Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40600292›Full record

ArticleAddiction (Abingdon, England)2025

United States trends in non-prescribed use of Adderall and Ritalin: Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study estimates from 2013 to 2022.

Joshua P Rising, Michael J Parks, Beth Han, Rose Radin, Celeste Mallama, Heather L Kimmel, MeLisa R Creamer, Wilson M Compton

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In one paragraph

Article in Addiction (Abingdon, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Joshua P RisingPast affiliation, while working on paper: Office of the Commissioner, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
Michael J ParksNational Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4214-3985
Beth HanNational Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3861-1099
Rose RadinOffice of Surveillance and Epidemiology, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
Celeste MallamaOffice of Surveillance and Epidemiology, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
Heather L KimmelNational Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
MeLisa R CreamerNational Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Wilson M ComptonNational Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3108-5118

Funding

U.S. Food and Drug Administration
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

aimsDispensing of prescription stimulants to adults has risen dramatically over the past decade. Examining trends in nonprescribed use of prescription stimulants can inform public health responses. Most studies in the United States (U.S.) have faced challenges in assessing trends over time due to changes in survey methodologies and variation in populations assessed. We examined data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study to assess changes in nonprescribed use of prescription stimulants in the U.S. from 2013 to 2022.

designThe PATH Study is an ongoing longitudinal study of U.S. youth and adults, representative of the civilian noninstitutionalized population. Repeated cross-sectional estimates at each wave were used (8 total waves). Trends from Wave (W) 1 (September 2013-December 2014) to W7 (January 2022-April 2023) were assessed. Full-sample and replicate weights were used; joinpoint analyses and wave-to-wave comparisons were applied to test trends.

settingCivilian noninstitutionalized U.S. youth and adults. PARTICIPANTS/CASES: Youth aged 12-17 and adults aged 18 + were assessed, with a total of 45 727 participants at wave 1 (Ns vary by wave). MEASUREMENTS: Past 12-month (P12M) prevalence of nonprescribed use of Ritalin or Adderall was assessed. Nonprescribed use of stimulants was assessed across subgroups according to age (12-17, 18-24, 25-39, ≥40) and sex (male, female).

findingsWhile wave-to-wave comparisons showed fluctuations across certain waves, overall, there were no statistically significant changes in P12M prevalence of Ritalin or Adderall nonprescribed use (1.3% at W1 and 1.5% at W7) across the study period. However, statistically significant differences in trends existed across age groups. Among 12-17 year-olds, nonprescribed use prevalence remained stable (1.4% in W1 and 1.5% in W7). Nonprescribed use prevalence also remained stable for 18-24-year-olds from W1 to W3, but then significantly declined (p = 0.016) from W3 (5.3%) to W7 (2.6%). There were no significant changes in nonprescribed use prevalence among 25-39-year-olds (1.7% in W1 and 2.4% in W7) and those aged ≥40 (0.3% in W1 and 0.9% in W7). Across most waves, young adults aged 18-24 had a statistically significantly higher prevalence of nonprescribed use. Neither sex had significant trends in P12M nonprescribed use prevalence.

conclusionsDespite an increase in dispensing of prescription stimulant medications in the United States, the prevalence of nonprescribed Ritalin or Adderall use does not appear to have increased, as assessed in the nationally representative Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. The prevalence of nonprescribed Ritalin or Adderall use among young adults aged 18-24, the age group with the highest nonprescribed use prevalence, declined 2013 to 2022.

Indexed as

Central Nervous System StimulantsPrescription Drug MisuseAdolescentAdultAgedCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedUnited StatesYoung AdultCentral Nervous System StimulantsAdderallpopulation assessment of tobacco and health studyRitalinstimulant misusestimulant misuse trendsstimulant prescription

Identifiers

PMID40600292
PMCPMC12529243

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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.