A new piece of research presented at the 2024 American College of Cardiology conference finds that ADHD stimulant use is linked to cardiomyopathy. The study, led by Pauline Gerard of the University of Colorado, found that young adults who used ADHD stimulant drugs for longer periods had significantly higher odds of developing cardiomyopathy, a serious disease of the heart muscle.
“Our findings reveal a progressively elevated risk of cardiomyopathy associated with the duration of stimulant medication use in young adults with ADHD,” the authors write. “This underscores the need for a deeper understanding of the cardiovascular risks tied to ADHD stimulant medications, highlighting concerns about safety and the importance of considering alternative treatments.”
The current work was presented at a conference, and the abstract was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, but the full results have not been published. This means the current work has not been through peer review.
The study adds to growing evidence of potential long-term harms associated with stimulant drugs like Adderall, Ritalin, and Vyvanse. Previous research has linked these medications to cardiovascular issues, altered brain development in children, psychosis, and stunted growth. Investigative journalists and researchers have argued that the dramatic rise in ADHD diagnoses has been driven, in part, by pharmaceutical industry influence. Journalist Alan Schwarz has notably accused drug companies of “manufacturing” the ADHD epidemic to expand markets, regardless of the long-term effects on patients.
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