---
title: "Psych News Alert: Pediatricians Avoid Discussing ADHD Medication Risks"
description: A recent survey of 525 pediatricians finds that while most (93 percent) completed a routine history and physical before starting children on...
image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Peds-Cardio_76697698-Jun-24-2025-04-16-22-3261-PM.jpg
---

 1/18/12 12:00 AM

# Pediatricians Avoid Discussing ADHD Medication Risks

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert)

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A recent survey of 525 pediatricians finds that while most (93 percent) completed a routine history and physical before starting children on stimulant medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), only 48 percent performed an in-depth cardiac history and physical, and just 15 percent ordered an electrocardiogram. Only 48 percent of the sample talked to patients and their families about cardiac risks associated with stimulant use, noted Laurel Leslie, M.D., M.P.H., an associate professor of medicine and pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine, and colleagues in the February *Pediatrics*, and published online January 16.

About 81 percent of the pediatricians responding to the survey felt that a family’s knowledge of the risk of sudden cardiac death would deter stimulant use, the authors noted. “The fact that physicians might not discuss potential risks with families, despite lay media publicity, suggests that, as a field, we are not adequately prepared to discuss these risks in an efficient, negotiated manner,” they said.

For more on the cardiac risks of ADHD medications, see [Psychiatric News](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=180858).

(Image: MaszaS/Shutterstock.com)

[pediatrics](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/pediatrics), [child psychiatry](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/child-psychiatry), [adverse events](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/adverse-events), [ADHD medication](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/adhd-medication), [cardiology](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/cardiology)

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[ADHD](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/adhd), [HealthyMinds.org](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/healthyminds-org)

## [‘Get the Facts’ During ADHD Awareness Week](https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/10/get-facts-during-adhd-awareness-week.html)

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 10/18/11 12:00 AM

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[ADHD](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/adhd), [California](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/california)

## [ADHD Diagnoses in California Health Plan Jump 24 Percent in 10 Years](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/01/adhd-diagnoses-in-california-health.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 1/22/13 12:00 AM

Rates of diagnosis of ADHD among children in a large California health plan jumped 24 percent from...

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