Study: Early Ritalin Won’t Boost Drug Abuse

Treating children early for attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) does not raise their risk of drug abuse, a study finds. But starting treatment later may increase that risk. The 17-year study included 176 boys with ADHD. All were treated with stimulant medicines. They received Ritalin or a generic version of it. Some boys started taking it at ages 6 or 7. They went on to have no more drug abuse problems than a comparison group of healthy children. But boys who began treatment at ages 8 to 12 did have higher drug abuse rates later on. The study was published April 1 in the American Journal of Psychiatry.