University of Michigan researchers conducted a study to find out if telehealth contributes to addiction in individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Thousands of records from anonymous patients with Medicaid or private insurance were analyzed. 77,153 of the studied patients “had not received stimulant ADHD medication or an SUD diagnosis in the past year" and "started on a stimulant in 2021,” according to a release.
The study found that overall, 12- to 64-year-olds that started receiving stimulant medications from telehealth were a bit more likely to develop an addiction in the year than patients who received the stimulants from an in-person visit. According to the University of Michigan, “The risk in these two groups was 3.7% versus 3.2%.”
Additionally, “for the entire study population of 12- to 64-year-olds, the higher risk disappeared when accounting for the fact that people using telehealth to start stimulant therapy were also more likely to have mental health conditions, such as depression.”
However, patients aged 26-34 were more likely to abuse stimulants after a telehealth prescription, “even after accounting for mental health conditions.” The study authors thought a factor that might be influencing this is that people aren’t covered by their parents’ health insurance after 26 and therefore not being supervised when it comes to medication.
The authors call for more substance abuse disorder screening and monitoring in the future.
The study is published in Health Affairs.
