Rates of ADHD Medication Use Among Adults Rising

The number of adults taking medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) rose by 53% between 2008 and 2012, according to a recent report.

The report—Turning Attention to ADHD: US Medication Trends for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder—was written by researchers from Express Scripts, the nation’s largest prescription drug manager.
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Including roughly 400,000 privately insured participants under 65 years old that filled prescriptions for ADHD between 2008 and 2012, the report calculated prevalence, utilization, and costs associated with ADHD medication use during the 5-year period.

They found that use of ADHD medications among Americans of all ages increased by 35.5% during the period, while rates among adults rose by 53%.

Among adults, rates of use among women far outnumber those among men, which is the reverse of rates among children. After reaching 18 years old, the numbers of boys taking the medications plummet, while rates among women between 19 and 25 years old increase substantially. 

Researchers speculate that because girls are less likely to exhibit disruptive behavior in their school years, their symptoms may be overlooked until adulthood, leading to the drastic increase in rates of use. 

“The trends here signal a need to look more closely at how and why physicians prescribe these medications for adults and the need for prescribers to fully assess the entire psychosocial landscape of an individual patient prior to reaching for the prescription pad,” researchers concluded in an accompanying press release.

–Michael Potts

References:

1. Muzina D. REPORT: Turning Attention to ADHD [press release]. March 12, 2014. http://lab.express-scripts.com/prescription-drug-trends/turning-attention-adhd/

2. Turning Attention to ADHD: U.S. Medication Trends for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. March 12, 2014. http://lab.express-scripts.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/ADHD_March2014_ExpressScripts.pdf