Pediatric ADHD Medication Exposures Reported to US Poison Control Centers

Objective: To explain the characteristics and trends of attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drug exposure in individuals 0 to 19 years old reported by the US Addiction Control Center

METHODS: Retrospective analysis of national poison data system data from 2000 to 2014 for investigating pediatric ADHD drug exposure

RESULTS: Between 2000 and 2014, 156,365 exposures were reported to the American Poison Control Center for ADHD medication. The reported overall exposure rate increased by 71.2% from 2000 to 2011, then decreased by 2% from 2011 to 2014. Three quarters (76.0%) of the exposure is for children under 12 years of age. Methylphenidate and amphetamine accounted for 46.2% and 44.5% of the exposure, respectively. The most common cause of exposure is treatment mistake (41.6%). Intentional drug exposure (including suspected suicide, substance abuse and / or abuse) has been reported among youth (aged 13 to 19) in most cases and accounts for 50.2% of the exposure in this age group It is. Overall, most of the atomic bomb survivors (60.4%) were not treated by medical institutions, but 2% were sent to the hospital for treatment and three people died. The increase in the number and percentage of ADHD drug exposures reported during the study was consistent with the increasing trend in ADHD diagnosis and drug prescriptions. Exposure related to suspected suicide or drug abuse and / or adolescence abuse is particularly worrisome

Conclusion: In the United States, unintended intentional exposure to ADHD medication affects children of all ages.

According to the pediatrics 1 report released this week, between 2000 and 2014, more than 150,000 phones have been sent to the poison control center to report the risk of exposure to ADHD remedies for children under the age of 19 It was delivered. In other words, we can make over 200 calls per week. Or you can make 29 calls per day. According to reports, most phones (82%) reported unintended drug exposure. For example, a child without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (usually under 6 years old) has entered an insecure vial, or a child mistakenly took the subsequent dose. The rest of the phone is for children, usually older people, intentionally taking more medication than they give. According to reports, some of these phones are related to suicide attempts, others are due to substance abuse problems.

RESULTS: Between 2000 and 2014, 156,365 exposures were reported to the American Poison Control Center for ADHD medication. The overall exposure rate reported increased by 71.2% from 2000 to 2011 and then decreased by 6.2% from 2011 to 2014. Three quarters (76.0%) of the exposure is for children under 12 years of age. Methylphenidate and amphetamine accounted for 46.2% and 44.5% of the exposure, respectively. The most common cause of exposure is treatment mistake (41.6%). Intentional drug exposure (including suspected suicide, substance abuse and / or abuse) has been reported among youth (aged 13 to 19) in most cases and accounts for 50.2% of the exposure in this age group It is. Overall, most of the survivors (60.4%) were not treated by medical institutions, but 6.2% were sent to hospitals for treatment and three people died.

Accidental exposure to drugs at home is the main cause of children's poisoning due to carelessness in the United States. Approximately 60,000 emergency departments (ED) visit each year in the United States, and 450,000 poisoning centers discover and ingest children under 6 without supervision of carers. More than two-thirds of emergency room visits to children exposed to accidental pediatric drug exposure include children aged 1 or 2, with approximately 20% of children receiving hospitalization treatment. Maintaining unnecessary medicines can bring unnecessary health risks to families, especially if you have children. Even children's protective containers can not completely prevent children from taking medications belonging to other people. In one study, children were accidentally in contact with grandparents doctors, and 45% of the cases concerned drugs stored in children's protective containers.