Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often occurs in people with epilepsy. Now, new research provides reassurance that taking ADHD medications won’t raise their risk of seizures.
For the study, researchers analyzed data from thousands of epilepsy patients in Sweden. Taking ADHD medications such as Ritalin (methylphenidate), was associated with a 27 percent reduction in seizures, compared with not taking the medications, the investigators found.
“When you compare risk between individuals, there’s a lot of factors that might explain associations that have nothing to do with the medication itself,” said study author Kelsey Wiggs, a Ph.D. candidate at Indiana University, in Bloomington.
The study was published online recently in the journal Epilepsia.