Although the number of prescriptions written for the stimulant drug Adderall is decreasing, young adults are still misusing the medication. This has led to an increase of emergency room visits relating to the drug.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health led the study, which is published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. They analyzed three different sets of data from the years 2006-2011. The data was extracted from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, The Drug Abuse Warning Network and The National Disease and Therapeutic Index.

The researchers found that nonmedical use of Adderall among 18-25-year-olds increased 60 percent over the six year period and emergency room visits increased 156 percent. Those misusing the medication were receiving it from family and friend with prescriptions.

The study suggests that drugs like Adderall should be monitored like prescription painkillers due to their addictive nature and cardiovascular effects.