ADHD meds linked to increased psychosis risk, study finds
A recent study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that taking ADHD medication may lead to a greater risk of developing psychosis or mania. ADHD medicine is one of the most common prescription medicines among adolescents. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 15 percent of high school seniors reported use of ADHD medication in 2022. This figure may translate to roughly 100 kids at Samo.
The study conducted by Dr. Lauren Moran, a Johns Hopkins-educated physiatrist and researcher, found that patients taking high doses of amphetamine ADHD medications [such as Adderall, Vyvanse, and dextroamphetamine], were 5.3 times more likely to develop psychosis than patients taking no stimulants. An increased likelihood of developing psychosis was found among medium-dose users as well, however, the study did not find significant data to conclude whether taking low dosages of the aforementioned ADHD medications is associated with an increased risk of psychosis.
ADHD is a chronic disorder which often begins during childhood and can cause attention-difficulty, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
Daniel Hedges (’25) has been on some form of medicine to treat ADHD for 9 years.
“Attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder is when you can’t sit still, you’re fidgety, you have a hard time focusing,” Hedges said. “I’ve been on ADHD meds since 3rd grade because I couldn’t focus in class and the teachers didn’t want to deal with me.”
Hedges takes a medium, albeit unconventional, dosage of ADHD meds.
“Right now I’m actually in limbo between two different medications,” Hedges said. “For Vyvanse, it's 40 milligrams and for generic Adderall, I’m prescribed 30 a day but I only take 20.”
Hedges recognizes the potential downsides of taking ADHD meds and endorses the use of more natural alternatives to stay focused.
“Personally I think that ADHD meds are not necessarily beneficial to the person with ADHD at a certain point because you become reliant on them, but they’re very helpful when you need to study and you can’t focus so you need assistance with that or if you have writer’s block and try taking meds sometimes it works,” Hedges said. “So it's beneficial in that sense but I wouldn’t say that medications are beneficial to the general society because there are other things like coffee that are more natural rather than a synthetic drug that can do very similar things.”
Despite recognizing the threats Adderall and other ADHD meds pose, Hedges is reluctant to switch to more safely viewed alternatives, such as Ritalin. The aforementioned study discovered there was no increased risk of psychosis with Ritalin, which isn’t an amphetamine.
“I’ve already been on Ritalin and it caused a lot more problems for me than solutions,” Hedges said. “I had a lot of stomach problems, I got acid reflux from it and it didn't really help with my focus. So no, it just doesn’t work as well.”
Samo graduate and current NYU senior, Harrison Newman (’21), has been on a medium dosage of ADHD drugs since 2013.
“I’ve been on meds since fourth grade… I started on Concerta, I don’t even remember the dosage it was so long ago,” Newman said. “Then in early middle school I was on 70 mg of Vyvanse but by freshman year of college it started making me insanely anxious so I switched to Adderall XR 40 mg and then when the shortage hit I jumped between dosages and took regular Adderall for a while. I’m on Adderall XR 30 mg now.”
Newman is aware of the risk Vyvanse and Adderall pose to his health.
“Girl, I better not get psychosis,” Newman said. “I might have to switch to Ritalin.”
The most commonly prescribed ADHD medications [excluding Ritalin], are Amphetamines, which have been nicknamed “speed” for their stimulant properties including Adderall, Vyvanse and Crystal Meth, among others.
Amphetamines are stimulants, meaning ingesting ADHD drugs or other stimulants increases the activity of the central nervous system.
Marc Dingman discusses the biology of Amphetamine and its effects on the brain on his YouTube channel, Neuroscientifically Challenged.
“Amphetamine disrupts the storage of monoamines and synaptic vessels,” Dingman said. “Amphetamine is able to cause the monoamine transporter proteins to run in reverse leading to the increased release of monoamines especially dopamine and norepinephrine and increased levels of those neurotransmitters in the synaptic cleft. These elevated monoamine levels can have various effects on different parts of the central nervous system.”
The effect of Amphetamine on the central nervous system can be the development of chemical dependence or conditions such as mania or psychosis.
It is important for high schoolers with ADHD to be aware of the risks ADHD drugs could pose to their health and make an informed decision with their psychiatrist on how they choose to treat the disorder.
Live Free Recovery Services / Contributor
Prescription bottle of Adderall XR, an ADHD medication.