"The use of medication to treat attention deficient hyperactivity disorder is linked to significantly lower risk for substance use problems in adolescents and adults with ADHD according to a study led by researchers at Indiana University. The risk of substance use problems during periods of medication use was  percent lower in men and  percent lower in women in the study. The results based upon nearly  million people with ADHD in the United States are reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry httpajp.psychiatryonline.orgdoifull.appi.ajp... This study contributes to growing evidence that ADHD medication is linked to lower risk for many types of harmful behavior including substance abuse said Patrick D. Quinn http a postdoctoral researcher in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences who led the study. The results also highlight the importance of careful diagnosis and compliance with treatment. As one of the largest analyses on the risks and benefits of ADHD medication the study drew on anonymous health care data from  million people with employerbased health insurance in the United States from  to . Specifically the researchers mined the data to identify people with ADHD whose records showed periods of ADHD medication use and periods without ADHD medication use  as well as one or more visits to the emergency room due to drug or alcohol use. They then calculated the odds of the visits occurring during the persons use of ADHD medication versus the same persons nonuse of ADHD medication. Many factors can influence who receives ADHD treatment including socioeconomic factors health care access the strength of support networks and disorder severity Quinn said. Although no single study of realworld treatment practices can definitively show whether medication use lowers risk studying the same people at different points in their medical history helps us control for these factors and isolate the role of medication in their behavior. Of the nearly  million people with ADHD in the studys database about  percent experienced periods in which they were and were not prescribed medication to treat the disorder. About  percent experienced an emergency room visit due to substance abuse. The median age of the studys participants was  for men and  for women. The majority of the ADHD medicines used in the study were stimulants such as Adderall an amphetamine and Ritalin or methylphenidate. A significantly smaller number used nonstimulant ADHD medication such as Strattera or atomoxetine. While concerns about prescribing medications to treat ADHD that have the potential for abuse are understandable this study provides further evidence that the use of these medications is not associated with increased risk of substance use problems in adolescence or adulthood Quinn said. Rather this and other recent studies find that the risk of such problems is lower during and after periods of use of these medications. Quinn is a member of the lab of Brian M. DOnofrio httppsych.indiana.edufacultybmdonofr.php a professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. Another study from this group recently reported in JAMA Psychiatry https found that the use of ADHD medication was associated with lower risk of motor vehicle accidents in men and women. DOnofrio is also a coauthor of several studies based on patient data from Sweden that found similarly lower risk for substance abuse https and transport accidents https in people with ADHD who used medication. The larger number of people in the two more recent studies  as well as the use of U.S. patients in the new analyses  strengthens this earlier evidence. Together these studies provide accumulating evidence about the possible short and longterm benefits of ADHD medications DOnofrio said. They also provide important information to medical providers who prescribe ADHD medication  as well as to adults with the disorder and parents trying to make medical decisions for children. Overall I think people should find these results reassuring. Other authors on the study were Martin E. Rickert a research scientist at IU Kwan Hur Robert D. Gibbons and Benjamin B. Lahey of the University of Chicago and Zheng Chang Arvid Sjlander Paul Lichtenstein and Henrik Larsson of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Larsson is also affiliated with rebro University in Sweden. This research was supported in part by the National Institutes of Healths National Institute of Mental Health and National Institute on Drug Abuse."