Purpose of review: To understand the impact of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and its medications on blood pressure (BP) in children and adolescents and provide recommendations for management of elevated BP in children and adolescents with ADHD.
Recent findings: ADHD medications have cardiovascular effects including elevated BP. However, the bulk of the evidence indicates that stimulants and other ADHD medications are safe and do not cause severe cardiovascular diseases. BP should be assessed carefully at the time of ADHD diagnosis, because some behavioral changes similar to ADHD may be associated with hypertension. ADHD medications appear to be safe. However, their long-term impact on the cardiovascular system is not clearly understood and needs further investigation. BP should be monitored regularly during ADHD pharmacotherapy in order to optimize the management of both conditions.
Keywords: ADHD; Cardiovascular disease; Elevated blood pressure; Pediatric hypertension; Stimulants.