Mixing Pot and Rx Drugs
Ask the Experts
My son is on Concerta for ADD and he is dyslexic, and not performing well academically; I just found out he has been using pot for about a year, and am devastated. How
does pot use interact with the ADD meds? How can I make it clear to him that drug use is not helping his problems?
- From Blue Angel
Marijuana has been shown to affect learning dramatically. People
who smoke marijuana in high school or college have lower GPAs and do not perform as well on standardized tests. Students with ADD, even if they don’t use drugs, are already
at a disadvantage in school, so adding marijuana will only magnify their learning problems.
Marijuana can also directly interfere with the effectiveness of the ADD medications. By causing the body to metabolize the medications faster, marijuana can interfere with
the medications in the brain.
There are many ways to let your son know that using drugs is not acceptable and that it is not helping
his school problems. One way is to sit down with him and show him some of the scientific data about how marijuana
affects learning and school performance. Many times, teens underestimate the dangers of marijuana and by learning more about it, they can be convinced to stop using. Another
way is for you and your son to meet with a healthcare professional or an addiction specialist to talk about how his drug use is affecting him. The important thing is to recognize that
your son is going through a difficult time and that what he needs is a supportive, empathetic, and helpful parent.
Read more about how to listen and support your teen in difficult times.
Timothy Fong, M.D. is an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry. He is also the co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program and the director of the UCLA Impulse Control
Disorders Clinic.
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