Skip to main content

Many ADHD Medications Lead to Increases in Blood Pressure and Heart Rate

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on April 21, 2025.

via HealthDay

MONDAY, April 21, 2025 -- Many pharmacological treatments for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) lead to increases in hemodynamic signs, including blood pressure and pulse, according to a review published in the May issue of The Lancet Psychiatry.

Luis C. Farhat, Ph.D., from the Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil, and colleagues compared the effects of pharmacological treatments for ADHD on hemodynamic signs and electrocardiographic parameters in children, adolescents, and adults. Published and unpublished randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing amphetamines, atomoxetine, bupropion, clonidine, guanfacine, lisdexamfetamine, methylphenidate, modafinil, or viloxazine -- either against each other or against placebo -- were identified; 101 RCTs with short-term follow-up were included, encompassing 22,257 participants.

The researchers found that in children and adolescents, adults, or both, amphetamines, atomoxetine, lisdexamfetamine, methylphenidate, and viloxazine led to increases in hemodynamic signs. Among children and adolescents, the mean increase against placebo varied from 1.07 mm Hg with atomoxetine to 1.81 mm Hg with methylphenidate for systolic blood pressure; from 1.93 mm Hg with amphetamines to 2.42 mm Hg with methylphenidate for diastolic blood pressure; and from 2.79 beats per minute (bpm) with viloxazine to 5.58 bpm with atomoxetine for pulse. Among adults, the mean increase against placebo ranged from 1.66 mm Hg with methylphenidate to 2.3 mm Hg with amphetamines for systolic blood pressure; from 1.6 mm Hg with methylphenidate to 3.07 mm Hg with lisdexamfetamine for diastolic blood pressure; and from 4.37 bpm with methylphenidate to 5.8 bpm with viloxazine for pulse. In children and adolescents, and in adults, guanfacine was associated with decrements in hemodynamic signs.

"Our findings confirmed that amphetamines, atomoxetine, lisdexamfetamine, methylphenidate, and viloxazine may lead to short-term increments in heart rate, blood pressure, or both in children and adolescents, adults, or both age groups," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Remotely Delivered Behavioral Intervention Reduces Systolic BP Variation

THURSDAY, Aug. 21, 2025 -- A remotely delivered behavioral intervention can reduce variability in systolic blood pressure, expressed as the coefficient of variation (BPCoV)...

Seniors With Certain Cardiovascular Diseases Saw Life's Essential 8 Scores Decline 2013 to 2018

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 20, 2025 -- From 2013 to 2018, older adults with heart failure, stroke, and hypertension experienced significant declines in Life's Essential 8 (LE8) scores...

Intensive Systolic BP Target Cost-Effective for Patients at High Cardiovascular Risk

TUESDAY, Aug. 19, 2025 -- For patients 50 years or older at high cardiovascular risk without diabetes or prior stroke, an intensive systolic blood pressure (SBP) target (<120...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.