ADHD Medication Errors for Young People on the Rise

A new study published in Pediatrics found that errors in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications have risen nearly 300% in the past two decades among people under the age of 20. Michael Reardon, M.D., a pediatric neurologist at Pediatrix® Specialty Care of Austin, explained that there are several ways that people can use medications incorrectly and these errors are not unique to ADHD medications. “As is revealed in the study, the most common error is accidentally giving the medication twice,” said Dr. Reardon. Giving the wrong amount of a liquid medication is another error and changes to prescriptions can also cause mistakes. “One contributor to this that is somewhat specific to ADHD medications is the national shortages of ADHD medications,” he added, “which has created a need for frequent medication changes and sets up this vulnerability.”

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