The prestigious
New England Journal of Medicine recently dedicated significant and noteworthy space to a research review of the pharmacologic treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD)
1 from Samuele Cortese, M.D., Ph.D. In the
NEJM‘s September issue, Dr. Cortese summarized the most notable findings of the last decade related to use of medications for ADHD, their efficacy, side effects, and safety.
Medication Use in ADHD
Reported in the article was a study of prescription databases that revealed that the prevalence of ADHD medication use increased from 2001 to 2015.
2 The average relative percentage increase in the United States was 2.83% per year. Follow-up periods of a systematic review revealed the average length of treatment with stimulants was 136 days in children and 230 days in adults.