Seven studies evaluated the association of stimulant medication and nonspecific drug abuse or dependence. The ORs ranged from 0.18 to 1.65, with 6 studies having found no significant association and 1 study36 reporting reduced risk of drug abuse or dependence for children who received medication treatment (OR, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.06−0.50). The random-effects model for all studies estimated that children who received medication treatment were comparable to those who did not (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.51−1.40; P =.52), although once again significant heterogeneity was observed (Q = 15.99, P =.01).
