ADHD Medication: Cause Addiction, or Fix it?
It’s the ADHD version of the age old question: Which came first the chicken or the egg?
Instead, researchers – and many parents as well – have asked: Is the use of the stimulant Ritalin that causes some teens with ADD/ADHD use illicit drugs or is the ADHD itself that triggers this problem.
Professionals and others have weighed in on this problem for years. And now, authors of a new study believe they may have figured out the conundrum. A study, published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine says that for girls with ADHD at least, using prescription drugs to treat their ADD/ADHD actually makes them less susceptible to abusing recreational drugs.
The study uses recent findings that boys with ADD/ADHD were also less likely to abuse illegal drugs if they were medicated for their health condition.
The study evaluated 114 girls – from age six to 18. Of these 94 of them were medicated for their health problem; the other 20 were not. The researchers discovered that those who were treated with prescription drugs were about half as likely to not only take illicit drugs, but also were less likely to consume alcohol and some cigarettes.
To view the entire article visit here.
Dr. Kenny
p.s. to learn more about ADD/ADHD medication, please visit: Medication Mastery
Technorati Tags: ADHD Medication, ADD Medication, Addiction
=================================================
Written by Dr. Kenny Handelman - The ADHD Doctor
To find get a FREE special report on ADD/ADHD Medication, visit: Medication Mastery
==================================================
Email this post to a friend: