Some physicians may prescribe stimulants to treat the side effects of other psychiatric medications or to enhance them. Among them, just under half - around 45% - were using the drugs alongside other psychiatric medications, including antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs and opioids. Researchers found that more than 276,000 adults were using Schedule II prescription stimulants.
Prescription stimulant use was defined as adults’ filling one or more stimulant prescriptions that contained amphetamines and methylphenidate, the active ingredient in Ritalin. The use of prescription stimulants in combination with other medications appears to be rising, he said, although the study did not compare use to previous years. “These drugs have a high potential for physical and psychological dependence,” he said. The research was published Monday in BMJ Open. “We are concerned given the risks of these drugs,” said the study’s lead author, Thomas Moore, a researcher at the Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness at Johns Hopkins University, noting that prescription stimulants are “highly potent” and that data on using them in combination with other psychiatric medications is limited. “Off-label” prescribing refers to medications prescribed for uses other than what they were approved for. Those drugs, which stimulate the body’s nervous system, are prescribed for a variety of conditions, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, sleep disorders and nasal congestion, but are sometimes prescribed off-label to help treat disorders like depression and anxiety in combination with other medications. The Drug Enforcement Administration classifies amphetamines and methylphenidate as Schedule II controlled substances, the same designation given to cocaine, Ox圜ontin and fentanyl.
0 kommentar(er)
