Characterizing Prescription Stimulant Use in Adults with Overdose Involving Psychostimulants
Elizabeth Bolt1, Wen-Jan Tuan2
1Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA.
Medical Research Archives
|June 29, 2026
Summary
A significant percentage of adults experiencing prescription stimulant overdose had prior stimulant prescriptions or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. This underscores the urgent need for enhanced safety interventions in stimulant prescribing.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pharmacology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Rising prevalence of stimulant prescriptions and overdose deaths in the U.S.
- Need to characterize prescription stimulant use in overdose cases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize prescription stimulant use among adults with psychostimulant-related overdose.
- To identify risk factors associated with stimulant-related overdoses.
Main Methods:
- Utilized International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes.
- Analyzed data from 2010 to 2022 for adults with stimulant-related overdose diagnoses.
- Employed descriptive statistics to characterize the study population.
Main Results:
- Included 15,744 adults with stimulant-related overdoses (16.5% intentional, 83.5% unintentional).
- 17.7% of overdose cases involved individuals with a prior stimulant prescription.
- 49.9% had a diagnosed mental health disorder; 43.2% had a substance use disorder.
Conclusions:
- High prevalence of overdose in at-risk populations necessitates improved safety interventions.
- Tailored prescribing guidelines and risk-benefit analyses are crucial, particularly for patients with mental health or substance use disorders.
- Enhanced patient safety measures are needed to mitigate stimulant overdose risks.
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