A CDC research found a 10% rise in stimulant prescriptions for adults during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and overall increases across all age categories.
Stimulants are the most often used medications to treat ADHD. According to Melissa Danielson, a CDC statistician, it was a significant increase that had not been detected in previous years of data.
Stimulant Prescriptions Increased
In 2020-2021, more than 10% of all girls aged 15-44 and males aged 25-44 filled prescriptions for stimulants typically used in ADHD therapy, according to the CDC data. The CDC calculated these figures by examining data from the Merative MarketScan Commercial Database, a national convenience sample of deidentified healthcare claims from employer-sponsored insurance plan users from 2016 to 2021.
The proportion of enrollees who received prescription stimulant fills increased from 3.6% in 2016 to 4.1% in 2021. The rise in stimulant drug prescriptions corresponds with findings from a 2021 ADDitude survey of 2,365 persons, 26.5% of whom reported receiving a formal ADHD diagnosis during the previous year.
Furthermore, nearly 22% of adult survey respondents claimed they started using ADHD medication for the first time during the pandemic, while 64% of newly diagnosed adults said the same. During the pandemic, just 5.5% of people stopped taking their medications, and only 4.5% reduced their dosage.
Read more: FDA approves Narcan for sale over the counter; Here’s what it means!
Nationwide Adderall Shortage
According to 2022 census data, 22% of Americans have used telehealth services. In an April 2022 poll of 484 adult ADDitude users, 57% reported utilizing telehealth services and/or mental health applications in the previous two years.
According to the poll, 97% of Cerebral users diagnosed with ADHD reported receiving a new prescription. Approximately 59% of individuals polled claimed they were prescribed Adderall, 34% Wellbutrin, and less than 10% Vyvanse, Strattera, or Ritalin.
ADDitude polls of physicians and patients did late last year and early this year indicate this surge in demand definitely contributed to the current, nationwide Adderall shortage, which began in August 2022 and continues to affect as many as 75% of ADHD sufferers.
Read more: Stimulus Check update 2023- In nine states, new payments ranging from $200 to $1,700 are dropping