Die Verschreibung von Stimulanzien für Erwachsene hat sich im Vergleich zur COVID-Pandemie verdoppelt, vor allem ADHS-Medikamente, wie eine Analyse zeigt. Im Vergleich zu vor der Pandemie handelte es sich bei den Neuempfängern während der Pandemie eher um junge Erwachsene im Alter von 25 bis 34 Jahren und um Frauen.

Stimulant prescribing for adults doubled over COVID pandemic, analysis suggests

New prescriptions for stimulants—mostly attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD] drugs—doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic began among adults in Ontario, according to a study published today in CMAJ.

Of 327,053 adults who started taking stimulants, the median age was 31 years, and 55.4% were women. New stimulant prescribing was stable before the COVID-19 pandemic (change in monthly rate per 1,000 people, 0.0004), fell immediately after pandemic onset (−0.067), and then accelerated (0.0029), rising 7.3-fold from 0.16 to 0.44 new monthly dispensations per 1,000 people from January 2016 to June 2024.

Relative to before the pandemic, new recipients during the pandemic were more likely to be aged 25 to 34 years (26.5% vs 32.8%) and women (48.0% vs 59.0%), and the drugs were less likely to be started by psychiatrists (25.5% vs 18.0%) and more likely to be written by nurses or nurse practitioners (1.7% vs 9.6%).

For those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://www.cmaj.ca/content/198/9/E313