ADHD Medication Use Lowers the Risk of Death, Hospitalization: Study

April 5, 2024Treating ADHD with medication can lower overall risk of mortality and of hospitalizations, both psychiatric and non-psychiatric, according to two new Swedish studies.1, 2 These findings highlight the importance of ADHD medication use for long-term health and longevity, underscoring the urgent need to end the stimulant shortage that has prevented U.S.

patients with ADHD from consistently accessing medication since the Fall of 2022.An observational study from Sweden, published in JAMA, followed nearly 150,000 adults and adolescents with a diagnosis of ADHD, tracking participants for two years following diagnosis.The researchers found that use of ADHD medication:While the authors of the study caution that these findings show correlation, not causation, the results are encouraging for patients and clinicians with reservations about ADHD medication use, especially later in life.A second Swedish study sought to investigate the effect of a variety of ADHD medications on rates of hospitalizations.

Published in JAMA Network Open, the cohort study used nationwide medical and administrative databases to identify 221,000 people with ADHD, 56% of whom had a psychiatric comorbidity including anxiety or stress-related disorder (24%), and depression or bipolar disorder (20%).

These individuals were then followed for up to 15 years.The study found that a patient’s use of amphetamine, lisdexamphetamine, dexamphetamine, and/or methylphenidate significantly lowered the risk of:The authors of the study featured in JAMA Network Open believe that the decrease in hospitalizations reflects the fact that ADHD medication use is associated with decreased risk for suicide attempts,3 substance use disorder,4 depression,5 car accidents,6 .