Common stimulant medications linked to sudden, unexplained deaths in youth.

There have been increasing concerns in recent years that stimulant drugs commonly given for ADHD may be associated with an increased risk of sudden, unexplained death in young people. In a new retrospective, case-controlled study researchers have reported the probability that those using the most commonly prescribed stimulant (methylphenidate) was 7.4 compared to those who were not. (If it had been 1, then the probability would have been the same for each group.)