LOS ANGELES — A research team from the Keck School of Medicine of USC published findings on July 9, 2026, indicating a rapid decrease in the misuse of ADHD stimulant medications among young adults. This decline was primarily attributed to reduced misuse of Adderall.

In 2016, approximately 7.5% of adults under 30 misused ADHD stimulant medications. By 2023, this figure dropped to about 3.7%. Across all adult age groups, 1.9% misused these medications in 2023. These findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.

Margaret Maglione, project leader at the Southern California Evidence Review Center for the Keck School of Medicine of USC, said, "We found a rapid drop in misuse of these medications, largely driven by a decline in Adderall misuse among young adults." She added, "More recent data suggest that those lower rates have remained stable since 2023." Misuse of ADHD stimulant medications, which include Adderall, Ritalin, and Vyvanse, is more common among younger adults, white adults, urban populations, and college students.

The review included 64 studies conducted between 2004 and 2024. Most individuals who misuse ADHD medications obtain them from friends or relatives with a prescription. Young adults, typically between 18 and 30 years old, often take these medications without a prescription. This group tends to take pills orally, with Adderall being the most frequently used.

Common reasons for misuse include helping concentrate (35% of users), staying alert or awake (31%), or getting high or countering the effects of other drugs (16%). Jaskanwar S. Batra, a clinical professor and vice chair for clinical affairs in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Keck School of Medicine, stated, "The data shows us that most patients do use the medications safely and as prescribed, but these medications are most likely to be misused by those who have a legitimate prescription or those who have access to someone else's medication." Batra advised, "Physicians are advised to caution and educate their patients about proper use and safekeeping of these medications."

The researchers found no evidence that individuals who take prescribed ADHD medication during adolescence face an increased risk of developing a substance use disorder later in life. Susanne Hempel, professor of clinical population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine and director of the Southern California Evidence Review Center, noted, "The misuse of stimulants is nothing new-this has been in the public eye for many decades." However, she added, "But we didn't find any long-term studies on the physical health consequences of long-term misuse of these drugs, which was surprising." No long-term U.S. studies on the health effects of misusing ADHD stimulant medications were found by the researchers.

The review was commissioned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Researchers from the Keck School's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Southern California Evidence Review Center conducted the analysis. A nationwide ADHD medication shortage began in 2022. During the peak of this shortage, approximately 71.5% of patients reported difficulty filling their prescriptions.