Prescription Stimulant Dispensing to US Children: 2017–2023

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/doi/10.1542/peds.2024-068558/200682/Prescription-Stimulant-Dispensing-to-US-Children?&utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8nJL6tYLG-4WPjC2ZfZRv4zT2ehqGmaWTzFJ5GX7-8hLGGKprchbkL1zJKeKUPtnPhdCo3zVqijWS6osBHobl_2OE-QQ&_hsmi=344409238&utm_content=344409238&utm_source=hs_email?autologincheck=redirected Kids with ADHD and the Adderall shortage In Oct. 2022, the FDA announced a shortage of Adderall, the go-to treatment for ADHD. Since then, an increasing number of kids have gotten prescriptions for other stimulants, according to a study published yesterday in Pediatrics. The dip in Adderall prescriptions has been offset by an increase for a drug called Focalin. Researchers analyzed trends in the dispensation of stimulants to kids ages 5 to 17 between 2017 and 2023. Prescriptions declined in the beginning of the pandemic, but they’ve slowly climbed back up to normal, with a few exceptions. Most notably, in December 2023, girls aged 11 and younger had a monthly stimulant-dispensing rate that was 9% higher than pre-pandemic trends predicted. This likely doesn’t mean that more girls have ADHD than before, but perhaps signals that the condition isn’t going undiagnosed in girls as often as it used to. (In the last days of the Biden administration, the DEA proposed a long-awaited special registration process for prescribers who want to provide controlled substances like Adderall via telehealth. It’s unclear how the Trump administration will move forward on the rule.) https://www.statnews.com/2025/01/15/telehealth-adderall-buprenorphine-dea-rules/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-828Q8ChlapSEVkD79TAiKPxjP8xUllfzED_-5UtujRqt-dIe4caZ8G-EGByJZh26r7mnMqgUmvfJ6d81CCuHQsrGp3bw&_hsmi=344409238&utm_content=344409238&utm_source=hs_email