Dubai Telegraph - High doses of Adderall linked with heightened risk of psychosis and mania

EUR -
AED 3.897588
AFN 71.62565
ALL 97.2537
AMD 411.203272
ANG 1.913552
AOA 968.293905
ARS 1058.745012
AUD 1.627557
AWG 1.911648
AZN 1.807819
BAM 1.955455
BBD 2.143822
BDT 126.883565
BGN 1.95804
BHD 0.399961
BIF 3075.191117
BMD 1.061143
BND 1.421016
BOB 7.363046
BRL 6.140859
BSD 1.061762
BTN 89.662386
BWP 14.445129
BYN 3.47465
BYR 20798.394027
BZD 2.140123
CAD 1.480899
CDF 3044.418227
CHF 0.936171
CLF 0.037916
CLP 1046.211864
CNY 7.674607
COP 4713.329932
CRC 543.329624
CUC 1.061143
CUP 28.120278
CVE 110.729863
CZK 25.391006
DJF 188.586074
DKK 7.45901
DOP 63.933705
DZD 141.600995
EGP 52.213665
ETB 128.927564
FJD 2.404653
GBP 0.833113
GEL 2.907297
GHS 17.418672
GMD 75.870655
GNF 9158.721715
GTQ 8.204937
GYD 222.11867
HKD 8.254453
HNL 26.592299
HTG 139.651911
HUF 410.802767
IDR 16762.975014
ILS 3.985736
INR 89.551307
IQD 1390.096744
IRR 44679.406949
ISK 147.498979
JMD 168.710198
JOD 0.752456
JPY 164.232506
KES 137.417871
KGS 91.474118
KHR 4302.933102
KMF 488.523524
KRW 1494.624597
KWD 0.326418
KYD 0.884785
KZT 526.901752
LAK 23302.690344
LBP 95078.373015
LKR 310.479784
LRD 196.6824
LSL 19.280981
LTL 3.133278
LVL 0.641875
LYD 5.162473
MAD 10.527599
MDL 19.005538
MGA 4923.70171
MKD 61.609117
MMK 3446.549617
MOP 8.506897
MRU 42.335075
MUR 49.990475
MVR 16.405298
MWK 1841.082561
MXN 21.872228
MYR 4.708282
MZN 67.833584
NAD 19.281345
NGN 1774.951722
NIO 39.023514
NOK 11.770787
NPR 143.459418
NZD 1.793877
OMR 0.40856
PAB 1.061762
PEN 4.000181
PGK 4.260222
PHP 62.350627
PKR 295.050664
PLN 4.354234
PYG 8295.534619
QAR 3.863355
RON 4.976865
RSD 116.971889
RUB 104.249364
RWF 1445.806728
SAR 3.987149
SBD 8.850728
SCR 14.422986
SDG 638.273057
SEK 11.587852
SGD 1.421194
SLE 24.247182
SOS 605.912547
SRD 37.389344
STD 21963.508396
SVC 9.290797
SZL 18.707922
THB 36.991474
TJS 11.2858
TMT 3.72461
TND 3.339947
TOP 2.485304
TRY 36.467135
TTD 7.215065
TWD 34.443094
TZS 2824.618246
UAH 43.973732
UGX 3901.494647
USD 1.061143
UYU 44.764202
UZS 13614.459211
VES 47.430329
VND 26899.963703
XAF 655.872046
XCD 2.867791
XDR 0.799896
XOF 645.174431
XPF 119.331742
YER 265.099936
ZAR 19.251725
ZMK 9551.56176
ZMW 28.906256
ZWL 341.687469
  • RBGPF

    0.0300

    60.22

    +0.05%

  • BCC

    -2.0100

    141.13

    -1.42%

  • CMSC

    -0.1800

    24.54

    -0.73%

  • BCE

    -0.1600

    27.69

    -0.58%

  • RYCEF

    -0.1700

    7.16

    -2.37%

  • SCS

    0.0200

    13.67

    +0.15%

  • CMSD

    -0.2100

    24.75

    -0.85%

  • NGG

    -1.2400

    62.9

    -1.97%

  • RIO

    -1.4000

    61.2

    -2.29%

  • JRI

    -0.3000

    13.22

    -2.27%

  • GSK

    -0.8300

    35.52

    -2.34%

  • RELX

    -1.2100

    46.59

    -2.6%

  • AZN

    0.4000

    65.19

    +0.61%

  • BTI

    0.0900

    35.24

    +0.26%

  • BP

    -0.7600

    28.16

    -2.7%

  • VOD

    -0.8500

    8.47

    -10.04%

High doses of Adderall linked with heightened risk of psychosis and mania
High doses of Adderall linked with heightened risk of psychosis and mania / Photo: - - AFP

High doses of Adderall linked with heightened risk of psychosis and mania

Adderall is an effective treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but a sharp rise in US prescriptions over the past two decades has sparked concerns among researchers about rare but serious side effects.

Text size:

In a striking new study published Thursday, a team led by psychiatrist Lauren Moran of Mass General Brigham in Boston found that individuals taking high doses of the stimulant face more than a fivefold increased risk of developing psychosis or mania.

Key factors include the lack of upper dosing guidelines and the notable increase in young adults using the medicine since the Covid-19 pandemic, driven in large part by the rise of telemedicine providers.

Moran told AFP her interest grew from her time at a hospital inpatient unit treating college students in the greater Boston area.

"We were just seeing a lot of people coming in without much of a psychiatric history, developing the first episode of psychosis or mania in the context of using prescription stimulants," she said.

When the Food and Drug Administration became aware of such cases in the 2000s, it added a warning to the drug's label -- but relatively little research had been done to quantify the rates of side effects or how they related to the dosage level.

For their investigation, Moran and colleagues reviewed the electronic health records of people aged 16 to 35 admitted at Mass General Brigham hospitals between 2005 and 2019. That is the typical onset ages for psychosis, or losing touch with reality.

The researchers identified 1,374 individuals experiencing their first episode of psychosis or mania -- a disruptive state characterized by high energy, erratic behavior -- and compared them to 2,748 control patients who were hospitalized for other psychiatric conditions.

By analyzing Adderall use during the previous month and adjusting for other variables like substance use, they were able to specifically determine the impact of stimulants.

They found those who had taken Adderall were 2.68 times more likely to have been hospitalized with psychosis or mania compared to those who were not -- and this increased to 5.28 times more likely at higher doses of 40 milligrams and above.

A separate analysis found no increased risk with Ritalin, another stimulant prescribed for ADHD. Moran suggested this could be due to key differences in how the two drugs work.

- Telemedicine companies -

Both medications raise dopamine levels, a chemical messenger involved in the brain's reward system, motivation, and learning. However, while Adderall, an amphetamine, increases dopamine release, Ritalin works by blocking its reabsorption.

For Moran, a critical takeaway was the need for clear upper dose limits on labels. The current label recommends treating patients with 20 milligrams, but in practice, doctors vary widely in their prescriptions.

This variability partly stems from severe impairment in ADHD symptoms that require higher doses, but Moran has occasionally observed "carelessness in dose prescribing," while at other times, patients may "shop" for a doctor willing to prescribe what they want.

"People, including clinicians, might think they can eliminate all ADHD symptoms, but that's not a realistic expectation," she added.

Telemedicine companies, in particular, have come under scrutiny for allegedly overprescribing Adderall, contributing to shortages for those who genuinely need the medication.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, which had proposed revoking telehealth prescriptions for Adderall, extended them through the end of 2024 in response to significant public feedback.

X.Wong--DT