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According to a recent study, high doses of stimulants like Adderall can increase the risk of psychosis or mania by more than five times. Unfortunately, prescriptions for amphetamine stimulants to treat ADHD have increased significantly in recent years, especially during the pandemic.
Patients had a nearly 63 percent increased risk of psychosis or mania if they had taken any prescription amphetamine in the past month, researchers reported in American Journal of Psychiatry.
Those who took high doses of amphetamines were at an even greater risk of a psychotic episode, with an 81 percent increased risk, the results show.
Danger of psychosis or mania for these ADHD patients
The greatest risk occurred in patients who took 30 milligrams or more of dextroamphetamine, which is equivalent to 40 milligrams of Adderall, the study said.
“Stimulant medications do not have an upper label dose limit, and our results show that it is clear that dose is a risk factor for psychosis and should be a primary consideration when prescribing stimulants.
It’s a rare but serious side effect that should be monitored by both patients and their doctors whenever these drugs are prescribed,” said study author Dr. Lauren Moran, a pharmacoepidemiology researcher at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass.
The authors of the study regularly encountered patients experiencing their first episode of psychosis, and according to medical records, the patients were prescribed high doses of stimulants by their doctors.
For the study, researchers analyzed data on nearly 1,400 patients admitted to Brigham General Hospital between 2005 and 2019 who were in the throes of a first episode of psychosis or mania.
They compared these patients with more than 2,700 people hospitalized for other psychiatric conditions, such as depression or anxiety.
According to the study, people who took amphetamines had a higher risk of psychosis and mania, and that the risk was greater with high doses.
This link could be explained by the fact that amphetamines cause the release of dopamine, a brain hormone also implicated in psychosis, the researchers said.
People taking amphetamines for ADHD shouldn’t be alarmed, Moran said, but may want to talk to their doctor about the dosage they’ve been prescribed.
There are also alternative medications to treat ADHD that do not increase your mental health risk.
For example, this study found no increased risk of psychosis or mania in prescriptions for methylphenidate (Ritalin), Moran noted.
Source: www.doctorulzilei.ro
