Long-term exposure to ADHD medicine tied to greater risk of CVD: JAMA

Key findings of the study are:

• Of 278 027 individuals with ADHD, 10 388 with CVD were identified and matched with 51 672 control participants without CVD.
• The Median (follow-up time was 4.1 years.
• Longer cumulative duration of ADHD medication use was associated with an increased risk of CVD than nonuse.
• The AOR for 0 to ≤1 year; 1 to ≤2 years;2 to ≤3 years; 3 to ≤5 years and > five years was 0.99, 1.09, 1.15, 1.27 and 1.23, respectively
• Longer cumulative ADHD medication use was associated with an increased risk of hypertension and arterial disease.
• Across the 14-year follow-up, each 1-year increase in ADHD medication use was associated with a 4% increased risk of CVD.
• This risk was more significant in the first three years of cumulative use, with an AOR of 1.08 and stable risk over the remaining follow-up.

They said in our study, we found that the risk of CVD is greater with long-term exposure to ADHD medications.

Our study highlights the importance of carefully weighing potential benefits and risks when making treatment decisions about long-term ADHD medication use. Clinicians must continually monitor cardiovascular indicators during treatment, according to our findings.

Reference:

Zhang L, Li L, Andell P, et al. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Medications and Long-Term Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases. JAMA Psychiatry. Published online November 22, 2023. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.4294