Doubling of new prescriptions for ADHD medications among adults since start of COVID-19 pandemic, shows research at St. Michael’s

Tara Gomes, professor (status) and Mina Tadrous, associate professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto.

New prescriptions for stimulants among adults, largely to treat ADHD, more than doubled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in younger adults, found new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). 

In the past, stimulants have been prescribed mainly for pediatric cases of ADHD and some other conditions. However, over the last 20 years, ADHD diagnoses and stimulant prescriptions have increased globally in adults, and data indicate this trend accelerated after the start of the pandemic. Canadian researchers sought to understand whether this trend is evident in Canada and to understand the demographic characteristics of people using these medications. 

“Our findings may reflect improved recognition and treatment of ADHD in adulthood; however, the speed and scale of this growth also raises important questions about how diagnoses are being made, and if this prescribing is always appropriate,” says Dr. Tara Gomes, program director of the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto and an ICES scientist, Toronto, Ontario. 

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