ADHD drug use levels off after 18-year surge

Using drugs to treat children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may have reached a plateau, after a steep rise in prescriptions over the past 18 years.

Using the medical records of children aged up to 16 years who were prescribed at least one drug to treat ADHD, researchers estimated prescribing trends between 1995 and 2013, and the duration of treatment for those diagnosed with the condition.

During this period, 14,748 children under 16 – 85% of whom were boys – were given at least one ADHD drug prescription, with more than half receiving their first prescription between the ages of six and 11.

The researchers said the use of these drugs rose dramatically from 1.5 per 10,000 children in 1995 to 50.7 per 10,000 children in 2008. It then seemed to level off at 51.1 per 10,000 children by 2013.

The rate of