Stimulants and other treatments don't elevate risk of developing a cardiovascular condition in the short term, experts say.
Taking medication for ADHD is unlikely to cause an adverse cardiovascular event over the next few years, according to new research published in JAMA Network.
In a systematic review, researchers found no association between ADHD stimulant and non-stimulant medication and the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The study follows concerns that an increasing reliance on ADHD medications over the past decades may come with complications for patients.
A meta-analysis of 19 observational studies found no statistically significant association in relation to cardiac arrest or arrhythmias, cerebrovascular disease or myocardial infarction in any age group. Participants were followed up for a median of 1.5 years, and some for up to almost a decade.
The findings, which covered over 3.9 million individuals across six countries or regions, supported a previous lack of data to confirm a history of cardiovascular disease as a contraindication for ADHD.
Researchers could not, however, rule out a modest increase in risk of cardiac arrest or tachyarrhythmias among individuals taking ADHD drugs, and they urged caution.
“Overall, our meta-analysis provides reassuring data on the putative cardiovascular risk with ADHD medications, but the possible associations with cardiac arrest and tachyarrhythmias, among female patients, and among those with pre-existing cardiovascular disease warrants further investigation,” the authors said.
They urged clinicians to consider the individual cardiovascular risk associated with taking ADHD medication and to discuss this with patients and their families.
“[Clinicians] should rigorously follow clinical guidelines that suggest monitoring of blood pressure and heart rate at baseline and each medication review,” they advised.
