ADHD treatment prescriptions for adults surged during pandemic, fueling shortages: Study

A new study discovered that ADHD prescription treatments among adults surged during the COVID-19 pandemic and contributed to the shortage of popular medications like Adderall.

The new study published in JAMA Psychiatry Wednesday found that prescriptions for stimulant and nonstimulant ADHD medications surged during the pandemic, especially among young people and women. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in October 2022 that there was a shortage of Adderall, which is a drug used to treat ADHD.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a condition commonly diagnosed in young children that has symptoms of “difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior,” according to the Mayo Clinic. ADHD can also continue into adulthood or some adults may have the condition but be undiagnosed, the CDC noted.

The study noted that prescriptions for stimulant and nonstimulant ADHD treatments during the pandemic were much higher than before the pandemic, potentially due to the number of adults working from home. Overall, stimulant prescriptions for those 20 to 39 jumped 30 percent, while nonstimulant ADHD prescriptions for that age group increased 81 percent.

Research from the CDC last year also found similar results with prescriptions for adult males, as well as adolescent and adult females with employer-sponsored insurance, which climbed during the pandemic.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) also started allowing medical providers to prescribe treatment for ADHD via telemedicine, making it more accessible to more people. Those telemedicine flexibilities will last until the end of 2024. 

The shortage in Adderall may have also caused long-term problems for students who rely on the treatment for their ADHD, according to experts. They warned that children’s grades and academic performance may have suffered due to the decreased supply of the drug.