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. 2011 Dec;24(6):551-60.
doi: 10.1177/0897190011426558. Epub 2011 Nov 17.

Misuse of prescribed stimulant medication for ADHD and associated patterns of substance use: preliminary analysis among college students

Dalissa R Sepúlveda  1 , Lisl M Thomas, Sean Esteban McCabe, James A Cranford, Carol J Boyd, Christian J Teter
Affiliations

Misuse of prescribed stimulant medication for ADHD and associated patterns of substance use: preliminary analysis among college students

Dalissa R Sepúlveda et al. J Pharm Pract. 2011 Dec.

Abstract

Objectives: To explore the prevalence and characteristics associated with college students who misuse their prescribed stimulants for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and examine diversion and substance use behaviors as a function of misuse.

Methods: Cohort of 55 past-year prescribed stimulant users was identified from a random sample (n = 1738) at a large Midwestern research university following the self-administration of a web-based survey. An index was created to assess misuse of prescribed stimulants (i.e., Misuse Index).

Results: Of 55 college students who reported past-year use of prescribed stimulants for ADHD, 22 (40%) endorsed at least one item on the misuse index. The most frequently endorsed misuse items were used too much (36%), self-reported misuse (19%), and intentionally used with alcohol or other drugs (19%). Misusers of prescribed stimulant medication were more likely to report cigarette smoking (p = 0.022), binge drinking (p = 0.022), illicit use of cocaine (p = 0.032), and screen positive on the Drug Abuse Screening test (DAST-10) criteria (p = 0.002). The bivariate odds ratio for the DAST-10 findings was 8.4 (95% CI: 2.0-34.6). Diversion of prescribed stimulants was common (36%) and occurred more frequently among stimulant misusers (57%; p = 0.008).

Conclusion: There is a strong relationship between misuse of prescribed stimulants for ADHD and substance use behaviors, as well as other deleterious behaviors such as diversion. These findings suggest the need for close screening, assessment, and therapeutic monitoring of medication use in the college population.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prevalence of single-agent misuse of prescribed stimulants as a function of pharmacokinetic properties. Short-/intermediate-acting (3–8 hours); long-acting (8–12 hours) pharmacokinetic properties of each formulation.
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