Laurie McCauley Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Laurie McCauley Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
A recent study from the University of Michigan has found that nonmedical use of prescription stimulants for ADHD among adolescents in the United States has decreased over the past two decades, even as medical use has slightly increased.
Researchers analyzed data from 2005 to 2023 collected through the Monitoring the Future Study, an annual survey conducted at the University of Michigan that examines substance use and related behaviors among students in grades 8, 10, and 12. The study was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
According to Philip Veliz, a research associate professor at the U-M School of Nursing and Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking, and Health: “Lifetime medical use was 2% lower in 2005 when compared to nonmedical use, and is now 2% higher.” He added that this shift “is what all parents want to see.”
The data showed that lifetime nonmedical stimulant use among adolescents dropped from 10% in 2005 to 6% in 2023. In contrast, lifetime medical use remained steady at about 8% during both years.
“In other words, while the lifetime prevalence of medical use was relatively stable, with a modest increase in current use, we still saw a decrease in both lifetime and current nonmedical use,” Veliz said. “Accordingly, these fears of an uptick in misusing these prescriptions may be slightly overstated given the current trends shown in this study.”
Veliz noted that declines in nonmedical stimulant use parallel similar decreases seen with other prescription drugs like opioids and benzodiazepines. He said: “This more than likely is linked to public health messaging, prescribing practices and stimulant shortages as it relates to these types of drugs.”
He also commented that these results were not unexpected given broader declines in substance use among newer adolescent cohorts. Veliz emphasized that such findings could assist clinicians and policymakers as they consider risks versus benefits when prescribing stimulants for ADHD.
Other contributors to the study included Sean Esteban McCabe, Vita McCabe, and John Jardine from U-M; Ty Schepis from Texas State University; Emily Pasman from University of Illinois Chicago; and Timothy Wilens from Massachusetts General Hospital.
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