The influence of ADHD medication on physiologic processes and exercise
Introduction:
As the number of people receiving medication for ADHD is ever expanding, it is becoming exceedingly important to understand how these medications affect the body during exercise. Currently the most common forms of medication used to treat ADHD symptoms are stimulants. These increase the levels of some neurotransmitters in the brain by inhibiting them from being reabsorbed as they naturally would. The increase in the level of neurotransmitters, especially dopamine and norepinephrine, helps control ADHD symptoms by temporarily improving focus and other cognitive functions [1] .
Cardiovascular Effects:
The effects stimulant ADHD medications have on the cardiovascular systems of users are very important to understand. This is especially true given the fact that a relatively high number of athletes misuse them in attempts to improve their performance.
Acute use of stimulant ADHD medication has been shown to increase the resting, submaximal, and peak heart rates of users.
It has also been shown to increase blood pressure. At the same time, these medications have been shown to lower perceived exertion. Combined with exercise, which also increases heart rate and blood pressure, these effects may place acute users at a higher risk for tachycardia-related adverse cardiovascular events, such as cardiac arrest or even sudden cardiac death.
Although much more research on the long-term cardiovascular effects of chronic stimulant ADHD medication is needed, a very recent study found that they might be very different from those of acute use. In a cross-sectional cohort study including 245 chronic stimulant ADHD medication users and 735 nonusers, researchers found a statistically significant relationship between chronic stimulant ADHD medication use and a decrease in exercise-induced peak heart rate. This decrease in peak heart rate was also associated with a higher risk of chronotropic incompetence, a condition where the heart is unable to beat at a high enough rate to keep up with the demands of increased exercise.
- ↑ Glaser, P., Gerhardt, G., & Norvillitis, J. (2012). The Neuropsychopharmacology of Stimulants: Dopamine and ADHD. In Current Directions in ADHD and Its Treatment (pp. 92-110). In Tech Open Access Publisher.
