Adult ADHD
Visual Abstract
A possible effect of methylphenidate on state anxiety: A single dose, placebo controlled, crossover study in a control group
Ritalin may reduce anxiety in anxious adults without ADHD
Aviv Segev , Hila Zahava Gvirts , Kevin Strouse , Naama Mayseless , Hagar Gelbard , Yael Doreen Lewis , Yael Barnea , Kfir Feffer , Simone G Shamay-Tsoory , Yuval Bloch
Summarized by:
April 23, 2023
study source
Psychiatry Res
Jul 2016
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What they studied
Researchers conducted a small clinical trial on healthy adults without ADHD to see whether Ritalin could help with anxiety.
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What they found
While overall, adults without ADHD did not show benefits from Ritalin, those who had high anxiety showed a significant reduction in their state anxiety when provided with methylphenidate, the generic form of Ritalin.
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What this means
The study confirms that part of the benefit some people feel on Ritalin comes from anxiety reduction. It also explains why some adults without ADHD think they do better on stimulants.
A possible effect of methylphenidate on state anxiety: A single dose, placebo controlled, crossover study in a control group
Objectives
Studies have shown that Ritalin can potentially help reduce anxiety in those with ADHD.
This study wanted to see whether methylphenidate, generic Ritalin, could reduce anxiety in those without ADHD.
Study Quote
Methylphenidate affects state-anxiety in ADHD patients. The current study examines the effect of Me- thylphenidate on state-anxiety in healthy subjects.
Methods
This study conducted a small clinical trial on 36 healthy individuals without ADHD.
Study Quote
In a cross-over, randomized, controlled, double-blind study, 36 healthy subjects received either Methylphenidate or placebo.
Results
As a group, healthy individuals did not show decreased anxiety on methylphenidate (Ritalin).
When researchers split up the group based on baseline or preexisting anxiety levels, they found a significant difference.
Those with low baseline anxiety showed no significant changes after being given methylphenidate (Ritalin).
However, those with high baseline anxiety showed a significant decrease in anxiety during the test on methylphenidate.
Methylpheniate (Ritalin) reduces state anxiety in healthy adults with high anxiety.
Study Quote
As a group, no change in state- anxiety was detected with Methylphenidate. However, participants reporting higher anxiety levels ex- perienced a significant and specific state-anxiety reduction following Methylphenidate. Moreover, a strong negative correlation was found between the initi...
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Conclusions
Many without ADHD have taken Adderall and Ritalin for their purported cognitive benefits. While this practice is dangerous and illegal in many cases, this study shows why some without ADHD feel stimulants can help.
The results show that those with anxiety can experience some benefits of anxiety reduction, even if they don’t have ADHD.
The authors confirmed that the effect on anxiety was independent of any impact on attention.
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These effects were independent from subjective reports about improvement in attention.
It is important to note that stimulant medications are not indicated for anxiety treatment or are particularly effective in treating anxiety.
If you or a loved one have test anxiety, but do not have ADHD, talk to your doctor to see what treatment options are available specifically for anxiety.
These data are also particularly helpful in helping us understand the mechanism of Ritalin. For those with ADHD, it can be difficult to tell the cause of improvement.
Since these study subjects did not have ADHD, researchers determined that Ritalin has some effect in reducing anxiety.
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Along with modern dimensional approaches, studying effects of MPH on anxiety in a control group enables us to study the less obvious dimension of the effects of MPH, less burdened by the “shadowing” effect on attention in ADHD patients.
Study Quote
Our results point to the state- dependent effects of Methylphenidate on anxiety.