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Heart Health
How stimulants may affect your heart
- By Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
Beware that over-the-counter supplements may contain hidden, potentially harmful stimulants.
Prescriptions for stimulants have risen sharply over the past two decades. Commonly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, these drugs include amphetamines (Adderall, Adzenys) and methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta). But increasingly, stimulants are being prescribed to older adults. New research suggests they may cause a short-term spike in the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and heart rhythm disorders (arrhythmias).
The findings make sense, since stimulants cause the heart to beat faster and with greater force, both of which can raise blood pressure, says Dr. Pieter Cohen, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an internist at Harvard-affiliated Cambridge Health Alliance. "These well-known side effects may be more worrisome in older people, who are more vulnerable to heart problems than younger people are," he says.
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About the Author
Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
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