ADHD medications and risk of serious cardiovascular events in young and middle-aged adults
I've heard mixed things about stimulants and heart risk — what does my own blood pressure and cardiovascular history mean for taking Adderall?
Well-supported by good-quality research. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: Several authors reported grants from or ties to pharmaceutical companies; confidence intervals could not rule out a modest risk increase, healthy-user bias may flatter the results, and the later Zhang 2024 study found rising cardiovascular risk with more than 3 years of cumulative use.
Among 443,198 adults aged 25-64 (150,359 users of amphetamines, methylphenidate, or atomoxetine), current medication use was not associated with more heart attacks, sudden cardiac deaths, or strokes than nonuse (adjusted rate ratio 0.83).
Worth asking
I've heard mixed things about stimulants and heart risk — what does my own blood pressure and cardiovascular history mean for taking Adderall?
What it is FDA approved for
Read off the label. Trial duration and approval year are shown only where they were recorded — never inferred.
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Narcolepsy
Source
ADHD medications and risk of serious cardiovascular events in young and middle-aged adults — Habel LA, et al. (2011)
Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2011.1830
DOI: 10.1001/jama.2011.1830
How this was scored
- Study design
- Cohort study
- Funding
- Independently funded
- Published in
- Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 443,198
- Preregistered
- No
- Conflicts disclosed
- Yes
- Independent of proponent
- Yes
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "strong evidence". Well-supported by good-quality research. It scores 79 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: Several authors reported grants from or ties to pharmaceutical companies; confidence intervals could not rule out a modest risk increase, healthy-user bias may flatter the results, and the later Zhang 2024 study found rising cardiovascular risk with more than 3 years of cumulative use. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
ADHD medications and risk of serious cardiovascular events in young and middle-aged adults — Habel LA, et al. (2011). Published in: Top-tier peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2011.1830. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Cohort study. Funding: Independently funded. The researchers were independent of whoever benefits from the result. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is amphetamine (Adderall, Mydayis, Evekeo), adderall, mydayis, evekeo FDA approved?
Yes — FDA approved for Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Narcolepsy. Approval is for a specific indication, not for everything the drug is prescribed for.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.