Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD) may be more likely to abuse drugs, according to a recent study HealthDay News reported.

Researchers found that children suffering from ADHD are more than twice as likely to try and abuse drugs. However, medications used to treat the common childhood disorder do not play a part in that increased risk.

Eight percent of all children have been diagnosed with ADHD in the Unied States.

"One of the main points [of the finding] is that treating ADHD both with behavioral techniques and medications seems to lower the risk of substance abuse," co-author Dr. Sharon Levy, director of the adolescent substance abuse program at Boston Children's Hospital, told Health Day News.

She added that although medications such as Adderall or Dexedrine, and methylphenidates, like Concerta, Metadate CD or Ritalin can be addictive, there is no evidence that using them increases the risk of substance abuse.

However, stimulant medications can sometimes be misused. Nearly 23 percent of school-aged children are approached to sell, buy or trade their ADHD medications, researchers found.

"Pediatricians need to make a careful diagnosis before prescribing and use safe prescribing practices and counseling to minimize diversion and misuse of these drugs," Levy said.

Researchers said the reasons for the association between ADHD and the risk of substance abuse is unknown.

"Obviously, the medications that are used to treat ADHD have the potential for abuse, but the vast majority of children with ADHD do not develop a substance abuse problem," Dr. Michael Duchowny, a pediatric neurologist at Miami Children's Hospital, told Healthday. "More research has to be done to find out why some children are more susceptible than others."

Duchowny said it is possible that the same biology that causes ADHD also puts some children at a higher risk for substance abuse.

Other social factors, like poor school performance, may increase substance abuse risk among children with ADHD.

"Parents need to be aware that the medications prescribed for ADHD have the potential for abuse. They also have to be aware of the symptoms of substance abuse, and distinguish those from ADHD," Duchowny said. "Counseling is important, and awareness is the key to preventing the problems."

The findings were recently published in the journal Pediatrics.