High doses of popular ADHD medications were associated with more than a fivefold risk of having a first-time episode of psychosis, according to a Sept. 12 study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
The drugs include Adderall, Vyvanse and general amphetamines, including dextroamphetamine. High dosage was defined as more than 30 mg of dextroamphetamine equivalents.
The study focused on patients aged 16-35 hospitalized at Belmont, Mass.-based McLean Hospital between 2005 and 2019. Those hospitalized for psychosis and mania were compared to patients hospitalized for other psychiatric reasons, like depression or anxiety. Amphetamine doses were standardized and divided into three groups, with researchers also looking at psychosis risk with methylphenidate use.
Lead study author, Lauren Moran, MD, psychiatrist and researcher at McLean Hospital, told NBC News it's not uncommon for people to develop psychosis related to amphetamines.
"We've seen this a lot," Dr. Moran said. "We are seeing college students coming in being prescribed stimulants who didn't have much of a psychiatric history developing new onset psychosis."