Ameritox Study on ADHD Medication Behavior in Adolescents Reveals Which Drug is More Likely to be Misused or Diverted

BALTIMORE, Nov. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ingenuity Health, a leading provider of medication monitoring solutions to behavioral health clinicians and a service of Ameritox^SM, today released research showing that patients between the ages of 6 and 25 who are prescribed medication to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were more likely to test negative for a prescribed amphetamine medication than a prescribed methylphenidate.

More than 35 percent of patients tested negative for a prescribed amphetamine, compared with just over 26 percent of those who tested negative for prescribed methylphenidate. The research outcomes are based on urine samples collected from patients over a 16-month period.  

"Our research confirmed the ongoing problem of adolescents not taking their prescribed ADHD medication properly with almost 33 percent of the patients testing negative for the prescribed medication," said Ameritox Chief Medical Officer Thomas Smith, MD.  "Interestingly, the study also suggests that the amphetamine drugs are more likely to be misused or diverted than methylphenidate."

"One hypothesis in the treating community is that amphetamine– a drug which is highly effective for ADHD – is also more likely to be diverted to the street or shared with friends," Smith continued. "While our study does not provide proof that this is the case, it does support the hypothesis."

"When we begin a study, we seek to either confirm or deny a broad trend within medical research, but we also want to dive down into sub-trends that will help the doctors we serve to better understand their patients, and protect them from dangerous behavior," said Scott Walton, Ameritox CEO. "This research shows our commitment to isolating the troubling behavior that can lead to poor patient outcomes and potential human tragedy, and to providing clinicians the added knowledge to help prevent it."

The Ameritox Medical Affairs team this week presented this research in the form of a medical poster titled "Medication Adherence in Pediatric and Young Adult Patients Prescribed ADHD Stimulant Medications" to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry conference, held in New York. For more information on this conference, please visit: http://www.aacap.org/annualmeeting/2016.

About Ameritox
Ameritox helped pioneer the prescription drug monitoring necessary to address the national epidemic of prescription drug misuse, abuse and diversion. As a trusted leader in medication monitoring, Ameritox provides medical and business professionals with health care solutions that can help improve patient care and prevent tragedy. Ameritox, headquartered in Baltimore, Md., has laboratory facilities in Greensboro, N.C.

Visit the Ameritox website at: www.ameritox.com
Follow Ingenuity Health on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ameritox

About Ingenuity Health
As part of AmeritoxSM, a national leader in medication monitoring solutions, Ingenuity Health utilizes urine drug monitoring to provide highly reliable data and analysis that helps doctors and behavioral health specialists better treat patients diagnosed with serious mental illness (SMI).

Visit the Ingenuity Health website at: www.ingenuityhealth.com
Follow Ingenuity Health on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ingenuityhealth

Contact:
Genevieve Rozansky
30 Point Strategies 
[email protected] 
202-509-0794

SOURCE Ameritox

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