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Stimulant medications are being prescribed increasingly to young adults for treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) but they are also popular drugs of abuse in this age group (see New York Times Feb 13, 2013). The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) monitors drug-related emergency department (ED) visits in the U.S. This report describes trends in ED visits related to ADHD medications (methylphenidate, amphetamine-dextroamphetamine combinations, and dexmethylphenidate).
Between 2005 and 2010, ADHD medication–related ED visits increased slightly but nonsignificantly among 5- to 17-year-olds. The increase was significant among patients aged 18 years and older and greatest among young adults aged 18 to 25 years (from 2131 to 8…