Many Teens Overdose on Meds Prescribed for ADHD, Anxiety

MONDAY, March 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Taken correctly, prescription drugs used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can help teens and young adults navigate their condition, but a new study finds many are dying from overdosing on these medications.

In 2019, benzodiazepines like Xanax and stimulants like Adderall accounted for more than 700 and 900 overdose deaths, respectively, in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"In recent years, there has been considerable attention devoted to risks of addiction associated with diverted or illicitly obtained benzodiazepines and stimulants," said senior researcher Dr. Mark Olfson. He is a professor of psychiatry, medicine and law at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City.

"The new study serves as a reminder that prescription benzodiazepines and stimulants also pose overdose risks to the patients who are prescribed them," Olfson said.

Sadly, many of the overdose deaths among teens and young adults who had prescriptions for these drugs are intentional suicides, he added.

The upshot of the finding? Doctors and parents need to be careful about prescribing and having their kids take these drugs.

"Prior to prescribing benzodiazepines or stimulants to young people, physicians should assess the patient's self-injury risk and consider other treatment options for youth who have substantial risk," Olfson advised.

"Parents also have an important role in preventing suicidal behavior in their adolescent and young adult children, especially if the young person is going through a stressful period," he added. "This can involve parents being attentive to changes in the youth's behavior, listening to them, being supportive rather than intrusive, taking suicidal threats seriously, and helping them to locate professional help if necessary."

For the study, Olfson and his colleagues collected data on privately insured youths aged 15 to 24 who were seen in emergency rooms for overdosing on benzodiazepines or stimulants from 2016 through 2018. The investigators then identified who among these patients had a doctor's prescription for these drugs.

The researchers found that 29% of the overdose deaths from benzodiazepines were among youths who had a doctor's prescription for the drug in the month before overdosing, as did 25% of those who died from an overdose of a stimulant.

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