Research indicates that young adults on ADHD stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin have a higher, but still low, risk of developing cardiomyopathy over time, suggesting no immediate need for changes in prescription practices.) had a significantly higher likelihood of developing cardiomyopathy than those who were not given stimulants.
However, researchers said that the overall risk of cardiomyopathy remained relatively low even when stimulants were used long-term. They said the findings do not necessarily point to a need for clinicians to change their approach to screening patients or prescribing stimulants.
Using the TriNetX research database that includes information from about 80 hospitals across the U.S., researchers analyzed data from people diagnosed with ADHD between 20-40 years of age. Individuals with the presence or absence of a prescription for stimulant medications along with rates of cardiomyopathy that could potentially be linked to stimulant use were included. Those with heart damage caused by other known factors, such as cancer treatments, were excluded.
Despite the significant gap, the overall prevalence of cardiomyopathy was still quite low in both groups. After being prescribed stimulants for 10 years, 0.72% of patients developed cardiomyopathy, compared with 0.53% among those who were not prescribed stimulants.