 10% in most age groups in 2021. At the same time, there has been a nationwide shortage of Adderall, one of the most popular ADHD medications, leaving many patients without it. Unable to fill or refill their prescriptions.
Risks are high: Taking stimulant medications inappropriately over time can lead to stimulant use disorders, which can lead to anxiety, depression, psychosis and seizures, experts say.
Overuse or when combined with alcohol or other drugs, can have sudden health consequences. Side effects can include “paranoia, dangerously high body temperature and an irregular heartbeat, especially if stimulants are taken in large doses or by means other than swallowing pills.” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Studies have shown that people who abuse ADHD medications are more likely to have it Multiple substance use disorders.
Abuse of stimulant drugs has increased over the past two decades, experts say, as more teenagers diagnosed and prescribed Those drugs – there’s research About 1 in 9 high school seniors report receiving stimulant therapy for ADHD, McCabe said.
For children with ADHD who use their medication appropriately, stimulants can be an effective treatment. They are “protective of a child’s health,” Camenga said. “Adolescents who are properly diagnosed and treated and monitored do very well—they have a low risk of developing new mental health problems or new substance use disorders.”
The solution to the problem of stimulant abuse among middle and high school teenagers is not to limit the use of drugs to those children who really need them, McCabe stressed.
“Instead, we need to take a long, hard look at school strategies that are more or less effective at preventing stimulant drug abuse,” he said. “Parents can ensure that the schools their children attend have safe storage and strict dispensing policies for medicines. And ask about the prevalence of abuse – that data is available for every school.”
Families can also help by talking to their kids about how to deal with peers who want to party with them for a pill or two or pull an all-night study session, she added.
“You’d be surprised how many kids don’t know what to say,” McCabe said. “Parents can role play with their kids to give them options for what to say so they’re prepared when it happens.”
Parents and guardians Controlled drugs should always be stored in a lockbox, and don’t be afraid to count pills and stay on top of early refills, he added.
“Finally, if parents suspect any type of abuse, they should contact their child’s prescriber,” McCabe says. “That child should be screened and evaluated immediately.”
Where we collect the information from Source link
Disclaimer:- We include in each post a link to where each content on our website is collected from.If there is a complaint against any post please contact us directly.
Email: post-support.dailyfastnews24.com
You can also write on the popular online news portal dailyfastnews24.com. Writing topics feature, travel, lifestyle, career, IT, agriculture and nature. Send your entry today to [email protected]
advertisement:-If you would like to advertise on our website please contact us here.Our Ads team will contact you very soon.
Email: [email protected]
The cost of advertising:- 1 Post 100 USD Lifetime.
Thank you very much for visiting our website. Have a good day.