Addrall does not increase the risk of heart problems in the kids with ADHD that take it, according to the results of a new study.
The study concluded that children who take medications for ADHD, such as Adderall, are not at any higher a risk of heart problems than those who do not take the medications. According to the study, these kids will see more benefit from the drugs than they will see risks of taking them.
Senior author Sean Hennessy says this data is reassuring to parents who have been concerned about serious side effects such as death. They now know that the risk of death is not increased simply because their child is taking these medications. Hennessy says that now a fear of heart problems should not sway a parent in their decision to give their children the proper ADHD medications.
The study looking at a group of 241,000 kids in five states that take medications such as Adderall for ADHD. It compared them with 965,000 kids in a group that do not take the medications. During the time of the study the medicated group saw 28 deaths while the non-medicated group saw 607. Of the medicated children, none experienced a heart attack or stroke. There were 11 cardiac events in the non-medicated group.
Not all professionals feel confident in the study. Dr. Steven Nissen, chairman of the department of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, said the study is small and is providing false reassurances. He says the study does not address the risk of long term use of the drugs.
Although Nissen agrees that the drugs provide benefits to some children, he warns parents to use caution when giving them the medication. His advice is to use the lowest dose possible and end the drugs when they are no longer needed. According to Nissen, many kids change over time and may not need medications like Adderall long term.
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