SynthesisBMC cardiovascular disorders2012
Do prescription stimulants increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular events?: A systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC cardiovascular disorders, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 61 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
61 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Tolerance and Tachyphylaxis to Medications for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Systematic Review of Empirical Studies.CNS drugs · 2026Pooled it
- Amphetamine Use in the Elderly: A Systematic Review of the Literature.Current neuropharmacology · 2020Pooled it
- The Effect of Methylphenidate and Atomoxetine on Heart Rate and Systolic Blood Pressure in Young People and Adults with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2018Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Prescription Stimulant Misuse Among Nursing Students: A Systematic Review.Journal of addictions nursingPooled it
- Comparison of Vitamin D, Neurofeedback, and Neurofeedback Combined with Vitamin D Supplementation in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.Archives of Iranian medicine · 2022Trial
- Effects of Food on the Bioavailability of Amphetamine in Healthy Adults After Administration of SHP465 Mixed Amphetamine Salts Extended-Release Capsules.Drugs in R&D · 2019Trial
- A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate augmentation for major depressive disorder in adults with inadequate response to antidepressant therapy.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2017Trial
- Trial
- Risk of methylphenidate-induced prehypertension in normotensive adult smokers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.Journal of clinical hypertension (Greenwich, Conn.) · 2013Trial
- Article
- Article
- Microbiome-derived metabolites in substance use disorders: Mechanisms and implications.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2025Review
- Acute cardiovascular effects associated with the use of prescription medications: A Danish nationwide screening study.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2025Article
- Fatal intoxications and inherited cardiac disorders in the young: where to draw the line?International journal of legal medicine · 2025Review
- The Brain-Heart Axis: An Umbrella Review on Impact of Psychiatric Disease on Incidence, Management, and Outlook of Cardiovascular Disease.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- The Impact of Stimulant Medications on Blood Pressure and Body Mass Index in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.Academic pediatrics · 2024Observational
- The association between suspected long-COVID and stimulant prescribing in the United States.Psychiatry research · 2024Article
- Review
1 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThere is increasing concern that prescription stimulants may be associated with adverse cardiovascular events such as stroke, myocardial infarction, and sudden death. Public health concerns are amplified by increasing use of prescription stimulants among adults.
methodsThe objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the evidence of an association between prescription stimulant use and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. PUBMED, MEDLINE, EMBASE and Google Scholar searches were conducted using key words related to these topics (MESH): ADHD; Adults; Amphetamine; Amphetamines; Arrhythmias, Cardiac; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cardiovascular System; Central Nervous Stimulants; Cerebrovascular; Cohort Studies; Case-control Studies; Death; Death, Sudden, Cardiac; Dextroamphetamine; Drug Toxicity; Methamphetamine; Methylphenidate; Myocardial Infarction; Stimulant; Stroke; Safety. Eligible studies were population-based studies of children, adolescents, or adults using prescription stimulant use as the independent variable and a hard cardiovascular outcome as the dependent variable.
resultsTen population-based observational studies which evaluated prescription stimulant use with cardiovascular outcomes were reviewed. Six out of seven studies in children and adolescents did not show an association between stimulant use and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. In contrast, two out of three studies in adults found an association.
conclusionsFindings of an association between prescription stimulant use and adverse cardiovascular outcomes are mixed. Studies of children and adolescents suggest that statistical power is limited in available study populations, and the absolute risk of an event is low. More suggestive of a safety signal, studies of adults found an increased risk for transient ischemic attack and sudden death/ventricular arrhythmia. Interpretation was limited due to differences in population, cardiovascular outcome selection/ascertainment, and methodology. Accounting for confounding and selection biases in these studies is of particular concern. Future studies should address this and other methodological issues.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.