Posted by azdrugrehabctr on April 21, 2017 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News, Prescription Drugs | 
The origins of substance abuse is still not really known among healthcare workers and experts. And while the disease is rampant throughout the country and the rest of the world, many in the medical community are still trying to figure out if it is genetic or a learned behavior. So, in an effort to better understand where addiction stems from, researchers in Sweden decided to tackle one group of people where the chances of substance abuse are increased significantly.
People with ADHD are much more likely to report problems with drugs and alcohol. In fact, reports show that up to 30% of adults with ADHD will also suffer from a drug addiction problem at some point in their lives. Because of the increased risk of substance abuse, the research team at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm poured over data gathered from more than 62,000 ADHD patients, and their relatives.
From this information, they determined that not only are the patients with ADHD more likely to develop a substance abuse problem, but so are their immediate relatives. This was a surprise to the researchers, as previous studies have never looked into the link between previous generations connection with ADHD and substance abuse.
One interesting conclusion of the study was that the previous hypothesis of stimulant medication causing an urge for more drugs may not be true. The researchers in this particular study believe that the connection between ADHD and substance abuse may be more of a genetic issue, rather than a problem with the medication.
“The main clinical implication is that the overlap between ADHD and SUD [substance use disorder] is likely not explained by harmful effects of stimulant medication. This is important, given that concerns around the safety of central stimulant treatment in ADHD might result in the withholding of essential and effective pharmacological treatment in affected individuals,” stated the authors of the study.
And while this is only one study, it does provide more insight into the role of ADHD on future generations and may also help medical professionals prevent against younger generations succumbing to substance abuse problems with better screening techniques.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on February 9, 2016 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News, Prescription Drugs |
Reports show that around six million people in the United States have been diagnosed with having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The number of people diagnosed with this disorder has increased over the years, especially among children. In fact, six percent of American children have been labeled as having ADHD. However, some are surprised that there is not a more definitive test to determine if someone has the fits into that category. This means that doctors often have to rely on their own observations, input from the parents and feedback from the children.
The most common medications for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder include Adderall, Vyvanse and Ritalin. These drugs are stimulants that allow a person with disorder to concentrate and stay on task. Those who take the drug without having this behavioral problem are essentially abusing speed. In fact, Adderall is an amphetamine, which has a very high potential for abuse.
Additionally, there are very few long term studies about the effects of Adderall on the brain. In order to rectify this, Joseph Helpern of the Medical University of South Carolina has begun to use MRI’s to view the brains of people who have been diagnosed with ADHD. In addition to investigating the long term effects of Adderall, Helpern and his group of researchers want to develop a method of diagnosis that is based on medical evidence, rather than relying on the methods that are being used today.
“Currently, we know the medications work on behavior but don’t understand what it’s doing to the brain over time. Having these (study) results would raise awareness to the potential risk in taking psychostimulants without a clinical diagnosis, in seeing if they are changing the normal brain to something abnormal,” explained Vitria Adisteiyo, a contributor to the study.
The research may be paying off, as Helpern and his colleagues have discovered that patients that have been diagnosed with ADHD seem to have lower levels of iron in their brain scans. This is important because it validates what many in the medical community have suspected for years, but haven’t been able to prove. If this discovery proves that iron levels are a direct link to ADHD, researchers may be able to develop a medication that is not addictive and cannot be abused recreationally.
More non-stimulant ADHD medications could help prevent these drugs from being abused in high schools and colleges across the country.
