Podcast Episode: ADHD Medications & Long-Term Health: What the Latest Research Reveals

Are ADHD medications safe in the long run? Do they affect your heart, your cognition, or even your lifespan? In this evidence-packed episode, we break down the latest peer-reviewed research (2022–2024) to uncover the truth about the long-term effects of ADHD medications—especially stimulant drugs like methylphenidate and lisdexamfetamine.

We’ll explore:

• 🔍 How ADHD is diagnosed across age groups, and why family medicine clinics are stepping up to meet adult ADHD needs

• 💔 The cardiovascular risks associated with prolonged stimulant use—including increased rates of hypertension and arterial disease

• 🧠 Whether stimulants have any lasting impact on ADHD symptoms, cognition, or emotional functioning after discontinuation

• 📉 The striking reduction in life expectancy for adults with ADHD and what’s driving it

• 📈 ADHD prescribing trends and regional disparities in the UK

• 👶 How prenatal exposure to glucocorticoids may increase the risk of ADHD in offspring

• 📏 The long-term safety of methylphenidate in children, including subtle effects on growth

This episode is your concise, clinically-informed briefing on ADHD medication safety—essential for clinicians, caregivers, patients, and anyone seeking clarity in a sea of opinions.

Sources

• JAMA Psychiatry (2023): Long-Term ADHD Med Use & CVD Risk
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10851097

• The Lancet Psychiatry: The ADDUCE Study on Methylphenidate Safety
  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2215036623000421

• Psychological Medicine: Long-Term Effects of Stimulant Use on Cognition and Symptoms
  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29530108

• CDC on ADHD Diagnosis Criteria
  https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/diagnosis.html

• Annals of Family Medicine: Adult ADHD Diagnosis in Primary Care

• The British Journal of Psychiatry: Life Expectancy in Adults with ADHD

• BMJ Mental Health: ADHD Prescribing Trends in England

• JAMA Network Open: Prenatal Glucocorticoid Exposure & ADHD Risk

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