A new study showed that calls to the poison control center for teens who have overdoses or abused drugs for ADHD has risen a whopping 76% over the past eight years. The calls came from parents and emergency room doctors who were looking for the answer on how to deal with the problem. Overdosing on attention deficit drugs can be deadly and four deaths were reported during the study.

Teens who take ADHD drugs to get high may not realize that they are causing their body serious damage. Possible complications can include rapid heartbeat, extremely high blood pressure, and extreme agitation. Many teens think that the drugs are safe since that are prescribed by a doctor and approved by the FDA.

Doctors from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center researched date from 1998-2005 from the American Association of Poison Control Centers for any calls regarding abuse of ADHD drugs and teens or kids. During that time period yearly calls increased from 330-581 with most of the calls ending in a visit to the emergency center. This is only part of the date according to the doctors as many of these cases are not reported to the poison control centers.

The number directly correlate with an 86% increase of prescriptions for ADHD drugs for kids since 1998. The numbers went from 4 million to 8 million kids from the ages of 10-19 who take these drugs.

Abuse of the drugs usually involve crushing the pills and snorting them for a faster high. This also can produce a sort of euphoria for teens, which is why many continue to do it. Although these numbers are staggering, ADHD drugs should still be taken by teens who need them, but should be under direct watch of a parent and doctor.

    

I wasn’t aware of this trend. I hope that something can be done to help the teens. I also believe if you push teens too far, they will rebel. So it should be an issue that assists without pressure. You don’t want to steer them away, but do want to help and inform.

This is a troubling situation. I'm sure many teens who abuse these drugs don't see the harm in it because they have a prescription. My son takes Adderall for ADHD--he is only 7, but I will be sure to properly educate him on how his medication should be taken as he gets older.

I wonder where they get these drugs from. It's not like you can walk into a store and buy them. You have to have a prescription. And those that do have the prescription should not be left alone with the drugs even if they are teens. Where are they're parents and why aren't they watching their children?