---
title: "Psych News Alert: Long-Term Stimulant Use Doesn't Cause Blood-Pressure Spike"
description: With stimulant medications an increasingly popular treatment for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), concerns hav...
image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/blood%20pressure%20monitor_91641374-Jun-24-2025-05-38-44-8236-PM.jpg
---

 4/10/12 12:00 AM

# Long-Term Stimulant Use Doesn't Cause Blood-Pressure Spike

![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)

Share: [facebook-f icon ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/04/long-term-stimulant-use-doesn-cause.html) [linkedin-in icon ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/04/long-term-stimulant-use-doesn-cause.html) [Twitter icon ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/04/long-term-stimulant-use-doesn-cause.html) [pinterest-p icon ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/04/long-term-stimulant-use-doesn-cause.html) [envelope icon ](mailto:?body=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/04/long-term-stimulant-use-doesn-cause.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/blood%20pressure%20monitor_91641374-Jun-24-2025-05-38-42-8318-PM.jpg?width=200&height=133&name=blood%20pressure%20monitor_91641374-Jun-24-2025-05-38-42-8318-PM.jpg)](https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/blood%20pressure%20monitor_91641374-Jun-24-2025-05-38-43-7126-PM.jpg) 

With stimulant medications an increasingly popular treatment for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), concerns have been raised about whether their use over the long term will raise a child's risk of developing hypertension. Benedetto Vitiello, M.D., chief of the Child and Adolescent Treatment and Preventive Intervention Research Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health, led a 10-year study to assess whether such a risk exists. In a report in the *American Journal of Psychiatry*, he and his colleagues reported that they did not find a link between long-term stimulant use for ADHD and elevated blood pressure in the hypertensive or prehypertensive range. They did, however, find that greater cumulative stimulant use was linked to a higher heart rate at years 3 and 8 of the 10-year study.

Read more about this study in the current issue of *Psychiatric News* [here](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsArticle.aspx?articleid=1096611), and read the results of a study that assessed cardiovascular safety of methylphenidate use in adults [here](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsArticle.aspx?articleid=1096612). 

(image: Kamira/Shutterstock.com)

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

## Related posts

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/pillinhand_60824902-Jun-24-2025-09-38-29-8574-PM.jpg?height=200&name=pillinhand_60824902-Jun-24-2025-09-38-29-8574-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/04/medication-doesn-enhance-cbt-results-in.html)

[ADHD](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/adhd), [psychotherapy](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychotherapy), [cognitive-behavioral therapy](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/cognitive-behavioral-therapy), [CBT](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/cbt)

## [Medication Doesn't Enhance CBT Results in ADHD Patients](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/04/medication-doesn-enhance-cbt-results-in.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) 

 4/19/12 12:00 AM

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/04/medication-doesn-enhance-cbt-results-in.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/omega3_100154183-Jun-24-2025-04-46-34-4693-PM.jpg?height=200&name=omega3_100154183-Jun-24-2025-04-46-34-4693-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/02/studies-find-limited-success-of.html)

[ADHD](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/adhd), [fatty acids](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/fatty-acids), [artificial food colorings](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/artificial-food-colorings)

## [Studies Find Limited Success of Nonpharmacologic Treatments for ADHD](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/02/studies-find-limited-success-of.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) 

 2/1/13 12:00 AM

A meta-analysis of six types of nonpharmacological interventions, including dietary and...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/02/studies-find-limited-success-of.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/DistractedBoy_68766022-Jun-24-2025-05-40-34-9090-PM.jpg?height=200&name=DistractedBoy_68766022-Jun-24-2025-05-40-34-9090-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/02/preschoolers-with-adhd-maintain-symptoms.html)

[ADHD](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/adhd), [psychiatry](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychiatry), [Preschool ADHD Treatment Study](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/preschool-adhd-treatment-study), [PATS](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/pats)

## [Preschoolers With ADHD Maintain Symptoms](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/02/preschoolers-with-adhd-maintain-symptoms.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) 

 2/27/13 12:00 AM

Four-year-olds with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) still retain significant levels...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/02/preschoolers-with-adhd-maintain-symptoms.html)

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Psychiatric News Alert",
    "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2025-06-24T17:43:58.625Z",
  "datePublished" : "2012-04-10T04:00:00.000Z",
  "headline" : "Psych News Alert: Long-Term Stimulant Use Doesn't Cause Blood-Pressure Spike",
  "image" : [ "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/blood%20pressure%20monitor_91641374-Jun-24-2025-05-38-44-8236-PM.jpg" ],
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/04/long-term-stimulant-use-doesn-cause.html",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/PN-Blue-Box.jpg"
    }
  }
}
```