text_1: ADHD Stimulants Might Help a Smoker With the Disorder Cut Back on Cigarettes
text_2: This US News & World Report story discusses the possibility that some drugs used mainly to control attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be useful in helping people quit smoking. The story focuses on a very small pilot study where researchers claim an ADHD drug, lisdexamfetamine dimesylate, reduced the number of cigarettes a person smoked, although it had no effect on stopping their smoking habit. The story doesn’t mention either the cost of the drug nor any harms that might come from its use. It also doesn’t  provide enough information about the study itself for readers to adequately evaluate its results. Nor does it disclose that the study was funded by a pharmaceutical company and that some members of the research team receive support from pharmaceutical firms. Smoking is a serious addiction that causes serious health consequences in those with and without ADHD, so efforts to promote abstinence and decreased use are appropriate. But when it comes to the ADHD drug Vyvanse helping smokers quit, this article is much ado about nothing.