November 28, 2022ADHD medications — both stimulants and non-stimulants — do not place patients of any age at greater risk for cardiovascular events such as heart failure and hypertension.
This groundbreaking finding comes from a new meta-analysis of 19 observational studies, including 3.9 million participants, that found no statistically significant association between ADHD medications and cardiovascular disease (CVD), even among middle-aged and older adults.1The analysis, published November 23 in JAMA Network Open, is the most comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal observational studies to date on the association between ADHD medication use and the risk of CVD.
It included patients from the United States, South Korea, Canada, Denmark, Spain, and Hong Kong. It found no associations between ADHD medication use and a higher incidence of CVD, however, it did recommend further research on the risk of cardiac arrest and tachyarrhythmias among female patients and patients with pre-existing CVD.“The results of this meta-analysis suggested no statistically significant association between ADHD medication use and the risk of any cardiovascular events across age groups, although a modest risk increase could not be excluded, especially for the risk of cardiac arrest or tachyarrhythmias,” the study authors wrote.
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