• All News
• Consumer
• Pro
• New Drugs
• Pipeline
• Clinical Trials
• FDA Alerts

Long-Term Exposure to ADHD Meds Linked to Increased Risk for CVD

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Nov 27, 2023.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Nov. 27, 2023 -- Long-term exposure to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), especially hypertension, according to a study published online Nov. 22 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Le Zhang, Ph.D., from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues examined the association between long-term ADHD medication use and risk for CVD in a case-control study involving individuals in Sweden aged 6 to 64 years with an incident diagnosis of ADHD or ADHD medication dispensation between Jan. 1, 2007, and Dec. 31, 2020.

The researchers matched 10,388 individuals with CVD with 51,672 controls without CVD. Compared with nonuse, longer cumulative duration of ADHD medication use was associated with an increased risk for CVD (adjusted odds ratios, 1.09, 1.15, 1.27, and 1.23 for one to no more than two years, two to no more than three years, three to no more than five years, and more than five years, respectively). An increased risk for hypertension was seen in association with longer cumulative ADHD medication use (adjusted odds ratios, 1.72 and 1.80 for three to no more than five years and more than five years, respectively); the risk for arterial disease was also increased. Each one-year increase of ADHD medication use was associated with an increased risk for CVD across the 14-year follow-up (adjusted odds ratio, 1.04), with a larger increase seen in the first three years of cumulative use (adjusted odds ratio, 1.08). The patterns were similar for children and youth and for adults.

"Monitoring becomes even more crucial considering the increasing number of individuals engaging in long-term use of ADHD medication," the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text

Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted November 2023

More news resources

• FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
• Daily MedNews
• News for Health Professionals
• New Drug Approvals
• New Drug Applications
• Drug Shortages
• Clinical Trial Results
• Generic Drug Approvals

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.