I don't wanna go all "anti-science" conspiracy wacko on you, but ...
The ADHD drugs are literally turning kids psychotic. And adults, who are increasingly on these amphetamines.
Taking a high dose of ADHD drugs is linked to more than five times greater risk of developing psychosis or mania, according to a new study published Thursday in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
The research is among the first to find a relationship between escalating doses of the drugs — amphetamines, in particular — and a greater likelihood of psychotic symptoms.
This ... how do I say this? This is not at all surprising to some of us. Drugging up your hyperactive kids, particularly boys who can't sit still, actually messes with their minds.
A person is 5 times more likely to turn psychotic, according to this study, if you put them on heavy ADHD drugs.
What's even worse is how many kids are now at risk.
The drugs include Adderall, Vyvanse and generic amphetamines, such as dextroamphetamine ...
Stimulant use in the U.S. has skyrocketed in recent years, particularly among adults. A study published this year in JAMA Psychiatry found that prescription rates for amphetamines for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder had risen 30% from 2018 to 2022 in people ages 20 to 39. Among people ages 40 to 59, rates rose 17%.
Mix in a bad economy, higher rates of depression, alcohol and drug use, and what we have is a cocktail of drugs and circumstances leading to a real increase in dangerous individuals.
The lead study author, Dr. Lauren Moran, a psychiatrist and researcher at McLean Hospital, a teaching hospital that is a part of Mass General Brigham in Boston, said it's not uncommon for people to develop psychosis related to amphetamines.
'We've seen this a lot,' Moran said. 'We are seeing college students coming in being prescribed stimulants who didn't have much of a psychiatric history developing new onset psychosis.'
And ... we're still handing out Adderall and these other drugs like candy ...
Moran said that, according to an analysis of national insurance claim data, about 6% of patients taking amphetamines are prescribed the highest dosages and about 22% are prescribed the medium dosages.
This means almost 30% of patients are at risk.
Cronenwett said the risk of developing psychosis from an amphetamine remains rare, around 1 in 1,000. Still, people taking high doses should be aware of the risks.
1 in 1,000 MAY seem low. But when you think of how many tens of thousands are given Adderall and other ADHD drugs, this is scary, scary stuff.
When someone gets a safe low dose and doesn't even need it, they'll notice no change, get a higher dose, and then end up with a risk of developing psychosis.
'There may be some folks out there who are receiving stimulants for whom they're not necessarily that effective,' he said. 'What ends up happening is the doses get escalated to seek that level of effectiveness and in so doing put people at this increased level of risk.'
We need to have a serious conversation about how we are treating ADHD.
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